# Ptychocheilus

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> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptychocheilus
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{{Short description|Genus of fishes}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = {{fossil range|12.5|0|earliest=34|[Late Miocene](/source/Late_Miocene) to present}}Possible [Late Eocene](/source/Late_Eocene) occurrence
| image = Colorado Pikeminnow.jpg
| image_caption = [Colorado pikeminnow](/source/Colorado_pikeminnow) (''Ptychocheilus lucius'')
| taxon = Ptychocheilus
| authority = [Agassiz](/source/Louis_Agassiz), 1855<ref name = "Cof family">{{Cof family|family=Laviniinae|access-date=20 May 2025}}</ref>
| type_species = ''[Ptychocheilus gracilis](/source/Northern_pikeminnow)''
| type_species_authority = Agassiz & [Pickering](/source/Charles_Pickering_(naturalist)), 1855<ref name = "Cof family"/>
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = See text
}}{{About|the genus||Squawfish (disambiguation)}}
'''''Ptychocheilus''''', the '''pikeminnows''' or '''squawfish''', is a genus of freshwater [ray-finned fishes](/source/Actinopterygii) belonging to the [family](/source/Family_(taxonomy)) [Leuciscidae](/source/Leuciscidae), which includes the [dace](/source/dace)s, [chub](/source/chub)s, [Eurasian minnows](/source/Phoxinus), and related species.<ref name = "Cof family"/> These fishes are native to western North America. Voracious predators, they are considered an "undesirable" species in many waters, largely due to the species' perceived tendency to prey upon small [trout](/source/trout) and [salmon](/source/salmon). First known in western science by the common name '''Columbia River dace''', the four species all became lumped under the name "squawfish". In 1999, the [American Fisheries Society](/source/American_Fisheries_Society) adopted "'''pikeminnow'''" as the name it recommends, because [Native Americans](/source/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States) consider "[squaw](/source/squaw)fish" offensive.<ref>
{{cite report
 |first1=J.S. |last1=Nelson                |first2=E.J.  |last2=Crossman
 |first3=H.   |last3=Espinosa-Pérez        |first4=L.T.  |last4=Findley
 |first5=C.R. |last5=Gilbert               |first6=R.N.  |last6=Lea
 |first7=J.D. |last7=Williams
 |year=2004
 |title=Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico
 |series=AFS Special Publications |volume=29
 |publisher=American Fisheries Society
 |place=Bethesda, MD
}}
</ref>

The [Colorado pikeminnow](/source/Colorado_pikeminnow), ''P. lucius'', is the largest member of the genus, ranging from 4–9&nbsp;lb (2–4&nbsp;kg) in adult fish with occasional specimens up to 25&nbsp;lb (11&nbsp;kg). Historical and anecdotal reports of Colorado pikeminnows nearing 6&nbsp;ft (1.8&nbsp;m) in length and 80&nbsp;lb (36&nbsp;kg) in weight have been made. The species is near extinction in its native Colorado River Basin habitat, due to extensive [habitat destruction](/source/habitat_destruction).

On the Columbia and Snake Rivers from roughly May through September, anglers are paid for each [northern pikeminnow](/source/northern_pikeminnow) that they catch (from within program boundaries) that is {{convert|9|in|cm}} or larger in total length, and the more one catches, the higher the reward. Rewards begin at $5 each for the first 25&nbsp;northern pikeminnow caught during the season. Anglers are paid $6 for 26–200&nbsp;fish, and $8 for every fish caught over 200, cumulatively. Anglers are also paid $500 for each specially tagged northern pikeminnow.<ref>
{{cite web
 |title=Pikeminnow sport-reward fishery program
 |website=wdfw.wa.gov
 |publisher=[Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife](/source/Washington_Department_of_Fish_and_Wildlife)
 |place=Olympia, WA
 |url=https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/reports/creel/pikeminnow
}}
</ref>

== Species ==
The four recognized species are:<ref name=FishBase>
{{FishBase genus
 | genus = Ptychocheilus
 | month = May | year = 2018
}}
</ref>
:{|
|-
| ''[Ptychocheilus grandis](/source/Ptychocheilus_grandis)'' || <small>([Ayres](/source/William_Orville_Ayres), 1854)</small> || Sacramento pikeminnow
|-
| ''[Ptychocheilus lucius](/source/Ptychocheilus_lucius)'' || <small>([Girard](/source/Charles_Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Girard), 1856)</small> || Colorado pikeminnow
|-
| ''[Ptychocheilus oregonensis](/source/Ptychocheilus_oregonensis)'' &emsp; || <small>([J. Richardson](/source/John_Richardson_(naturalist)), 1836)</small> &emsp; || northern pikeminnow
|-
| ''[Ptychocheilus umpquae](/source/Ptychocheilus_umpquae)'' || <small>([Snyder](/source/John_Otterbein_Snyder), 1908)</small> || Umpqua pikeminnow
|} Two [fossil](/source/fossil) species are also known:<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Carney |first=Douglas A. |last2=Page |first2=Lawrence M. |date=1990 |title=Meristic Characteristics and Zoogeography of the Genus Ptychocheilus (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1445833 |journal=Copeia |volume=1990 |issue=1 |pages=171–181 |doi=10.2307/1445833 |issn=0045-8511|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
:* †''P. arciferus'' <small>[Cope](/source/Edward_Drinker_Cope), 1870</small> ([Pliocene](/source/Pliocene) of Idaho)
:* †''P. prelucius'' <small>Uyeno & Miller, 1965</small> ([Late Miocene](/source/Late_Miocene)-aged [Bidahochi Formation](/source/Bidahochi_Formation) of Arizona)<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Uyeno |first=Teruya |last2=Miller |first2=Robert Rush |date=1965 |title=Middle Pliocene Cyprinid Fishes from the Bidahochi Formation, Arizona |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1441236 |journal=Copeia |volume=1965 |issue=1 |pages=28–41 |doi=10.2307/1441236 |issn=0045-8511|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=PBDB |url=https://paleobiodb.org/classic/displaySearchStrataResults?group_formation_member=Bidahochi |access-date=2025-04-07 |website=paleobiodb.org}}</ref>
In addition, the partial fossils of a large minnow with presumed affinities to ''Ptychocheilus'' have been recovered from the [Late Eocene](/source/Priabonian) <span data-darkreader-inline-color="" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="">or</span> [Early Oligocene](/source/Rupelian)<span data-darkreader-inline-color="" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="">-aged deposits of the</span> [Cypress Hills Formation](/source/Cypress_Hills_Formation) <span data-darkreader-inline-color="" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="">in</span> [Saskatchewan](/source/Saskatchewan)<span data-darkreader-inline-color="" data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="">.</span><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Divay |first=Julien D. |last2=Murray |first2=Alison M. |date=2015-06-23 |title=The late Eocene–early Oligocene ichthyofauna from the Eastend area of the Cypress Hills Formation, Saskatchewan, Canada |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/action/showCitFormats?doi=10.1080%2F02724634.2014.956877& |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |language=en |volume=35 |issue=4 |article-number=e956877 |doi=10.1080/02724634.2014.956877 |issn=0272-4634|url-access=subscription }}</ref> 

==References==
{{reflist|25em}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q3768496}}
{{Authority control}}

Category:Ptychocheilus
Category:Laviniinae
Category:Taxa named by Louis Agassiz

{{Leuciscinae-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ptychocheilus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptychocheilus) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptychocheilus?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.