''Scaphirhynchus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

sturgeons Sturgeon is the common name for the 27 species of fish belonging to the family Acipenseridae. The earliest sturgeon fossils date to the Late Cretaceous, and are descended from other, earlier acipenseriform fish, which date back to the Early ...

native to the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

. All species in this

are considered to be

threatened Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of '' critical depe ...

. The pallid sturgeon is

Endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...

and the

Alabama sturgeon The Alabama sturgeon (''Scaphirhynchus suttkusi'') is a species of sturgeon native to the United States of America and now only believed to exist in of the lower Alabama River. The fish has a distinctive yellowish-orange color, grows to a si ...

is Critically Endangered.

Distribution

Member species are found in the

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

, and

Alabama River The Alabama River, in the U.S. state of Alabama, is formed by the Tallapoosa and Coosa rivers, which unite about north of Montgomery, near the town of Wetumpka. The river flows west to Selma, then southwest until, about from Mobile, it ...

Species

Currently, three species in this genus are recognized: * ''

Scaphirhynchus albus The pallid sturgeon (''Scaphirhynchus albus'') is an endangered species of ray-finned fish, endemic to the waters of the Missouri and lower Mississippi river basins of the United States. It may have even reached the St. Croix River before ...

'' ( S. A. Forbes & R. E. Richardson, 1905) (pallid sturgeon) * ''

Scaphirhynchus platorynchus The shovelnose sturgeon (''Scaphirhynchus platorynchus'') is the smallest species of freshwater sturgeon native to North America. It is often called "hackleback", "sand sturgeon", or "switchtail". Switchtail refers to the long filament found on ...

'' (

Rafinesque Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (; October 22, 1783September 18, 1840) was a French 19th-century polymath born near Constantinople in the Ottoman Empire and self-educated in France. He traveled as a young man in the United States, ultimat ...

, 1820) (shovelnose sturgeon) * ''

Scaphirhynchus suttkusi The Alabama sturgeon (''Scaphirhynchus suttkusi'') is a species of sturgeon native to the United States of America and now only believed to exist in of the lower Alabama River. The fish has a distinctive yellowish-orange color, grows to a si ...

J. D. Williams J.D. Williams (born May 22, 1978) is an American actor known for his starring roles in the HBO television programs '' Oz'' as Kenny Wangler, ''The Wire'' as Bodie Broadus and ''Pootie Tang'' as Froggy, '' Surviving Family'' (2012) as Bobby, ''T ...

& Clemmer, 1991 (Alabama sturgeon)

References

Ray-finned fish genera {{Acipenseriformes-stub