Brook Stickleback

Brook Stickleback (Cualea inconstans)

A species on the southern edge of its range in Ohio, sticklebacks require clear, cold springs and brooks having dense beds of aquatic vegetation and substrates composed of muck, peat, or marl.

They may be found in springfed roadside ditches choked with watercress and other vegetation with water no more than 6 inches deep. Populations in such situations are easily overlooked as the habitat does not appear conducive to the support of fish life.

In Ohio populations of sticklebacks are found scattered throughout northeastern Ohio. There are also populations centered around the cold, spring-fed streams of the Mad River drainage in west-central Ohio. Overall, the numbers of sticklebacks have been greatly decreased due to the negative impacts of dredging, ditching, and draining on their habitat.

The Brook Stickleback is distinguishable from other fish in Ohio by the 4 to 6 dorsal spines which are unconnected by a membrane.