Identification
The mouth opened at the front of the head and had either tiny barbels or none. Its tail was less unevenly forked than that of the Sacramento Splittail. Technical accounts also distinguish scale and gill-raker counts, which are useful when examining preserved specimens.
Life in Clear Lake
Young fish used shoreline areas, while larger fish occupied open lake water. Historical accounts describe spawning in tributaries. This connected life cycle required both the lake habitat and access to streams rather than a single isolated stretch of shoreline.
A Historical Species
The name refers to a distinct fish from California’s Clear Lake, not to any splittail caught in a clear-water lake. Museum material and historical accounts provide the basis for its identification and size information. The maximum of 36 centimeters includes the tail and should be understood as a historical reference measurement.
Do Not Substitute Sacramento Splittail
The two names describe different species. A modern Sacramento Splittail observation does not demonstrate that Clear Lake Splittail has survived.
All Lakes With Clear Lake Splittail
Browse all lakes and reservoirs with confirmed Clear Lake Splittail records in our database, listed alphabetically.
No published lakes are currently linked to this species in our confirmed records.