Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 29, 2026

Dallia

Dallia (Blackfish) is a genus of mudminnows native to Russia and Alaska. Molecular data indicates the genus is more closely related to Esox and Novumbra than Umbra. Dallia diverged from Novumbra + Esox approximately 66 million years ago. The genus was named after American naturalist William Healey Dall.

Last revised
Jul 29, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
446 w
Citations
10
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Dallia
Temporal range:
Dallia pectoralis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Salmoniformes
Family: Esocidae
Subfamily: Dalliinae
Jordan, 1885
Genus: Dallia
T. H. Bean, 1880

Dallia (Blackfish) is a genus of mudminnows native to Russia and Alaska. Molecular data indicates the genus is more closely related to Esox and Novumbra than Umbra.12 Dallia diverged from Novumbra + Esox approximately 66 million years ago.2 The genus was named after American naturalist William Healey Dall.3

Species

Three species in this genus are recognized:4

Mitochondrial sequence data was examined from D. pectoralis and D. admirabilis and did not indicate that speciation within the genus in Russia; however, genetic isolation within Alaska for populations of D. pectoralis could be high and associated with karyotype differences.5678

Fossil remains of Dallia are known from the Late Miocene near Homer, Alaska, suggesting they were found further south in the past. Pleistocene-aged fossil remains also suggest they ranged significantly more west in Siberia as well.9

References

References

  1. López JA, Chen WJ, Ortí G (2004). "Esociform Phylogeny". Copeia. 2004 (3): 449–464. doi:10.1643/cg-03-087r1. S2CID 198150295.
  2. Campbell MA, López JA, Sado T, Miya M (November 2013). "Pike and salmon as sister taxa: detailed intraclade resolution and divergence time estimation of Esociformes + Salmoniformes based on whole mitochondrial genome sequences". Gene. 530 (1): 57–65. doi:10.1016/j.gene.2013.07.068. PMID 23954876.
  3. "Family ESOCIDAE Rafinesque 1815 (Pikes and Mudminnows)". The ETYFish Project. 2024-10-04. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
  4. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2012). "Species in genus Dallia". FishBase.
  5. Campbell MA, Lopéz JA (February 2014). "Mitochondrial phylogeography of a Beringian relict: the endemic freshwater genus of blackfish Dallia (Esociformes)". Journal of Fish Biology. 84 (2): 523–38. Bibcode:2014JFBio..84..523C. doi:10.1111/jfb.12314. PMID 24490938.
  6. Campbell MA, Sage GK, DeWilde RL, López JA, Talbot SL (2013-12-05). "Development and characterization of 16 polymorphic microsatellite loci for the Alaska blackfish (Esociformes: Dallia pectoralis)". Conservation Genetics Resources. 6 (2): 349–351. doi:10.1007/s12686-013-0091-6. ISSN 1877-7252. S2CID 16876417.
  7. Campbell MA, Takebayashi N, López JA (July 2015). "Beringian sub-refugia revealed in blackfish (Dallia): implications for understanding the effects of Pleistocene glaciations on Beringian taxa and other Arctic aquatic fauna". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 15 (1): 144. Bibcode:2015BMCEE..15..144C. doi:10.1186/s12862-015-0413-2. PMC 4506597. PMID 26187279.
  8. Crossman E, Ráb P (1996). "Chromosome-banding study of the Alaska blackfish, Dallia pectoralis (Euteleostei: Esocae), with implications for karyotype evolution and relationship of esocoid fishes". Canadian Journal of Zoology. 74 (1): 147–156. Bibcode:1996CaJZ...74..147C. doi:10.1139/z96-019.
  9. Campbell, Matthew A.; Takebayashi, Naoki; López, J. Andrés (2015-07-19). "Beringian sub-refugia revealed in blackfish (Dallia): implications for understanding the effects of Pleistocene glaciations on Beringian taxa and other Arctic aquatic fauna". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 15 (1): 144. Bibcode:2015BMCEE..15..144C. doi:10.1186/s12862-015-0413-2. ISSN 1471-2148. PMC 4506597. PMID 26187279.