Amia ocellicauda

Amia ocellicauda, the eyetail bowfin or eyespot bowfin, is a species of bowfin native to North America. It was synonymized with Amia calva until genetic work in 2022 revealed them to be separate species. It is absent from the southeast, where its sister species Amia calva, the bowfin, is found.

Description

It resembles the bowfin, but it has fewer dentary teeth (only 15 compared to 16 or 17 of A. calva) and its dermal bone being smaller. It also has a more pronounced eyespot, has a longer body, and during the breeding season, males are more greenish.

Distribution

This species ranges from around the Great Lakes south to the Gulf Coast wetlands of Louisiana and Texas.

Common names

Common names for it are eyetail bowfin, the eyespot bowfin. It is sometimes called the bowfin due to its resemblance to Amia calva.

Related pages

References

Wright, Jeremy (1 November 2022). "BOWFIN SPLIT INTO TWO SPECIES". NEW YORK CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY. Retrieved 5 February 2023.