Richardsonius balteatus
Identification Tips:
• Small body size, typically (<150 mm) • Deep, laterally compressed body shape • Deeply forked caudal fin. • Dorsal fin lies well behind the pelvic fins and is directly above front portion of anal fin • Anal fin large (10-22) rays • Flanks of males turn bright red during spawning period.
Conservation Status:
| British Columbia | Canada | Natureserve | |
| COSEWIC | Species at Risk Act | ||
| Not at Risk (Yellow List) | Not Assessed | None | G5, S5 |
Information Source: BC Conservation Data Centre: http://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/
Life History:
• Form schools
• Spawning occurs from May to July.
• Females lay eggs over a period of several days over gravel sand or in vegetation.
• Lake populations may migrate to inlet streams to spawn.
• Sexually mature in 2nd or 3rd year and live about 5 years.
• Feeds on aquatic and terrestrial insects, molluscs, plankton, small fish and fish eggs.
• Fry eat zooplankton and algae.
Habitat:
• Found in slow moving or still water in lakes, ponds, ditches, sloughs creeks, and small rivers,
• Usually over mud or sand and often near vegetation
• May move to deeper water at night and in winter in lakes.
Range:
British Columbia
• Throughout Fraser, Columbia, Peace and Nass drainages
Global
• British Columbia, Northern Alberta, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada and Wyoming, Utah
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Primary Information Source:
McPhail, J.D. 2007. The Freshwater Fishes of British Columbia. University of Alberta Press. Edmonton, Alberta.
