Gar Quiz - the return - ID the fish

[E_americanus]

There's really no rush; I was just curious about the answers.

I'd like to read about your research on gars and other primitive fishes should you ever release said research.

hey Ryan,

we'll be sure to share the research results in the appropriate format here when the time comes, rest assured of that. i will likely eventually be sending stuff Keiser's way, so i can always include you on that too. onward to the answers...

 

[E_americanus]

ok here are the answers and descriptions:

1. Florida gar (wild-caught, Miami FL)

2. Spotted gar (wild-caught, Michigan)

3. Spotted gar (wild-caught, Louisiana)

4. Florida gar (wild-caught, everglades)

This was definitely a tricky quiz, and really any correct answers may as well have been guesses in some cases...

I used wild-caught specimens so there would be at least some diversity in the fish compared to the cookie-cutter LFS FLGs (not that they aren't cool in their own right). The truth is, if you are comparing wild FLGs and SPGs (from similar habitats) there is no surefire way to ID between the two species just looking at these external photographs. One may think they are seeing differences, but trust us when we say the variability in the species has that covered.

In the case of these photos, the FLGs and LA SPG do appear to have slightly shorter snouts, but that does not explain the MI SPG and the longer snout. Pattern is different in the LA SPG, but somewhat similar in the two FLGs and MI SPG. Those of you who are very scrappy may have been able to ID that last FLG because it's just a different shot of the same fish from the FLG ID specimen on LEP.net...note how the gravel and grass are the same

Feel free to post any questions or comments...this was a tough one and thanks to everyone who posted an answer!--
--solomon

 

[Madding]

#3 is the chunkiest Spotted I've ever seen, haha.

 

[E_americanus]

#3 is the chunkiest Spotted I've ever seen, haha.

they do tend to be stockier out there in general, but this was also preceding the spawning season, so both sexes are pretty fat with eggs or milt.--
--solomon

 

[MonsterMinis]

Now how do you tell the difference? or is it simply locality caught? then dna testing to confirm? saw something about a physical plate difference in the head? the fish do look difference to me but not sure if it's just the angle of the shots or collection/catch points?

 

[Wiggles92]

Now how do you tell the difference? or is it simply locality caught? then dna testing to confirm? saw something about a physical plate difference in the head? the fish do look difference to me but not sure if it's just the angle of the shots or collection/catch points?

Knowing the locality is usually the only surefire way of telling whether the gar in question is a Florida gar or a spotted gar. There are external differences for the different localities, but it takes some time to develop an eye for these differences.

There is a physical plate difference in the head, but, if I remember correctly, it's next to (or is) impossible to see externally.

 

[E_americanus]

Knowing the locality is usually the only surefire way of telling whether the gar in question is a Florida gar or a spotted gar. There are external differences for the different localities, but it takes some time to develop an eye for these differences.

There is a physical plate difference in the head, but, if I remember correctly, it's next to (or is) impossible to see externally.

ryan, i am pretty sure i showed you guys this when i visited your class in the early fall

of course at the time that was probably the first spotted gar anyone there (other than Keiser) had seen in person; also, there was no FLG to compare it to (the latter likely only being of interest to you and me at the time of the class).

without being able to physically examine the fish, locality is really the only surefire way with wild fish. there are subtle differences, but even those are kind of hard to put into words (although i briefly summarize them on LEP.net).
with the LFS fish, 99.9% of them are FLG's as those are what are cultured here in the US and overseas; hence we classify just about everything that looks like a FLG (in those ever-popular - "please ID my (Florida) gar" threads) as a FLG.

although it varies with size, age, and maturity, the tomelleri illustrations i use on the LEP.net site do a decent job of showing the differences in snout length and body thickness (again, subtle and highly variable).--
--solomon

 

[Wiggles92]

ryan, i am pretty sure i showed you guys this when i visited your class in the early fall

of course at the time that was probably the first spotted gar anyone there (other than Keiser) had seen in person; also, there was no FLG to compare it to (the latter likely only being of interest to you and me at the time of the class).

without being able to physically examine the fish, locality is really the only surefire way with wild fish. there are subtle differences, but even those are kind of hard to put into words (although i briefly summarize them on LEP.net).
with the LFS fish, 99.9% of them are FLG's as those are what are cultured here in the US and overseas; hence we classify just about everything that looks like a FLG (in those ever-popular - "please ID my (Florida) gar" threads) as a FLG.

although it varies with size, age, and maturity, the tomelleri illustrations i use on the LEP.net site do a decent job of showing the differences in snout length and body thickness (again, subtle and highly variable).--
--solomon

Alright, I thought that it was impossible to see externally, but I wanted to cover my bases with my response rather than lead someone completely astray. The way to determine the difference required moving the opercle in a fashion that would almost certainly kill the gar that was being examined, right?

Well, at least I now have a dead Florida gar to compare to a dead spotted gar (actually, I need to get one still), so that I can get that ID down better.

 

[Madding]

Hmm...

 

[xander]

haha nice one michael! i do believe that you need better angled shots than that second one though...