Visual cues are used in mating. When mating is about to occur, both male and female logperch vibrate to release eggs and sperm. Logperch have a lateral line system, helping them to detect water movement.
Communication Channels: visual ; tactile
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; vibrations ; chemical
Logperch play a vital role in the food chain of lakes and streams, being food for larger piscivorous fish. Logperch that live in shallow streams and ponds also fall prey to piscivorous birds. The logperch's tiger-like coloring camouflages them to look like the riverbeds they lives on.
Known Predators:
Anti-predator Adaptations: cryptic
Logperch have a unique tiger-like coloration which distinguishes them from other darters. Logperch have a pale-yellow base color, with narrow bars on the side and back. The head and snout are also uniquely conical for turning stones and sand. Logperch are not sexually dimorphic, and both males and females reach a maximum length of 15 to 18 centimeters. During spawning males can develop alternate coloring to help attract females, but otherwise expression of dichromatism is low. (Hubbs, 1985) Like all members of the Percidae family, logperch have two, separate dorsal fins, the first is spiny and the second is soft. They also have one to two anal spines and an opercular spine.
Range mass: 13 to 19 g.
Average mass: 15 g.
Range length: 13 to 18 cm.
Average length: 15 cm.
Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; heterothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike; male more colorful
Logperch have a typical lifespan of 3 to 4 years for both males and females.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 4 years.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 3.0 years.
Logperch are found in freshwater benthic habitats, primarily the shallow waters of rivers and creeks. They are also found in large rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Logperch prefer clean riffles and can be found among the sand and gravel of fast moving streams and waters. Logperch lay their eggs in sand in lake shallows, or in gravel or sand in swift current, often in riffles, or in streams.
Range depth: 0.5 to 10 m.
Average depth: 5 m.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; freshwater
Aquatic Biomes: benthic ; lakes and ponds; rivers and streams
Percina caprodes (logperch) is found in North America as far north as the St. Lawrence-Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, and Mississippi River basin areas to as far south as Gulf of Mexico drainages. Logperch are found rarely in the Great Plains and areas west of the Mississippi, but extensively along Atlantic drainages in the United States.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )
Juvenile logperch have a diet consisting of rotifers, copepods, and waterfleas. As they grow, logperch incorporate a greater variety of small aquatic creatures. They feed on primarily aquatic insects (especially mayfly (Ephemeroptera) and midge larvae (Chironomidae)), but also young snails, waterfleas, leeches, and fish eggs (including their own) when available.
Animal Foods: fish; eggs; insects; mollusks; terrestrial worms; aquatic or marine worms; aquatic crustaceans
Primary Diet: carnivore (Insectivore , Eats non-insect arthropods)
Logperch are a vital part of stream, river, and lake ecosystems by providing food for larger piscivorous fish. They themselves feed primarly on aquatic insects. Logperch are also a good indicator of ecological stability in a given area. Low numbers of logperch can indicate poor water quality or insufficient insect prey.
Logperch are prey species for larger piscivorous fishes. Many fish that feed on logperch are used extensively by humans as game fish, including largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), and walleye (Sander vitreus) (Platania 1990).
Positive Impacts: food
This species does not adversely affect humans.
Logperch eggs hatch in about 8 days at 16.5 C, 5 to 7 days at 21 to 23 C. Logperch experience no intermediate stages nor metamorphosis; their appearance after hatching is very similar to adults. Logperch are sexually mature in 2 years, rarely after 1 (Page 1983, Becker 1983). Maximum breeding age of females is normally 3 years (Bart and Page 1992).
Logperch have no special status as endangered or otherwise.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
Logperch exhibit external fertilization. Females are open water or substratum egg scatterers and neither males nor females guard the eggs after fertilization (Page and Burr, 1991). Female logperch bury eggs in sand or gravel substrates. Males swim up beside them and release milt to fertilize the eggs. Hiding the eggs helps protect against predators, such as other fish species, crayfishes, and aquatic insects. Sometimes multiple males will fertilize the eggs.
Spawning competition among males can be quite aggressive. Male logperch have been observed ramming and biting each other while competing for a female. During the breeding season males can become brilliantly colored. Unlike many darters, especially those in the genus Etheostoma, male logperches do not develop bright, gaudy colors. Instead, the subdued male logperch bears a prominent orange band along the first dorsal fin margin. Likewise, the dark pigments become more contrasting, changing from brown or olive to jet black (Burkhead, 2003)
Mating System: polygynandrous (promiscuous)
Logperch are broadcast spawners, spawning in shallow freshwater streams and ponds, often in swiftly moving water such as riffles. Eggs are laid in sand or gravel by females then fertilized by milt (fish sperm) released by males over the eggs (Page 1983).
Breeding interval: Logperch breed frequently during the warm months of spring and summer.
Breeding season: Logperch spawn in warm spring and summer months depending on area.
Average gestation period: 8 days.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 2 years.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 2 years.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (External ); broadcast (group) spawning; oviparous
Average gestation period: 7 days.
Beyond laying and fertilizing eggs, logperch exhibit no parental investment.
Parental Investment: no parental involvement; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female)
The common logperch (Percina caprodes), sometimes simply known as the logperch, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. Like other logperches, it has the typical vertical barring along the flank and a subterminal mouth.
This is the most widespread logperch, commonly found in large parts of the eastern United States and Canada. Like other logperches, they inhabit clear, gravelly streams and lakes, reaching a maximum size of about 18 centimeters (7.1 in) and a maximum age of about 3 years. They play a key role in the reproduction of the snuffbox mussel (Epioblasma triquetra).[3]
The common logperch is a darter species naturally occurring as far north as the St. Lawrence River in Canada, as far west as the Great Lakes, and south throughout the Mississippi River down to the Rio Grande. The common logperch is also found as far west as California, where it was introduced in 1953.[4] Logperch are benthic, nonguarding egglayers, whose embryos drift to lentic areas after hatching. The population distribution of the common logperch may be under increased predatory pressure from stocked saugeyes.[5] Dams may also exert stress on the fish, by obstructing migratory pathways and inhibiting gene flow.[6] Percina caprodes have also been found to be extremely susceptible to nitrite poisoning.[7] While the common logperch is not currently listed as a threatened or endangered species, humans should be aware of our negative impact on the species, and the ways in which we can minimize this impact; most notably, by limiting the construction of dams, by increasing oxygen levels in the tailwaters of existing dams, by limiting the number of predatory gamefish stocked (such as saugeye), by decreasing the amount of silt and debris deposited in streams, and by monitoring nitrite levels in common logperch habitats. Also, a monitoring plan should be created, in which a routine census is taken of the fish in each area of its distribution, and in which invasive species that outcompete the common logperch, such as Neogobius melanostomus, are removed.[8]
The common logperch exhibits a rather large geographic distribution and range. The common logperch occurs naturally as far north as the St. Lawrence River system in Quebec, and as far south as the Rio Grande system in southern Texas and northern Mexico. Westwards, logperch are most heavily distributed in the Mississippi River drainage system, and their range extends eastward in freshwater habitats all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. Currently, however, the range of the common logperch has been artificially extended into California, where it was released into the wild in 1953.[4] The range of the common logperch, while impressive, has nevertheless been reduced due to the construction of dams,[6] the introduction of stocked predatory species such as walleye and sauger,[5] the introduction of invasive competitors (specifically Neogobius melanostomus),[9] and possibly by erosion around drainage systems.
The common logperch, like most darter species, dwells in benthic habitats where it forages for food. It prefers clear, swift water with rocky or sandy substrate; however, it may be found in any temperate water in their geographic distribution. Its diet consists primarily of benthic invertebrates, which it hunts by flipping over stones with its snout. It appears that logperches are not especially fastidious when foraging, and that they are actually very opportunistic feeders.[10] That being said, chironomids constitute the largest part of a darter's diet (~54% volumetric contribution), whereas trichopterans and simuliids constituted roughly 15% and 22% volumetric contribution, respectively.[10] However, prey consumption can vary largely by location and season. Some competition surely exists between the common logperch and other benthic species with the same native distribution and diet. It is an invasive species, Neogobius melanostomus (round goby), however, that poses the largest competitive threat to the common logperch. Studies indicate that this is most likely because Neogobius melanostomus better utilizes its space in the environment for shelter, decreasing the range of the common logperch, because Neogobius melanostomus is also a more aggressive than the relatively passive common logperch, and because N. melanostomus reproduces at a higher rate than the common logperch.[9] Natural predators of the common logperch consist most notably of carnivorous piscivores from the Sander, Micropterus, and Esox genera.[5]
Human induced changes that might reduce the abundance of the common logperch include the excess stocking of piscivorous fish species, the damming of rivers, introduction of chemicals into watersheds, and erosion caused from human activities. While the top-down effects the addition of excess predators can cause on prey species are relatively well studied, the effects and mechanisms of the other aforementioned human activities may not be so clear.
The common logperch does not reach sexual maturity until approximately 2 years of age. The common logperch spawns numerous times in the warmer months of the year, typically during spring and summer.[11] They lay small demersal adhesive eggs that stick between rocks and substrate . Because of this, logperch tend to spawn in shallow rocky shoals, with high oxygen availability. Upon hatching, the pelagic embryos drift to lentic areas where plankton are more abundant in order to feed. Logperch eggs hatch much earlier than typical darter eggs. Thus, the common logperch has maintained its ancestral reproductive tendencies, and therefore has not evolved any new adaptations in comparison to other darter species.[12] Some human-induced changes with negative effects on the life history of the common logperch include the construction of dams and erosion around water drainages.
The common logperch is currently not a threatened or endangered fish species. Consequently, no apparent steps are being taken to manage the species.
While logperches are not currently a threatened species, several human-created changes are negatively influencing the common logperch. One of these human-induced changes is the construction of dams. Dams are detrimental to logperch for numerous reasons. One reason is that dams typically create less oxygen their tailwaters. This is because the water pushed into the tailwaters comes from oxygen-poor parts of the reservoir. The lack of oxygen this creates can cause undue stress on common logperch larvae, because their simple lungs are evolved for high oxygen availability.[12] Another reason dams are detrimental to logperch species is that the constant change of water flow caused by hydroelectric generation creates a large amount of silt deposition on the river floor. Logperch are benthic hunters evolved to hunt and spawn in rocky substrate, and the silt deposited by the hydroelectric generators covers and masks this substrate. Human-initiated erosion also affects logperch in this way. As a result, the common logperch obtains food less efficiently, and cannot spawn as efficiently.
The overuse of pesticides and fertilizers near watersheds can also have a deleterious effect on the common logperch by killing or altering aquatic insect life, and by increasing nitrite levels. But perhaps the most deleterious impact on the common logperch comes from the introduction of the round goby, Neogobius melanostomus, which outcompetes it.[9] Through careful farm and land management the introduction of chemicals to watersheds could be greatly reduced. Erosion can largely be avoided by halting deforestation, and the induction of invasive species may be reduced simply by better informing the public of the detrimental effects caused by releasing non-native species into the wild.
The common logperch was first formally described as Sciaena caprodes in 1818 by the French polymath Constantine Samuel Rafinesque (1783-1840) with the type locality given as the Ohio River.[13] Samuel Stehman Haldeman created Percina as a subgenus of Perca and he described Perca (Percina) nebulosa was its only species, this is a synonym of P. caprodes. This means that the common logperch is the type species of the genus Percina.[14]
The common logperch (Percina caprodes), sometimes simply known as the logperch, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. Like other logperches, it has the typical vertical barring along the flank and a subterminal mouth.
This is the most widespread logperch, commonly found in large parts of the eastern United States and Canada. Like other logperches, they inhabit clear, gravelly streams and lakes, reaching a maximum size of about 18 centimeters (7.1 in) and a maximum age of about 3 years. They play a key role in the reproduction of the snuffbox mussel (Epioblasma triquetra).
