Understanding the native versus non-native range of a species can provide useful information about dispersal, population distribution patterns, and human mediated movement across hydrologic barriers. The USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) Program is working with partners to define native ranges of inland fishes in the United States to help identify which species should be included in the NAS database.
The Science Issue and Relevance: Despite knowing a great deal about species distributions, there is surprisingly no database on the native ranges of conterminous United States and Alaska fishes. Freshwater fishes’ ranges have been dramatically affected by changes in land use and water flow, for example, by damming rivers. It is important to distinguish between a species' native (indigenous) range where it has historically originated and lived and its non-native (nonindigenous) range where a species has more recently established itself. Understanding the native versus non-native range of a species can provide information about dispersal, population distribution patterns, and human mediated movement across hydrologic barriers. This information is also useful for the U.S. Geological Survey Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) database as the native range provides the basis of knowing if a sighting of a fish should be included in the database.
Methodology for Addressing the Issue: Native ranges were defined for a subset of fishes selected by the NAS program, with consultation from collaborators from Michigan State University and the U S. Geological Survey Gap Analysis Program. Fish species selected had to meet certain criteria: fishes must be currently tracked by NAS as native transplants, considered Landscape Conservation Cooperative priority species, and managed by states as a game species. In the first round in 2017, native ranges were defined for 63 species/subspecies. In 2018, the native range of 102 species and subspecies were defined (see Table 1 for full list of species). In 2019, the list includes 65 species.
In order to determine the native range for each species, information generated by NatureServe was used. However, the NatureServe dataset includes both native and non-native occurrences and has many large data gaps. That distribution was enhanced with sample locations from the National Fish Habitat Partnership’s fish dataset, which included aggregated fish community samples from various state and federal agency sampling programs since 1990, and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility which integrates numerous museum biodiversity collections. These data were brought into ArcGIS and displayed by eight-digit hydrologic unit codes. The known non-native locations of the species were added from the NAS database. Historical scientific literature, including state fish books, agency reports, and journal publications, was then reviewed to determine the original native range of the species. The defined native ranges went through multiple reviews by NAS scientists. For fishes tracked by the NAS program, the native ranges can be found on the species profile. All native range data for these species will also be made available via an Application programming interface (API) which will be used by U S. Geological Survey Core Science Analytics, Synthesis, and Libraries.
Future Steps: The NAS program is working on a third installment of the fish native ranges for 2019 and have selected a new set of 65 species using the previous criteria. The third installment of native ranges will be completed by June 2019.
Acantharchus pomotis | Esox lucius | Moxostoma macrolepidotum |
Acipenser fulvescens | Etheostoma camurum | Moxostoma valenciennesi |
Acipenser oxyrinchus | Etheostoma cragini | Nocomis biguttatus |
Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi | Etheostoma microperca | Notropis amabilis |
Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus | Fundulus diaphanus | Notropis girardi |
Alosa aestivalis | Gila pandora | Notropis nubilus |
Alosa alabamae | Gila robusta | Notropis topeka |
Alosa chrysochloris | Hesperoleucus symmetricus | Noturus albater |
Alosa mediocris | Hybognathus argyritis | Noturus exilis |
Alosa pseudoharengus | Hybognathus placitus | Noturus flavus |
Alosa sapidissima | Hybopsis amnis | Noturus miurus |
Ambloplites ariommus | Hypentelium nigricans | Oncorhynchus aguabonita |
Ambloplites cavifrons | Ichthyomyzon fossor | Oncorhynchus aguabonita whitei |
Ambloplites constellatus | Ichthyomyzon gagei | Oncorhynchus clarkii |
Ambloplites rupestris | Ichthyomyzon greeleyi | Oncorhynchus clarkii behnkei |
Ameiurus catus | Ictalurus furcatus | Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri |
Ameiurus melas | Ictalurus punctatus | Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii |
Ameiurus natalis | Lampetra richardsoni | Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi |
Ameiurus nebulosus | Lepomis auritus | Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi |
Ameriurus brunneus | Lepomis cyanellus | Oncorhynchus clarkii pleuriticus |
Amia calva | Lepomis gibbosus | Oncorhynchus clarkii seleniris |
Anguilla rostrata | Lepomis gulosus | Oncorhynchus clarkii spp. |
Aphredoderus sayanus | Lepomis humilis | Oncorhynchus clarkii stomias |
Archoplites interruptus | Lepomis macrochirus | Oncorhynchus clarkii utah |
Atractosteus spatula | Lepomis marginatus | Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis |
Campostoma anomalum | Lepomis megalotis | Oncorhynchus kisutch |
Catostomus ardens | Lepomis microlophus | Oncorhynchus mykiss |
Catostomus catostomus | Lepomis miniatus | Oncorhynchus mykiss aquilarum |
Catostomus clarkii | Lepomis peltastes | Oncorhynchus mykiss gairdnerii |
Catostomus insignis | Lepomis punctatus | Oncorhynchus mykiss gilberti |
Catostomus latipinnis | Lepomis symmetricus | Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus |
Catostomus occidentalis | Lota lota | Oncorhynchus mykiss newberrii |
Catostomus tahoensis | Luxilus cornutus | Oncorhynchus mykiss stonei |
Centrarchus macropterus | Lythrurus snelsoni | Osmerus mordax |
Cottus aleuticus | Margariscus margarita | Perca flavescens |
Cottus beldingii | Margariscus nachtriebi | Percina evides |
Cottus cognatus | Micropterus cahabae | Percina maculata |
Cottus hypselurus | Micropterus cataractae | Petromyzon marinus |
Cottus immaculatus | Micropterus chattahoochae | Phenacobius mirabilis |
Culaea inconstans | Micropterus coosae (sensu lato) | Polyodon spathula |
Cycleptus elongatus | Micropterus coosae (sensu stricto) | Pomoxis annularis |
Cycleptus meridionalis | Micropterus dolomieu | Pomoxis nigromaculatus |
Dorosoma cepedianum | Micropterus henshalli | Prosopium williamsoni |
Dorosoma petenense | Micropterus notius | Ptychocheilus grandis |
Elassoma alabamae | Micropterus punctulatus | Ptychocheilus oregonensis |
Elassoma zonatum | Micropterus salmoides | Pylodictis olivaris |
Enneacanthus chaetodon | Micropterus tallapoosae | Salvelinus confluentus |
Enneacanthus gloriosus | Micropterus treculii | Salvelinus fontinalis |
Enneacanthus obesus | Micropterus warriorensis | Salvelinus malma |
Entosphenus tridentatus | Morone americana | Sander canadensis |
Erimystax dissimilis | Morone chrysops | Sander vitreus |
Erimystax x-punctatus | Morone mississippiensis | Scaphirhynchus platorynchus |
Esox americanus | Morone saxatilis | Scaphirhynchus suttkusi |
Esox americanus americanus | Moxostoma breviceps | Umbra limi |
Esox americanus vermiculatus | Moxostoma carinatum | Xyrauchen texanus |
Acipenser transmontanus | Fundulus catenatus | Notemigonus crysoleucas |
Apeltes quadracus | Fundulus seminolis | Notropis atherinoides |
Aplodinotus grunniens | Herichthys cyanoguttatum | Notropis heterolepis |
Astyanax mexicanus | Hiodon alosoides | Notropis rubellus |
Carpiodes carpio | Hiodon tergisus | Notropis texanus |
Carpiodes cyprinus | Hybopsis amblops | Noturus gyrinus |
Carpiodes velifer | Hypentelium etowanum | Noturus insignis |
Catostomus commersonii | Hypentelium roanokense | Novumbra hubbsi |
Catostomus santaanae | Ictiobus bubalus | Oncorhynchus gorbuscha |
Clinostomus elongatus | Ictiobus cyprinellus | Oncorhynchus nerka |
Couesius plumbeus | Labidesthes sicculus | Oncorhynchus tshawytscha |
Cyprinella lutrensis | Lepisosteus oculatus | Percopsis omiscomaycus |
Cyprinella spiloptera | Lepisosteus osseus | Pimephales notatus |
Cyprinella whipplei | Lepisosteus platostomus | Pimephales promelas |
Cyprinodon variegatus | Lepisosteus platyrhincus | Platygobio gracilis |
Esox masquinongy | Lucania goodei | Poecilia latipinna |
Esox niger | Lucania parva | Pogonichthys macrolepidotus |
Etheostoma blennioides | Luxilus coccogenis | Salmo salar |
Etheostoma caeruleum | Moxostoma anisurum | Salvelinus namaycush |
Etheostoma exile | Moxostoma congestum | Semotilus atromaculatus |
Etheostoma zonale | Moxostoma lachneri | Semotilus corporalis |
Exoglossum maxillingua | Nocomis micropogon |
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) Program
Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database and Website (NAS)
Native ranges of freshwater fishes of North America
- Overview
Understanding the native versus non-native range of a species can provide useful information about dispersal, population distribution patterns, and human mediated movement across hydrologic barriers. The USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) Program is working with partners to define native ranges of inland fishes in the United States to help identify which species should be included in the NAS database.
Esox americanus (pickerel) subspecies native range as determined by this project The Science Issue and Relevance: Despite knowing a great deal about species distributions, there is surprisingly no database on the native ranges of conterminous United States and Alaska fishes. Freshwater fishes’ ranges have been dramatically affected by changes in land use and water flow, for example, by damming rivers. It is important to distinguish between a species' native (indigenous) range where it has historically originated and lived and its non-native (nonindigenous) range where a species has more recently established itself. Understanding the native versus non-native range of a species can provide information about dispersal, population distribution patterns, and human mediated movement across hydrologic barriers. This information is also useful for the U.S. Geological Survey Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) database as the native range provides the basis of knowing if a sighting of a fish should be included in the database.
Pylodictis olivaris (flathead catfish) native range as determined by this project Methodology for Addressing the Issue: Native ranges were defined for a subset of fishes selected by the NAS program, with consultation from collaborators from Michigan State University and the U S. Geological Survey Gap Analysis Program. Fish species selected had to meet certain criteria: fishes must be currently tracked by NAS as native transplants, considered Landscape Conservation Cooperative priority species, and managed by states as a game species. In the first round in 2017, native ranges were defined for 63 species/subspecies. In 2018, the native range of 102 species and subspecies were defined (see Table 1 for full list of species). In 2019, the list includes 65 species.
In order to determine the native range for each species, information generated by NatureServe was used. However, the NatureServe dataset includes both native and non-native occurrences and has many large data gaps. That distribution was enhanced with sample locations from the National Fish Habitat Partnership’s fish dataset, which included aggregated fish community samples from various state and federal agency sampling programs since 1990, and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility which integrates numerous museum biodiversity collections. These data were brought into ArcGIS and displayed by eight-digit hydrologic unit codes. The known non-native locations of the species were added from the NAS database. Historical scientific literature, including state fish books, agency reports, and journal publications, was then reviewed to determine the original native range of the species. The defined native ranges went through multiple reviews by NAS scientists. For fishes tracked by the NAS program, the native ranges can be found on the species profile. All native range data for these species will also be made available via an Application programming interface (API) which will be used by U S. Geological Survey Core Science Analytics, Synthesis, and Libraries.
Future Steps: The NAS program is working on a third installment of the fish native ranges for 2019 and have selected a new set of 65 species using the previous criteria. The third installment of native ranges will be completed by June 2019.
Table 1. List of 2017 and 2018 fish species/subspecies (scientific name) selected for native range identification
Acantharchus pomotis Esox lucius Moxostoma macrolepidotum Acipenser fulvescens Etheostoma camurum Moxostoma valenciennesi Acipenser oxyrinchus Etheostoma cragini Nocomis biguttatus Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi Etheostoma microperca Notropis amabilis Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus Fundulus diaphanus Notropis girardi Alosa aestivalis Gila pandora Notropis nubilus Alosa alabamae Gila robusta Notropis topeka Alosa chrysochloris Hesperoleucus symmetricus Noturus albater Alosa mediocris Hybognathus argyritis Noturus exilis Alosa pseudoharengus Hybognathus placitus Noturus flavus Alosa sapidissima Hybopsis amnis Noturus miurus Ambloplites ariommus Hypentelium nigricans Oncorhynchus aguabonita Ambloplites cavifrons Ichthyomyzon fossor Oncorhynchus aguabonita whitei Ambloplites constellatus Ichthyomyzon gagei Oncorhynchus clarkii Ambloplites rupestris Ichthyomyzon greeleyi Oncorhynchus clarkii behnkei Ameiurus catus Ictalurus furcatus Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri Ameiurus melas Ictalurus punctatus Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii Ameiurus natalis Lampetra richardsoni Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi Ameiurus nebulosus Lepomis auritus Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi Ameriurus brunneus Lepomis cyanellus Oncorhynchus clarkii pleuriticus Amia calva Lepomis gibbosus Oncorhynchus clarkii seleniris Anguilla rostrata Lepomis gulosus Oncorhynchus clarkii spp. Aphredoderus sayanus Lepomis humilis Oncorhynchus clarkii stomias Archoplites interruptus Lepomis macrochirus Oncorhynchus clarkii utah Atractosteus spatula Lepomis marginatus Oncorhynchus clarkii virginalis Campostoma anomalum Lepomis megalotis Oncorhynchus kisutch Catostomus ardens Lepomis microlophus Oncorhynchus mykiss Catostomus catostomus Lepomis miniatus Oncorhynchus mykiss aquilarum Catostomus clarkii Lepomis peltastes Oncorhynchus mykiss gairdnerii Catostomus insignis Lepomis punctatus Oncorhynchus mykiss gilberti Catostomus latipinnis Lepomis symmetricus Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus Catostomus occidentalis Lota lota Oncorhynchus mykiss newberrii Catostomus tahoensis Luxilus cornutus Oncorhynchus mykiss stonei Centrarchus macropterus Lythrurus snelsoni Osmerus mordax Cottus aleuticus Margariscus margarita Perca flavescens Cottus beldingii Margariscus nachtriebi Percina evides Cottus cognatus Micropterus cahabae Percina maculata Cottus hypselurus Micropterus cataractae Petromyzon marinus Cottus immaculatus Micropterus chattahoochae Phenacobius mirabilis Culaea inconstans Micropterus coosae (sensu lato) Polyodon spathula Cycleptus elongatus Micropterus coosae (sensu stricto) Pomoxis annularis Cycleptus meridionalis Micropterus dolomieu Pomoxis nigromaculatus Dorosoma cepedianum Micropterus henshalli Prosopium williamsoni Dorosoma petenense Micropterus notius Ptychocheilus grandis Elassoma alabamae Micropterus punctulatus Ptychocheilus oregonensis Elassoma zonatum Micropterus salmoides Pylodictis olivaris Enneacanthus chaetodon Micropterus tallapoosae Salvelinus confluentus Enneacanthus gloriosus Micropterus treculii Salvelinus fontinalis Enneacanthus obesus Micropterus warriorensis Salvelinus malma Entosphenus tridentatus Morone americana Sander canadensis Erimystax dissimilis Morone chrysops Sander vitreus Erimystax x-punctatus Morone mississippiensis Scaphirhynchus platorynchus Esox americanus Morone saxatilis Scaphirhynchus suttkusi Esox americanus americanus Moxostoma breviceps Umbra limi Esox americanus vermiculatus Moxostoma carinatum Xyrauchen texanus Table 2. List of 2019 fish species/subspecies (scientific name) selected for native range identification
Acipenser transmontanus Fundulus catenatus Notemigonus crysoleucas Apeltes quadracus Fundulus seminolis Notropis atherinoides Aplodinotus grunniens Herichthys cyanoguttatum Notropis heterolepis Astyanax mexicanus Hiodon alosoides Notropis rubellus Carpiodes carpio Hiodon tergisus Notropis texanus Carpiodes cyprinus Hybopsis amblops Noturus gyrinus Carpiodes velifer Hypentelium etowanum Noturus insignis Catostomus commersonii Hypentelium roanokense Novumbra hubbsi Catostomus santaanae Ictiobus bubalus Oncorhynchus gorbuscha Clinostomus elongatus Ictiobus cyprinellus Oncorhynchus nerka Couesius plumbeus Labidesthes sicculus Oncorhynchus tshawytscha Cyprinella lutrensis Lepisosteus oculatus Percopsis omiscomaycus Cyprinella spiloptera Lepisosteus osseus Pimephales notatus Cyprinella whipplei Lepisosteus platostomus Pimephales promelas Cyprinodon variegatus Lepisosteus platyrhincus Platygobio gracilis Esox masquinongy Lucania goodei Poecilia latipinna Esox niger Lucania parva Pogonichthys macrolepidotus Etheostoma blennioides Luxilus coccogenis Salmo salar Etheostoma caeruleum Moxostoma anisurum Salvelinus namaycush Etheostoma exile Moxostoma congestum Semotilus atromaculatus Etheostoma zonale Moxostoma lachneri Semotilus corporalis Exoglossum maxillingua Nocomis micropogon - Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) Program
Welcome to the Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) information resource for the United States Geological Survey. Located at Gainesville, Florida, this site has been established as a central repository for spatially referenced biogeographic accounts of introduced aquatic species. The program provides scientific reports, online/realtime queries, spatial data sets, distribution maps, and general...Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database and Website (NAS)
Nonindigenous - non-native - species threaten biodiversity, but the distribution of these species is not well-known. The Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) database tracks occurrence data on non-native aquatic plant and animal species throughout the United States, and provides the public with species profiles, distribution maps, and online/real-time queries for state/hydrologic basin- specific... - Data
Native ranges of freshwater fishes of North America
Background: The Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) Database functions as a repository and clearinghouse for the occurrence of nonindigenous aquatic species information from across the United States. The Database contains locality information on more than 1,300 species introduced as early as 1800, including freshwater vertebrates and invertebrates, aquatic plants, and marine fishes. Taxa include b