''Scaphirhynchus'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

sturgeons Sturgeon (from Old English ultimately from Proto-Indo-European language, Proto-Indo-European *''str̥(Hx)yón''-) is the common name for the 27 species of fish belonging to the family Acipenseridae. The earliest sturgeon fossils date to the ...

native to North America. All species in this

are considered to be

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

with extinction or worse. As of 2023, the

pallid sturgeon 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 colo ...

(''S. albus'') 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. Its historical ranges were believed to be over 1600 rkm and incl ...

(''S. suttkusi'') are

critically endangered An IUCN Red List critically endangered (CR or sometimes CE) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of December 2023, of t ...

according to the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...

. The etymology of the word ''Scaphirhynchus'' is derived from two Greek words, ''scaphir'' translating to “boat”, while ''rhynchus'' being “snout”. The word ''rhynchus'' is used in the scientific name, be it genus or species for many animals, including the duck-billed platypus, ''ornithorhynchus'' as its genus, meaning “bird-snout”.

Distribution

Member species are found in the

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, and

Alabama River The Alabama River, in the U.S. state of Alabama, is formed by the Tallapoosa River, Tallapoosa and Coosa River, Coosa rivers, which unite about north of Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery, near the town of Wetumpka, Alabama, Wetumpka. Over a co ...

Species

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

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

'' ( 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 the up ...

'' (

Rafinesque Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (; 22 October 178318 September 1840) was a French early 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, ult ...

, 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. Its historical ranges were believed to be over 1600 rkm and incl ...

J. D. Williams Darnell "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) ...

& Clemmer, 1991 (Alabama sturgeon)

References

Ray-finned fish genera {{Acipenseriformes-stub