Iowa DNR
BioNet
River & Stream Biological Monitoring
Fish and Benthic Macroinvertebrate Surveys
Physical Habitat Assessments

Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens

LAS
Family
Acipenseridae (Sturgeons)
Tolerance
Intermediate
Trophic Class
Benthic Invertivore
Is Exotic to Iowa?
False
Is Lithophilous Spawner?
False
Is Hybrid?
False
State Listing Status
Endangered
Assessment Program Statistics

This species was found at 0 bioassessment sites, 0 rapid fish bioassessment sites, 1 fisheries assessment site, and 0 fisheries presence-only assessment sites. In total, it was collected at 1 distinct sites, or 0.1% of the 1522 total sites monitored by the bioassessment program. It is the 136th most commonly collected species.

The Lake Sturgeon was collected in 0 bioassessment sampling sessions and 2 fisheries assessment sessions. It was present in 0 rapid bioassessment sessions and 0 presence-only sessions.

The biological assessment program has collected a total of 4 individual Lake Sturgeon specimens, ranking it the #130 most collected fish.

Species Characteristics

Young Lake Sturgeon are tan, or buff-colored, sometimes contrastingly blotched with dark, becoming more uniformly dark as they grow older. Adults are slate-gray to black above and light beneath. Its body is partially covered with five longitudinal rows of heavy, bony plates or scales. Its head is roundly pointed, and not flattened. Spiracles, or openings from the throat cavity to the outside above and behind the eyes, are present. Its mouth is inferior and almost sucker-like, capable of being protracted to easily suck foods off the bottom. The fish feeds entirely by taste and has four fleshy barbels on the underside of the snout, which act as sense organs to judge the distance from the mouth to the bottom.

Species Distribution Maps

Taxonomic Distribution Through Time

Sampling Program
Bioassessment
FishNet
Rapid Bioassessment
Esri, USGS | Iowa DNR, Esri, TomTom, Garmin, FAO, NOAA, USGS, EPA, NPS, USFWS | IADNR BioNet
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1/1/2023
1/1/2026
1/1/2023
Jan 2023
Apr 2023
Jul 2023
Oct 2023
Jan 2024
Apr 2024
Jul 2024
Oct 2024
Jan 2025
Apr 2025
Jul 2025
Oct 2025
Jan 2026
1/1/2026

HUC12 watersheds where this species has been found

Esri, USGS | County of Story, Iowa DNR, Esri, TomTom, Garmin, FAO, NOAA, USGS, EPA, NPS, USFWS
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