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LEPISOSTEIDAE.NET |
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Order Lepisosteiformes Family Lepisosteidae Genus Lepisosteus Species osseus (Linnaeus 1758) Common name: longnose gar |
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Illustrations © Emily S. Damstra, Joe Tomelleri; used with permission |
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Max Size/Age: 200 cm (wild), adults typically 70-100 cm 36 years
Identification: Lateral line scales - 57-63 Predorsal scales - 47-55 Gill rakers - 14-31
Head and body pattern highly variable. Individuals from clearer water tend to have more visible pattern than those from more turbid waters. Longnose gar has the longest snout of all gar species, with the snout length approximately 2x the length of the head (front of eye to back of operculum). Body very slender snout and body compared to other gar species.
Habitat: freshwater, occasionally brackish temperate Small & large rivers, lakes, swamps
Distribution: North and Central America: along the coasts and inland from Quebec to northern Mexico. US Distribution by Watershed (NatureServe 2009)
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References: www.fishbase.org www.NatureServe.org |
