Taken from website: mdc.mo.gov/fish/sport/sturgeon/info/
Young pallid sturgeon and shovelnose sturgeon look very similar in appearance, having the same color and body shape. Many anglers and commercial fishermen often misidentify these two fish. The best way to distinguish pallid sturgeon from shovelnose sturgeon is to compare the barbels, belly and head length between the two species. The pallid sturgeon (above) has a) a longer snout and head than the shovelnose sturgeon; b) barbels that form a crescent-shaped line at their bases; c) barbels attached closer to the mouth than the tip of the snout; and d) a skin-like, scaleless belly. In addition, the inner two barbels are usually much thinner and shorter than the outer two barbels. Barbels are the long, tapering, cylindrical fleshy projections attached in front of the mouth that look similar to the barbels or "whiskers" on a catfish.
