Ives Lake cisco facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ives Lake cisco |
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| Photograph of the Ives Lake cisco published by Walter Koelz in 1929 | |
| Scientific classification | |
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Coregoninae
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Coregonus
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C. hubbsi
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| Coregonus hubbsi |
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Leucichthys hubbsi (Koelz, 1929) |
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The Ives Lake cisco (scientific name: Coregonus hubbsi) is a type of freshwater whitefish. This fish is known to live in only one lake. That lake is Ives Lake, located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Scientists last saw this fish in 1983. There is still some debate among scientists. They are not sure if it is a truly separate species. Some think it might be the same as another common fish, the Coregonus artedi. Ives Lake is a small lake in the Huron Mountains. It is less than 1.5 miles (2.4 km) across.
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Discovery of the Ives Lake Cisco
The Ives Lake cisco was first found by two scientists. Their names were Carl Leavitt Hubbs and Walter Koelz. They collected fish samples in 1924 and 1927. The Huron Mountain Club helped them with their research.
Koelz officially announced their discovery in 1929. He published his findings through the University of Michigan. He named the new fish Leucichthys hubbsi. Koelz noticed something special about the stream leaving Ives Lake. It dropped very steeply, over 100 feet (30 m). He thought this steep drop kept other fish from entering or leaving the lake. This might have happened since the time of Lake Algonquin.
What Does the Ives Lake Cisco Look Like?
Walter Koelz described the Ives Lake cisco in his 1929 paper. The paper was titled "Leucichthys hubbsi, a new cisco, From Ives Lake, Marquette County, Michigan". He said the fish was silvery in color. It also had hints of pea-green and blue-green underneath. Its fins were gray.
Koelz believed the Ives Lake cisco was easy to tell apart from Coregonus artedi. He noted that the Ives Lake cisco had long gill rakers. These are comb-like structures fish use to filter food. He also reported that the Ives Lake cisco was smaller. It also had a less slender body than C. artedi.
Is the Ives Lake Cisco in Danger?
Scientists disagree about whether the Ives Lake cisco is a unique species. Because of this, there is no clear agreement on its conservation status. Its conservation status tells us if a species is at risk of disappearing.
A report from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in 2005 suggested something. It recommended removing the Ives Lake cisco from the "special-concern" list. However, a later report from the same group in 2013 had a different view. It gave the Ives Lake cisco a "critically imperiled" G-rank and S-rank. This means it is in extreme danger. The report also said the fish was "extremely vulnerable" to climate change.
See also
In Spanish: Coregonus hubbsi para niños
