Sturgeons and Paddlefishes: Order Acipenseriformes

The Order Acipenseriformes includes a few dozen primitive fish known as paddlefishes and sturgeons. In the US, both sturgeons and paddlefish are extremely rare.

Fish in the Order Acipenseriformes have cartilaginous endoskeletons, they lack a vertebral centrum and they have a spiral valve intestine.

Classification of Sturgeons and Paddlefishes

There are several living representatives of sturgeons and paddlefish in the world.  The following list is from Fishbase.

Sturgeon

  • Siberian and Baikal sturgeon – Acipenser baerii (two subspecies)
  • Shortnose sturgeon – Acipenser brevirostrum
  • Yangtze sturgeon – Acipenser dabryanus
  • Lake sturgeon – Acipenser fulvenscens
  • Russian sturgeon – Acipenser gueldenstaedtii
  • Green sturgeon – Acipenser medirostris
  • Sakhalin sturgeon – Acipenser mikadoi
  • Japanese sturgeon – Acipenser multiscutatus
  • Adriatic sturgeon – Acipenser naccarii
  • Frigebarbel sturgeon – Acipenser nudiventris
  • Gulf and Atlantic sturgeon – Acipenser oxyrinchus
  • Persian sturgeon – Acipenser persicus
  • Sterlet – Acipenser ruthenus
  • Amur sturgeon – Acipenser schrenckii
  • Chinese sturgeon – Acipenser sinensis
  • Starry sturgeon – Acipenser stellatus
  • European sturgeon – Acipenser sturio
  • White sturgeon – Acipenser transmontanus
  • Beluga sturgeon – Huso huso
  • Kaluga sturgeon – Huso dauricus
  • Pallid sturgeon – Scaphirhynchus albus
  • Shovelnose sturgeon – Scaphirhynchus platorynchus
  • Alabama sturgeon – Scaphirhynchus suttkusi
  • Dwarf sturgeon – Pseudoscaphirhynchus hermanni
  • Syr Darya sturgeon – Pseudoscaphirhynchus fedtschenkoi
  • Amu Darya sturgeon – Pseudoscaphirhynchus kaufmanni

Paddlefishes

  • American Paddlefish – Polyodon spathula
  • Chinese Paddlefish – Psephurus gladius

Other good videos of paddlefish and sturgeons:

The following video shows the American Paddlefish on the Missouri River.

Species listed under Acipenseriformes