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Genus Phoxinus <br />The genus Phoxinus is very interesting. <br />Banarescu (1964) recommended com- <br />bining this genus with the American min- <br />now genus Chrosomus. This combination <br />represents the only instance where min- <br />nows of the same genus are native to both <br />Europe and North America, although <br />some Eurasian species, such as carp or <br />goldfish, have been introduced to North <br />America by man. Two species are found <br />in Colorado. <br />KEY TO THE GENUS <br />PHOXINUs <br />1. a. Angle of the mouth ranges from <br />57-610 from the horizontal. The <br /> <br /> snout is comparatively shorter. <br /> Found in the South Platte drainage <br />Detail of the (Plum Creek) south of Denver. <br />head of a NORTHERN REDBELLY DACE <br />northern Phoxinus eos <br />redbelly dace. b. Angle of the mouth ranges from <br /> 48-50° from the horizontal. The <br /> snout is comparatively longer. <br /> Found in a tributary of the Arkan- <br /> sas River in Pueblo. <br /> SOUTHERN REDBELLY DACE <br />Detail of the Phoxinus erythrogaster <br />head of a These species are very similar. For a <br />soutFiem complete discussion of meristic charac- <br />redbelly dace. teristics of these two Phoxinus minnows <br /> see Eddy and Underhill 1974 and Phillips <br /> 1969a. <br />From Eddy and Underhill 1974 <br />Falnily Cypriniclae Genus Phoxinus <br />NORTHERN REDBELLY <br />DACE <br />Phoxinus eos (Cope) <br />A small, round minnow, mouth terminal <br />and oblique; angle of the mouth from <br />57-61° from the horizontal, snout rela- <br />tively short, dorsal fin with 8 (sometimes <br />7-9) rays; anal fin with 8 (sometimes 7) <br />rays; peritoneum dark, intestine long and <br />coiled; scales very small, from 70-90 in the <br />lateral line; pharyngeal teeth 0, 5-5, 0, very <br />similar to southern redbelly dace, see next <br />species account. <br />A colorful minnow, this dace has a dark <br />olive or brown back with spots. Two dark, <br />broad bands on the side. The space be- <br />tween the two bands is cream, reddish, or <br />dark. The stomach is cream-colored <br />except in breeding males where the <br />stomach is yellow-orange to red. The <br />northern redbelly dace is less than 2 <br />inches in length. <br />Range: This minnow is found through- <br />out Canada in British Columbia and in the <br />Hudson Bay drainage, from Maine west <br />through the Great Lakes and the upper <br />Mississippi and Missouri rivers (Scott and <br />Crossman 1973). Ellis (1914) found the <br />northern redbelly dace to be native to the <br />South Platte River Basin. In recent years <br />only five specimens of the northern red- <br />belly dace have been collected in Col- <br />orado. Propst (1980) collected two <br />specimens from the Plum Creek drainage <br />in the foothills south of Denver. Three <br />others came from a pond adjacent to a <br />Plum Creek tributary. <br />Habitat: The northern redbelly dace <br />requires vegetation and slow flowing <br />streams (Scott and Crossman 1973). The <br />pond in the Plum Creek drainage that <br />I I <br />rl / L <br />-f <br /> <br />r-- <br />?i I r I <br />i <br />-- --- -I - r ? ? - -fir <br />I I <br />I r-' <br />Distribution by County of the northern redbelly dace. <br />I <br />I <br />i <br />I <br />3 ' <br />IIII <br />I <br />r----- <br />I - <br />s-- - JI <br />I <br />I <br />I ? <br />I <br />21 Colorado's Little Fish