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Blackspotted Stickleback
Gasterosteus wheatlandi
Gasterosteidae · saltwater and brackish water fish
1 minute read · Species guide
About Blackspotted Stickleback
The blackspotted stickleback (Gasterosteus wheatlandi) is species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Gasterosteidae, the sticklebacks. This fish is found in the western Atlantic from the coasts of Newfoundland (Canada) to Massachusetts (United States). This is a benthopelagic species of marine and brackish waters, rarely entering freshwater, which remains near the shore. It is frequently associated with floating vegetation. The male builds a nest, in which the females deposit eggs and the male guards and aerates them. It is a small fish which reaches a maximum published total length of 7.6 cm (3.0 in), although 3.5 cm (1.4 in) is more typical. The specific name honors Richard H. Wheatland who was the Cabinet Keeper (and collector of fishes and reptiles), for the Essex County Natural History Society of Salem, Massachusetts and who collected type of this species in 1859.
Range
Where it lives
0%
38%of mapped records
Share of records by state
Habitat
Water and movement
- Water
- WoRMS records this species in brackish water and the sea.
Classification
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Superclass
- Actinopterygii
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Gasterosteiformes
- Family
- Gasterosteidae
- Genus
- Gasterosteus
- Species
- Gasterosteus wheatlandi
- ITIS TSN
- 166385
- WoRMS AphiaID
- 159437
- GBIF key
- 2356547
- Outside the US
- ITIS also files it in Canada.
Common questions about Blackspotted Stickleback
What is the scientific name of Blackspotted Stickleback?
The scientific name is Gasterosteus wheatlandi, in the family Gasterosteidae. Classification follows ITIS.
Does Blackspotted Stickleback live in fresh water or salt water?
WoRMS records this species in brackish water and the sea.
Where has Blackspotted Stickleback been recorded in the United States?
GBIF has observations in 5 states, with the most records in Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island. The map shows observation records, which do not establish the complete natural range.
Closest relatives
Other Gasterosteus species
Same family
More Gasterosteidae
Alaskan Stickleback21 states
Gasterosteus aculeatusGasterosteidaeNative and introducedFreshSaltBrackish
Bloody Stickleback12 states
Apeltes quadracusGasterosteidaeNative and introducedFreshSaltBrackish
Brook Stickleback28 states
Culaea inconstansGasterosteidaeNative and introducedFresh
Ninespine Stickleback13 states
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