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Acipenser medirostris Ayres, 1854

Green sturgeon
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Acipenser medirostris   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Acipenser medirostris (Green sturgeon)
Acipenser medirostris
Picture by Gotshall, D.W.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Chondrostei (sturgeons) > Acipenseriformes (Sturgeons and paddlefishes) > Acipenseridae (Sturgeons) > Acipenserinae
Etymology: Acipenser: Latin, acipenser = sturgeon, 1853 (Ref. 45335);  medirostris: The specific name is derived from medirostris, referring to its moderate snout (Ref. 1998).
More on author: Ayres.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; freshwater; brackish; demersal; anadromous (Ref. 120652); depth range 0 - 80 m (Ref. 50610). Temperate; 10°C - 20°C (Ref. 2059); 65°N - 32°N, 166°W - 114°W (Ref. 54261)

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

North America: Aleutian Islands and the Gulf of Alaska to Ensenada, Mexico. Considered vulnerable in Canada. The Asian population is now considered to be a separate species Acipenser mikadoi (Ref. 6866).

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?, range 162 - ? cm
Max length : 270 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 96339); common length : 130 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 12193); max. published weight: 159.0 kg (Ref. 2850); max. reported age: 60 years (Ref. 72476)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 33 - 35; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 22 - 28. Characterized by a single row of 1 to 4 bony plates along the midventral line between the anus and the anal fin, and about 33 to 35 rays in the dorsal fin. Dorsal arises at posterior third of the total length; anal fin arises under posterior part of dorsal; pectorals originate low on the body just behind gill opening and are large and rounded; pelvic fins arise near the anus. Generally olive to dark green, lower parts more or less whitish green; a longitudinal olive-green stripe on side between lateral and ventrolateral plates, another on midventral surface; fins grayish to pale green (Ref. 27547). Barbels usually situated closer to mouth than to snout tip; coloration of scutes along side paler than skin (Ref. 86798).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Found in estuaries, lower reaches of large rivers, and in salt or brackish water off river mouths (Ref. 5723). Probably spawns in fresh water (Ref. 27547). May cover considerable distances in the ocean (Ref. 27547). Edible but with a disagreeable taste and unpleasant odor (Ref. 1998).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr, 1991. A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 432 p. (Ref. 5723)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Endangered (EN) (A2bc); Date assessed: 14 September 2019

CITES


Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish: yes
FAO - Fisheries: landings, species profile; Publication: search | FishSource | Sea Around Us

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet compositions
Food consumptions
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
Population dynamics
Growths
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversions
Recruitments
Abundances
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturities
Fecundities
Spawnings
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Egg(s)
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Distribution
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FAO areas
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BRUVS - Videos
Anatomy
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Otoliths
Physiology
Body compositions
Nutrients
Oxygen consumptions
Swimming type
Swimming speeds
Visual pigment(s)
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Diseases / Parasites
Toxicities (LC50s)
Genetics
Genetics
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References

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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Fisheries: landings, species profile; Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoobank | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 9.1 - 12.7, mean 10.6 °C (based on 50 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5000   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00324 (0.00142 - 0.00736), b=3.17 (2.99 - 3.35), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this Genus-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  3.5   ±0.52 se; based on food items.
Generation time: 12.6 ( na - na) years. Estimated as median ln(3)/K based on 1 growth studies.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Low, minimum population doubling time 4.5 - 14 years (K=0.05-0.09).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Very high vulnerability (80 of 100).
Climate Vulnerability (Ref. 125649):  High to very high vulnerability (67 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Unknown.
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 14.8 [9.0, 24.9] mg/100g; Iron = 0.253 [0.156, 0.390] mg/100g; Protein = 17.7 [15.1, 20.3] %; Omega3 = 0.354 [0.202, 0.615] g/100g; Selenium = 22.6 [12.6, 42.8] μg/100g; VitaminA = 4.61 [1.77, 11.95] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.437 [0.320, 0.597] mg/100g (wet weight);