blackspotted stickelback
Gasterosteus wheatlandi Putnam, 1867
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The blackspotted stickleback (Gasterosteus wheatlandi) is species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Gasterosteidae, the sticklebacks. This fish is found in the western Atlantic from the coasts of Newfoundland (Canada) to Massachusetts (United States). This is a benthopelagic species of marine and brackish waters, rarely entering freshwater, which remains near the shore. It is frequently associated with floating vegetation. The male builds a nest, in which the females deposit eggs and the male guards and aerates them. It is a small fish which reaches a maximum published total length of 7.6 cm (3.0 in), although 3.5 cm (1.4 in) is more typical. The specific name honors Richard H. Wheatland who was the Cabinet Keeper (and collector of fishes and reptiles), for the Essex County Natural History Society of Salem, Massachusetts and who collected type of this species in 1859.
Wikipedia contributors, Blackspotted stickleback; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:01:35.800150+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Gasterosteus wheatlandi Putnam, 1867
- Name authority
- Putnam, 1867
- Common name
- blackspotted stickelback
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Perciformes
- Family
- Gasterosteidae
- Genus
- Gasterosteus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderPerciformes
- suborderGasterosteoidei
- familyGasterosteidae Bonaparte, 1831
- genusGasterosteus Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesGasterosteus wheatlandi Putnam, 1867
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Gasterosteus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| BurnstickleGasterosteus aculeatus Linnaeus, 1758 | GasterosteidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gasterosteus crenobiontus Băcescu & Mayer, 1956 | GasterosteidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gasterosteus nipponicus Higuchi, Sakai & Goto, 2014 | GasterosteidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Iceland sticklebackGasterosteus islandicus Sauvage, 1874 | GasterosteidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gasterosteus microcephalus Girard, 1854 | GasterosteidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Putnam, F. W. (1867). Remarks on a supposed nondescript species of Gasterosteus from Massachusetts. Proceedings of the Essex Institute, v. 5 (1866–67): 4. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3FCNH. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.