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California Fish Website Species
Search
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Tule Perch, Hysterocarpus traski
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Tule perch, 13 cm (5”) long. Location: Suisun March.
Date: 8/6/2007.
Tule perch, 13 cm (5”) long, frontal view. Location:
Suisun March. Date: 8/6/2007.
Tule perch, 10 cm (4”) long, unbarred morph. Location:
Suisun March. Date: 8/6/2007.
Tule perch, 10 cm (4”) long, barred morph. Location:
Suisun March. Date: 8/6/2007. Note: the red marks on the pectoral fin, anal
fin, and side of this are not natural markings, and may be an infection.
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Appearance
and Identification:
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Deep bodied, usually < 15 cm TL, 22 cm SL max
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Small terminal mouth, hump separates head from dorsal fin
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Distinctive scale patch below dorsal fin
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Contrasting dorsal/ventral surfaces, dorsal: blue to purple,
ventral: white to yellow
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Various barring patterns: un-barred, narrow-barred, broad-barred
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Fin spines/rays:
dorsal 15-19 spines/9-15 rays, anal 3 spines/20-26 rays, pectoral 17-19 rays
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Lateral line scales: 34-43
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Life History:
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Tule perch are most often found in
low-elevation lakes, streams, and estuarine environments. They typically require cool, well
oxygenated water. These fish prefer
water temperatures below 22°C and are scarce in water that exceeds
25°C. Tule
perch have a high salinity tolerance and have been found in water with a
salinity as high as 30 ppt. Within a river or stream tule perch tend to occupy deep pools that have complex
cover in the form of aquatic and overhanging vegetation. They feed on invertebrates, plants, and
zooplankton, mostly by swimming along the bottom of the stream. The perch may move into faster water for
feeding by occupying small eddies and backwaters behind rocks and boulders. Tule perch tend
to share habitat with other native fish.
In lakes tule perch favor deep water and
areas where a slight flow might exist from water entering and exiting the
basin. In addition these fish are
found near tules in areas where the lake floor is
made up of gravel and or sand. Tule perch may form shoals or schools, and are often
found associated with centrarchids. While the perch focus their feeding on
the bottom of a lake, they may also forage in the water column. Dietary components in various types of
water may include shrimp, crabs, clams, chironomid
midges, and aquatic insects. Tule perch have a relatively elaborate reproductive
cycle. Male perch may
“court” females in order to attract them for breeding. Males then inject sperm into the female
with a modified anal spine, and each female may mate with multiple
males. While the sperm may be
injected in July-September, the sperm is not released to fertilize within
the female till January. Young perch
then begin to develop within her, slowly at first, and more rapidly in the
final two months. In around May or
June the female bears 10-60 live fish.
The number of young produced increases with body size and may vary
from one environment to another. Tule perch grow most rapidly during the first 18 months
of life, and may live up to 7 or 8 years.
The majority never exceed 16 cm SL nor do
they live longer than 5 years.
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Links to Other Research
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Here's a list of California
watersheds where Tule Perch may be found.
© 2003 - Regents of the University
of California
Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources
Communication Services
E-Mail Web Master
ANR
Non-Discrimination Statement
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