By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica.Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. In New York, the mooneye is found in larger rivers and lakes. Check out Britannica's new site for parents! It is listed as threatened in Michigan, New York, and North Carolina.
Hiodontidae (mooneyes) in the order Hiodontiformes (mooneyes)The mooneye, and the closely related goldeye, are both silvery, flat-sided fishes with large eyes and prominent teeth on the jaws, roof of the mouth, and tongue.
This species has been declining in Lake Michigan and Lake Erie, and although they have apparently inhabited tributary streams historically, their distribution seems to be contracting to larger rivers.Although the mooneye family now has its own separate order (Heidontiformes), the mooneye family used to be classified in the bony-tongue order (Osteoglossiformes), a group that includes the African knifefish, elephant-nose mormyrids, and arowanas you may have seen in tropical fish aquariums.
Mooneye have a fleshy keel or pointed edge to their belly from between the pelvic fins back to the anus. True, lampreys and eels have snakelike bodies — but they also have fins and smooth, slimy skin, which snakes do not. History at your fingertips
Teeth are in both jaws, as well as on the roof of the mouth and on the tongue. A fleshy keel runs along the midline of the belly. 1 genus (
Call 1-800-392-1111 to report poaching and arson Find local MDC conservation agents, consultants, education specialists, and regional offices.Mooneyes are silvery, flat-sided fishes with large eyes and prominent teeth on the jaws, roof of the mouth, and tongue.
The belly has a fleshy keel, but lacks scutes. Categories The fish has adip…
The mooneye is a spirited catch but is not greatly valued as food. A fleshy keel runs along the midline of the belly. Mooneyes are herring-like in appearance, with sharp teeth, large eyes, and deeply forked tail fins. The eye has a silvery iris. Most fish in Missouri “look” like fish and could never be confused with anything else.
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... They are restricted to North America, and both occur in Missouri.
Login Search Britannica The name comes from their large eyes, which have a metallic silvery or gold shine.Missouri has more than 200 kinds of fish, more than are found in most neighboring states. They have sharp teeth on their tongue and jaws.
The upperparts are greenish with silvery or golden reflections; the sides and belly are silvery white.The mooneye can be separated from the goldeye by the following:Similar species: Mooneye and goldeneye both resemble herrings; both groups have a small triangular projection (called an axillary process) above the base of the pelvic fin, and both have smooth-edged (cycloid) scales over the body but not the head. Color varies from steel blue on the back to silver sides and a white belly.
Those of the species Hiodon tergisus are bright silvery fish and may be about 42.5 centimetres (17 inches) long. This article was most recently revised and updated by Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Also, the dorsal fin in mooneyes is immediately above the base of the anal fin rather than far forward as in herrings, and a lateral line is present.Adult length: commonly 9–11 inches; maximum length and weight for Missouri specimens is about 13 inches and ¾ pound.Mooneye inhabit the larger pools of streams and the open waters of reservoirs. The mooneye, and the closely related goldeye, are both silvery, flat-sided fishes with large eyes and prominent teeth on the jaws, roof of the mouth, and tongue.
Hiodontidae (goldeyes and mooneyes) This species usually occurs in clearer, quieter water than the goldeye.Like the goldeye, the mooneye often feeds at or near the water’s surface, and its diet consists mostly of insects and small fishes. Their most distinctive feature, teeth on their tongues and the roofs of their mouth, distinguish them from all other fish in the state.