Family: Gasterosteidae - Sticklebacks

Family Profile

Distribution and Habitat

N=Native, I=Introduced (exotic), X=Extinct, P=Extirpated

Image/Link	Scientific Name	Common Name	Lake Superior	Lake Michigan	Lake Huron	Lake Erie	Lake Ontario	Habitat
	Apeltes quadracus	fourspine stickleback	I					benthopelagic, weedy bays
	Culaea inconstans	brook stickleback	N	N	N	N	N	stream/creek/littoral
	Gasterosteus aculeatus	threespine stickleback					N	stream/creek/river/euryhaline
	Pungitius pungitius	ninespine stickleback	N	N	N		N	stream/creek/river/littoral/euryhaline

Table modified from "The Life of the Lakes: A Guide to the Great Lakes Fishery" MI Sea Grant Extension, Michigan State University.

Species Profiles

Gasterosteus aculeatus - threespine stickleback
Profile - Inland Fishes of New York Scientific Profile - University of Michigan Museum of Zoology		A partially plated form is native to the Ontario Basin, but a plated coastal form gained access to the upper lakes in the 1980s. Benthic in the Great Lakes and tributary streams. Feed on small invertebrates. Length to 10 cm.
Inland Fishes of New York	Fishes of Minnesota	Additional Photos: GLNPO - Great Lakes Invasives The Virtual Aquarium at Virginia Tech University of Michigan Museum of Zoology

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