Latin name

Hiodon tergisus

Other names

Amphiodon Rafinesque, Clodalus Rafinesque, Elattonistius Gill & Jordan, Eohiodon Cavender, Glossodon Rafinesque.

Identification

The Mooneye is a small fish with a compressed body that is deep in proportion to its length and covered with large, loose scales. Dark blue or blue-green on the back, it is silvery on the sides and tapers to white on the belly. It has a small head and a short, blunt, rounded snout with a small terminal mouth containing many sharp teeth on the jaw and tongue. The color of the eyes and the position of the anal fin distinguish it from the golden eye. The iris of the large eyes is silvery (as opposed to the golden iris of the goldeye). The dorsal fin of the mooneye begins in front of the anal fin (in the goldeye it begins opposite or behind the anal fin). Mooneye can be distinguished from gizzard shad by the absence of a radial dorsal fin projection.

Distribution

Endemic to North America, mooneye are found in the Great Lakes of St. Lawrence (except Lake Superior), the Mississippi River drainage, and the Hudson Bay basin from Quebec to Alberta and south to the Gulf of Mexico. Mooneye are also found in waters along the Gulf Coast from Mobile Bay, Alabama to Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana.

Habitat

Mooneye inhabit the deep, warm, silty sections of medium and large rivers, the backwaters of shallow lakes, and the reservoirs connected to them.

Size

Mooneye are slightly larger on average than goldeye, often reaching 2 pounds, although their maximum size is not well known. They can live for at least 10 years.

Life history and Behavior

Mooneye spawn in the spring by migrating up the tributaries of rivers or streams.

Food and feeding habits

This species feeds on plankton, insects and small fish. Small mooneye are preyed upon by large predators such as pike, northern pike, catfish, and salmon.

Reproduction

No information