This archive of fish images was developed with the assistance of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) and Cornell Cooperative
Extension. Douglas Carlson (NYS DEC Watertown office) provided essential support by supplying scanned images of the original drawings, that are now stored at the NYS Museum. The graphics
and webpage were updated by Mark Carlson, and the earlier versions of the pictures were scanned by Jason Hutton.
Most of these images originated from artwork produced from 1926 through 1939 by two artists, Ellen Edmondson and Hugh H. Chrisp. Their work was sponsored by the New
York Department of Conservation, as part of comprehensive biological surveys of biota throughout all New York watersheds. These paintings were an integral part of these surveys, hence their
production was a team effort. While the artwork was usually the effort of a single individual, field crews collected, transported and maintained specimens alive until the artist and
ichthyologist were satisfied that each painting was accurate.
Both artists performed preparatory studies of color, posture, and form using living fish observed under daylight, usually at the capture site. The photos at the top
of this web page show them at work. On completion of these studies, the artists examined freshly sacrificed specimens for proportional and meristic detail. Illustrations were produced
predominantly in watercolor, with delineation and highlights added using graphite, india ink, and white paste. A few portraits were produced in oil.
Several additional fish images (where noted at the bottom of each individual page) and all of the species distribution images were obtained from "The Inland Fishes
of New York State" by C. Lavett Smith, published by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, 1985. This book can be examined or downloaded from the NYS Library. Some additional art came from the “New York Conservationist” and drawings of comely shiner, green sunfish and sand darter came
from Smith.
Species descriptions within the following web pages originated from C. Lavett Smith's "The Inland Fishes of New York State" and a Cornell Cooperative Extension publication, "Guide To Freshwater Fishes of New York", that was authored by Daniel J. Decker, Ronald A. Howard Jr, W. Harry Everhart and John W. Kelley in 1996. This publication is no longer available from Cornell Cooperative Extension, but copies may be available from on-line vendors.
The species distribution maps were produced for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Fish Atlas Maps of New York and published by the New York State Museum in the Atlas of Inland Fishes of New York.
An excellent fish identification web site is available through a collaboration between the University of Wisconsin Center for Limnology, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute.
Although this web site is designed to provide assistance in identifying fishes found within Wisconsin, most of these species are
found broadly throughout north temperate lakes and rivers in the northern and northeastern U.S. The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute also maintains an on-line version of Fishes of Wisconsin, authored by George C. Becker. This classic text, more than 1000
pages in length, was originally published by the University of Wisconsin Press in 1983 and has been out-of-print for over a decade. However, the entire book is available on-line. Many north temperate fishes are common to Wisconsin and the
northeastern U.S., and species descriptions within Fishes of Wisconsin are comprehensive.
[This web site is maintained by Clifford Kraft,
Cornell University]
SPECIES LIST
LAMPREYS
mountain brook lamprey*
Ichthyomyzon greeleyi
silver lamprey*
Ichthyomyzon unicuspis
sea lamprey *
Petromyzon marinus
STURGEON
shortnose sturgeon Acipenser brevirostrum
lake sturgeon*
Acipenser fulvescens
Atlantic sturgeon* Acipenser oxyrinchus
GARS
longnose gar*
Lepisosteus osseus
BOWFINS
bowfin*
Amia calva
FRESHWATER EELS
American eel
Anguilla rostrata
HERRINGS
blueback herring* Alosa aestivalis
alewife*
Alosa pseudoharengus
hickory shad
Alosa mediocris
TROUTS
cisco*
Coregonus artedi
lake whitefish*
Coregonus clupeaformis
coho salmon
Oncorhynchus kisutch
chinook salmon
Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
round whitefish* Prosopium cylindraceum
rainbow trout*
Oncorhynchus mykiss
Atlantic salmon
Salmo salar
brown trout*
Salmo trutta
brook trout*
Salvelinus fontinalis
lake trout*
Salvelinus namaycush
SMELTS
rainbow smelt*
Osmerus mordax
MUDMINNOWS
central mudminnow* Umbra limi
eastern mudminnow Umbra pygmaea
PIKES
redfin pickerel
Esox a. americanus
grass pickerel
Esox a. vermiculatus
northern pike*
Esox lucius
muskellunge*
Esox masquinongy
chain pickerel*
Esox niger
MINNOWS AND CARPS
central stoneroller* Campostoma anomalum
goldfish*
Carassius auratus
redside dace*
Clinostomus elongatus
lake chub*
Couesius plumbeus
common carp*
Cyprinus carpio
tonguetied minnow Exoglossum laurae
cutlip minnow
Exoglossum maxillingua
brassy minnow* Hybognathus hankinsoni
eastern silvery minnow Hybognathus regis
bigeye chub
Hybopsis amblops
hornyhead chub* Nocomis biguttatus
river chub
Nocomis micropogon
golden shiner*
Notemigonus crysoleucas
comely shiner*
Notropos amoenus
satinfin shiner*
Cyprinella analostana
pugnose shiner* Notropis anogenus
emerald shiner* Notropis atherinoides
bridle shiner*
Notropis bifrenatus
ironcolor shiner
Notropis chalybaeus
striped shiner
Luxilus chrysocephalus
common shiner* Luxilus cornutus
bigmouth shiner Notropis dorsalis
blackchin shiner* Notropis heterodon
blacknose shiner* Notropis heterolepis
spottail shiner*
Notropis hudsonius
silver shiner
Notropis photogenis
swallowtail shiner* Notropis procne
rosyface shiner
Notropis rubellus
spotfin shiner*
Cyprinella spiloptera
sand shiner*
Notropis stramineus
redfin shiner*
Lythrurus umbratilis
mimic shiner*
Notropis volucellus
northern redbelly dace* Phoxinus eos
finescale dace*
Phoxinus neogaeus
bluntnose minnow Pimephales notatus
fathead minnow Pimephales promelas
eastern blacknose dace* Rhinichthys atratulus
western blacknose dace* Rhinichthys atratulus
longnose dace*
Rhinichthys cataractae
creek chub*
Semotilus atromaculatus
fallfish
Semotilus corporalis
pearl dace*
Margariscus margarita
SUCKERS
quillback
Carpiodes cyprinus
longnose sucker Catostomus catostomus
white sucker*
Catostomus commersonii
creek chubsucker Erimyzon oblongus
lake chubsucker* Erimyzon sucetta
northern hog sucker * Hypentelium nigricans
silver redhorse
Moxostoma anisurum
golden redhorse Moxostoma erythrurum
shorthead redhorse* Moxostoma macrolepidotum
greater redhorse* Moxostoma valenciennesi
N. AMERICAN CATFISHES
white catfish
Ameiurus catus
black bullhead*
Ameiurus melas
brown bullhead
Ameiurus nebulosus
channel catfish* Ictalurus punctatus
stonecat *
Noturus flavus
tadpole madtom Noturus gyrinus
margined madton Noturus insignis
brindled madtom Noturus miurus.
PIRATE PERCHES
pirate perch
Aphredoderus sayanus
TROUT-PERCHES
trout-perch
Percopsis omiscomaycus
CODFISHES
burbot*
Lota lota
TOPMINNOWS
banded killifish*
Fundulus diaphanus
mummichog*
Fundulus heteroclitus
NEW WORLD SILVERSIDES
brook silverside
Labidesthes sicculus
STICKLEBACKS
fourspine stickleback Apeltes quadracus
brook stickleback Culaea inconstans
threespine stickleback* Gasterosteus aculeatus
TEMPERATE BASSES
white perch*
Morone americana
white bass*
Morone chrysops
striped bass
Morone saxatilis
SUNFISHES
mud sunfish
Acantharchus pomotis
rock bass*
Ambloplites rupestris
bluespotted sunfish* Enneacanthus gloriosus
redbreast sunfish Lepomis auritus
green sunfish
Lepomis cyanellus
pumpkinseed*
Lepomis gibbosus
bluegill*
Lepomis macrochirus
longear sunfish* Lepomis megalotis
smallmouth bass* Micropterus dolomieu
largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides
black crappie
Pomoxis nigromaculatus
PERCHES
eastern sand darter* Ammocrypta pellucida
greenside darter* Etheostoma blennioides
rainbow darter
Etheostoma caeruleum
Iowa darter*
Etheostoma exile
fantail dater*
Etheostoma flabellare
spotted darter*
Etheostoma maculatum
tessellated darter* Etheostoma olmstedi
variegate darter* Etheostoma variatum
banded darter*
Etheostoma zonale
yellow perch*
Perca flavescens
logperch*
Percina caprodes
channel darter*
Percina copelandi
longhead darter Percina macrocephala
blackside darter Percina maculata
shield darter*
Percina peltata
sauger*
Sander canadensis
walleye*
Sander vitreus vitreus
blue pike*
Sander vitreus glaucum
DRUM
freshwater drum* Aplodinotus grunniens
SCULPIN
mottled sculpin
Cottus bairdii
slimy sculpin
Cottus cognatus
*Asterick denotes a species description is included within these web pages
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