Geographic Range
The
goldeye
,
Hiodon alosoides
, can be found in many northern latitude locations (Moon et al., 1998). In Canada,
this species can be located from the Quebec-Ontario border to the Rocky Mountains
and from northern Canada to the Great Lakes (Battle and Sprules, 1960).The
goldeye
is also widely distributed across the United States (Pankhurst, 1985).
Habitat
In the U.S., the
goldeye
is most commonly found in larger river systems such as the Mississippi, Missouri,
Ohio, and Red Rivers (Claflin, 1963). In Canada,
goldeye
prefer deep pools and calm backwaters of large turbid rivers, as well as shallow
muddy areas of clear lakes (Eakins, 2017).
- Habitat Regions
- freshwater
- Aquatic Biomes
- lakes and ponds
- rivers and streams
- temporary pools
- brackish water
Physical Description
The goldeye was given it's name to due to the large yellow color in the iris of it's
eyes. The goldeye's body is dominated by a silver color. The dorsal region of this
fish has a blueish tint. The body type of the goldeye is considered to be laterally
compressed and covered with large cycloid scales. The mouth is considered small and
terminal. There are many teeth located on the upper and lower jaw as well as on the
tongue. This species displays sexual dimorphism. Mature males and females display
different anal fins. The first few rays of a mature male anal fin become elongated
to form a distinct lobe. This lobe is absent in mature females (Chaflin, 1963). Common
adult weights are 0.21 kg to 0.77 kg. The maximum weight recorded in Ontario Canada
is 0.54 kg. Adults range from 25.9 cm to 40.6 cm in length. The maximum recorded length
of a goldeye in Ontario Canada is 42.6 cm (Eakins, 2017).
- Other Physical Features
- bilateral symmetry
- Sexual Dimorphism
- sexes shaped differently
Development
Goldeye add, on average, 50 to 100 grams to their body weight per year until age nine.
After age nine, goldeye add an additional 10 grams per year to their total body weight
(Donald and Sardella, 2010). Growth rates depend on location. Northern latitudes experience
slower growth rates than southern latitudes. The goldeye grows the fastest during
its first year. In the northern latitudes, the goldeye may reach 80 mm before the
end of it's first summer (Warren and Burr, 2014). During the second year of life,
growth rates decreased by 50%. During the third year of life, growth rates decreased
from year two by slightly more than 50%. Growth rates from years four to seven remained
constant. After age seven, growth rates are minimal (Warren and Burr, 2014).
Reproduction
Spawning has never been witnessed in the wild. Due to the nature of the modified anal
fin of the male, it is thought that the male will cup his anal fin against a female
and both the male and female release their gametes into the male's anal fin cup (Warren
and Burr, 2014).
- Mating System
- monogamous
Spawning occurs each spring (Kennedy and Sprules, 1967) and is thought to correlate
with water temperature (Eakins, 2017). Spawning temperatures range from 10 to 13°C.
Mature female goldeye spawn once each year. However, there is speculation that only
a portion of mature female goldeye spawn each year (Hieb, 1968). Females lay anywhere
from less then 6000 to 25,000 eggs. The eggs laid by females are non-adhesive and
have an oil droplet making them semi-buoyant. After the eggs are laid, hatching occurs
after approximately 2 weeks (Warren and Burr, 2014).
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- seasonal breeding
- fertilization
- broadcast (group) spawning
- oviparous
The goldeye do not provide any post-spawning parental care (Warren and Burr, 2014).
- Parental Investment
- no parental involvement
Lifespan/Longevity
The lifespan for the
goldeye
is 10-14 years for males and 12-17 years for females (Eakins, 2017). The oldest goldeye
ever captured was 30 years old (Warren and Burr, 2014).
Behavior
Goldeye are thought to be nocturnal or crepuscular, coming to the surface in the evenings
during the morning or evenings, and at night, to feed (Warren and Burr, 2014).
- Key Behaviors
- natatorial
- nocturnal
- crepuscular
- motile
Home Range
No telemetry data exists for the goldeye making the homerange sizes difficult to determine
(Warren and Burr, 2014).
Communication and Perception
The goldeye has a connection between the inner-ear and the swim bladder. Similar to
catfishes, the goldeye use this connection as a sound enhancer. Goldeye have tapida
lucida in their eyes that reflect light in a way that suggests a mechanism to be able
to see in turbid waters as well as to be able to see during low-light conditions (Warren
and Burr, 2014).
Food Habits
The goldeye is considered an invertivore (Eakins, 2017) and will eat a wide range
of food items. These items include animals from the genus Arthropoda, Insecta, Odonata,
Hemiptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, and Chironomidae (Hieb, 1968).
- Animal Foods
- mammals
- fish
- insects
- mollusks
- terrestrial worms
- aquatic or marine worms
Predation
Goldeye are prey for fish such as pike (
Esox
spp.) and walleye (
Sander vitreum
). Birds and mammals are also know to prey upon goldeye (Warren and Burr, 2014).
Ecosystem Roles
Goldeye are susceptible to becoming hosts to many parasites such as cestodes, crustaceans,
nematodes, treamatodes, and acanthocephalans (Warren and Burr, 2014).
- crestodes, trematodes, acanthocephalans, nematodes, and crustaceans
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
In Canada, in early 1900's
goldeye
received heavy commercial harvest pressure to be used as a source of food for people
(Claflin, 1963). Smoked
goldeye
, considered by some as a table delicacy, reached it's peak in the commercial industry
in the mid to late 1920's (Battle and Sprules, 1960). During the peak commercial harvesting,
more than one million pounds of goldeye were harvested annually.
- Positive Impacts
- food
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
There are no known adverse effects of goldeye on humans.
Conservation Status
The goldeye does not maintain a federal protection status in the United States or
Canada. However, they are listed in many U.S. states as threatened or of special concern
(Warren and Burr, 2014). Goldeye are listed on redlist as a species of least concern.
Other Comments
General taxonomic information can be located at the Ontario freshwater fishes life history database and can also be located at fishbase.org .
Additional Links
Contributors
Cameron Brock (author), Minnesota State University Mankato, Robert Sorensen (editor), Minnesota State University, Mankato, Tanya Dewey (editor), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
- Nearctic
-
living in the Nearctic biogeographic province, the northern part of the New World. This includes Greenland, the Canadian Arctic islands, and all of the North American as far south as the highlands of central Mexico.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- freshwater
-
mainly lives in water that is not salty.
- brackish water
-
areas with salty water, usually in coastal marshes and estuaries.
- monogamous
-
Having one mate at a time.
- iteroparous
-
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
- seasonal breeding
-
breeding is confined to a particular season
- fertilization
-
union of egg and spermatozoan
- external fertilization
-
fertilization takes place outside the female's body
- oviparous
-
reproduction in which eggs are released by the female; development of offspring occurs outside the mother's body.
- natatorial
-
specialized for swimming
- nocturnal
-
active during the night
- crepuscular
-
active at dawn and dusk
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- food
-
A substance that provides both nutrients and energy to a living thing.
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
References
Battle, H., W. Sprules. 1960. A description of the semi-buoyant eggs and early developmental stages of the goldeye, (Rafinesque).. Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada. , 17/2: 245-266.
Claflin, T. 1963. Age and rate of growth of the goldeye, Hiodon Alosoides (Rafinesque), in the Missouri river . South Dakota: University of South Dakota Libraries.
Donald, D., G. Sardella. 2010. Mercury and other metals in muscle and ovaries of Goldeye (Hiodon alosoides). Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry , 29/2: 373-379.
Hieb, R. 1968. Observations on the life history of the goldeye, Hiodon alosoides (rafinesque), in Moccasin Bay on the Little Missouri Arm, Garrison Reservoir, North Dakota . Grand Forks, North Dakota: University of North Dakota.
Kennedy, W., W. Sprules. 1967. Goldeye in Canada . Ottawa Canada: Queen's Printer.
Moon, D., S. Fisher, S. Krentz. 1998. Assessment of larval fish consumption by Goldeye (Hiodon alosoides) in two Missouri river backwaters. Journal of Freshwater Ecology , 13/3: 317-321. Accessed February 12, 2017 at http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02705060.1998.9663624 .
Pankhurst, N. 1985. Final maturation and ovulation of oocytes of the goldeye, Hiodon alosoides (Rafinesque), in vitro.. Canadian Journal of Zoology , 63/5: 1003-1009.
Warren, M., B. Burr. 2014. Freshwater fishes of North America . Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Robert J. Eakins. 2017. "The Ontario Freshwater Fishes Life History Database" (On-line). Accessed April 05, 2017 at http://www.ontariofishes.ca/home.htm .