Alaska blackfish

Alaska blackfish
Alaska blackfish
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Esociformes
Family: Umbridae
Genus: Dallia
Species: D. pectoralis
Binomial name
Dallia pectoralis
Bean, 1880
Range of Dallia pectoralis

The Alaska blackfish, Dallia pectoralis, is a fish that grows to 7 in in length. It is elongate and cylindrical, with a dark olive-brown coloration. Four to six dark blotches run vertically along the sides, and the belly is white. The fins have reddish-brown speckles. Once thought to be herbivores, their primary diet is larvae of insects such as midges and mosquitos. They are found in swamps, ponds, lakes and streams with vegetation for cover, in tundra and forested locations not far inland. Their range is Alaska and the Bering Sea islands. Alaska Natives used to eat these fish and feed them to their dogs a great deal, catching them in the fall and freezing them for use over winter.

The hardiness of the Alaska blackfish is of mythical proportions. The fish survives the cold winters by moving to a depth of 7–8 meters when the surface becomes solid ice. Large gills protected by gill covers help them to survive the winters where the water temperatures drop to 0 °C (32 °F), including tales of reviving fish after they are frozen solid. Though the Alaskan blackfish can be supercooled for short periods at temperatures as low as −20 °C (−36 °F) in controlled environment without contact with ice crystals, no Alaska blackfish has ever survived for even as much as an hour under these freezing conditions. Freezing any part of the body results in necrosis.

References


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  • Alaska blackfish — paprastoji dalija statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Dallia pectoralis angl. Alaska blackfish; devilfish rus. даллия; обыкновенная даллия; чёрная рыба ryšiai: platesnis terminas – dalijos …   Žuvų pavadinimų žodynas

  • alaska blackfish — noun Usage: usually capitalized A : blackfish 1f …   Useful english dictionary

  • Alaska blackfish — ▪ fish       (species Dallia pectoralis), Arctic freshwater fish, assigned by most authorities to the family Umbridae but by others to the separate family Dalliidae. The fish is about 20 cm (8 inches) long, with a dark, streamlined body,… …   Universalium

  • Blackfish Lake — ist der Name mehrerer Seen in den Vereinigten Staaten: Blackfish Lake (Denali Borough, Alaska) Blackfish Lake (Yukon Koyukuk, Alaska) Blackfish Lake (Arkansas) Blackfish Lake (Holmes County, Florida) Blackfish Lake (Santa Rosa County, Florida)… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Blackfish — may refer to: * Several kinds of fish: ** Alaska blackfish, Dallia pectoralis . ** Black sea bass, Centropristis striata . ** Sacramento blackfish, Orthodon microlepidotus . ** Tautog, Tautoga onitis . ** Parore, Girella tricuspidata . **… …   Wikipedia

  • blackfish — /blak fish /, n., pl. (esp. collectively) blackfish, (esp. referring to two or more kinds or species) blackfishes. 1. any of various dark colored fishes, as the tautog, Tautoga onitis, or the sea bass, Centropristes striatus. 2. a small,… …   Universalium

  • blackfish — noun Date: 1754 1. any of numerous dark colored fishes: as a. tautog b. a small bony fish (Dallia pectoralis of the family Umbridae) of Alaska and Siberia that is used for food and is noted for its resistance to cold 2. any of several small… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • blackfish — black•fish [[t]ˈblækˌfɪʃ[/t]] n. pl. (esp. collectively) fish, (esp. for kinds or species) fish•es. 1) ich any of various dark colored fishes, as the tautog, Tautoga onitis, or the sea bass Centropristis striata[/ex] 2) ich a small, freshwater… …   From formal English to slang

  • Kobuk River — The Kobuk River is approximately convert|280|mi|km|0|lk=on long, located in the Arctic region of northwestern Alaska in the United States. [USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). [http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO… …   Wikipedia

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