![Apeltes quadracus](https://ncfishes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Fouspine-Stickleback-David-Neely-1024x296.jpg)
Photo Credit: David Neely
Family | Scientific Name | Author | Year | Common Name |
Gasterosteidae | Apeltes quadracus | (Mitchill) | 1815 | Fourspine Stickleback |
Apeltes quadracus
Unique Characters: Scaleless body with four dorsal spines angled alternately left to right. Long slender caudal peduncle.
Similar Species: Threespine Stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus. Although not yet recorded from North Carolina, it has been documented in Chesapeake Bay. It has three dorsal spines and a short caudal peduncle.
![Gasterosteus aculeatus](https://ncfishes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/threespine-stickleback_resized-1024x576.png)
Gallery