Common name: Round Whitefish

Synonyms and Other Names: Coregonus quadrilateralis, shad-waiter, frost fish, menominee

Taxonomy: available through www.itis.gov

Identification: Page and Burr (1991).

Size: 56 cm.

Native Range: Disjunct range. Arctic and Pacific drainages from western shore of Hudson Bay to Alaska and northern British Columbia; Arctic and Atlantic drainages from Labrador west through St. Lawrence-Great Lakes basin, including portions of northern New England (Kendall 1914; Scarola 1987; Page and Burr 1991). Also in Arctic drainages of Asia (Page and Burr 1991).

Alaska	Hawaii	Puerto Rico & Virgin Islands	Guam Saipan

Native range data for this species provided in part by NatureServe

Hydrologic Unit Codes (HUCs) Explained
Interactive maps: Point Distribution Maps

Ecology: Found in cool, clear waters of lakes and large rivers over a wide range of depths. Spawning occurs in the late fall over gravel and rocky bottom habitats in shallow waters (generally less than ~50 feet: Normandeau 1969; Scott and Crossman 1973). Primarily consumes zooplankton and benthic invertebrates (Scott and Crossman 1973).

Means of Introduction: Intentionally stocked.

Status: Established in Connecticut. Failed in New York.

Impact of Introduction: The impacts of this species are currently unknown, as no studies have been done to determine how it has affected ecosystems in the invaded range. The absence of data does not equate to lack of effects. It does, however, mean that research is required to evaluate effects before conclusions can be made.

Remarks: Schmidt (1986) listed this species as native to Housatonic River drainage.

References: (click for full references)

Kendall, W.C. 1914. An annotated catalogue of the fishes of Maine. Proceedings of the Portland Society of Natural History 3:1-198.

Mather, F. 1887. Work at Cold Spring Harbor. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 16(1):8-13.

Normandeau, D.A. 1969. Life history and ecology of the round whitefish Prosopium cylindraceum (Pallas), of Newfound Lake, Bristol, New Hampshire. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 98(1):7-13.

Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr. 1991. A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. The Peterson Guide Series, vol. 42. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA.

Scarola, J.F. 1973. Freshwater fishes of New Hampshire. New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, Division of Inland and Marine Fisheries.

Schmidt, R.E. 1986. Zoogeography of the northern Appalachians. 137-160 in C.H. Hocutt and E.O. Wiley, eds. The zoogeography of North American freshwater fishes. John Wiley and Sons, New York, NY.

Scott, W.B., and E.J. Crossman. 1973. Freshwater fishes of Canada. Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Bulletin 184. Ottawa.

Whitworth, W.R. 1996. Freshwater fishes of Connecticut. State Geological and Natural History Survey of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection, Hartford, CT.

Other Resources:

Author: Pam Fuller, and Matt Neilson

Peer Review Date: 4/9/2012

This information is preliminary or provisional and is subject to revision. It is being provided to meet the need for timely best science. The information has not received final approval by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and is provided on the condition that neither the USGS nor the U.S. Government shall be held liable for any damages resulting from the authorized or unauthorized use of the information.