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7. <br />Confidence in identification is high except among the larval and early <br />juvenile catostomids of the Yampa River, which are complicated by extensive <br />hybridization. The identity of the plains killifish (Fundulus kansae) <br />collected in the Colorado River trend zones is being verified by Dr. R. R. <br />Miller of the University of Michigan; Holden and Stalnaker (1975) identified <br />similar fish collected between these trend zones and in the Gunnison River as <br />the Rio Grande killifish (F. zebrinus). The Yampa River specimens are defin- <br />itely plains killifish. Characteristics used to distinguish larval and early <br />juvenile Colorado squawfish from the chubs (Gila sp.) are based on a limited <br />series of squawfish provided by Karl Seethaler of Utah State University and <br />numerous collected roundtail chubs (Gila robusta). However, the squawfish <br />series is derived from only one or two broods reared at the Willow Beach <br />Hatchery in Arizona and accordingly, genetic variability is restricted and the <br />characters used may not apply to all Colorado squawfish. Separation of the <br />larvae and early juveniles of the endangered humpback chub, and the very rare <br />bonytail chub (Gila elegans) and the roundtail chub (G. robusta), as well <br />as the rare humpback or razorback sucker (Xyrauchen to anus) and the <br />flannelmouth sucker (Catostorus latipinnis), is based on extensive reference <br />series of the roundtail chub and flannelmouth sucker and certain adult charac- <br />teristics, particularly fin ray meristics. Known larval or early juvenile <br />reference specimens of the rare or endangered chubs and sucker are not yet <br />available for comparative study. <br />Fish collections were typically made at or near access points at the <br />beginning and end of each trend zone. The remaining trend zone sampling <br />sites were selected on the basis of potentially favorable and diverse habitat <br />while slowly canoeing downstream. Floating the trend zones with rafts as <br />originally planned would have been difficult if not impossible due to <br />extremely low flows. At each collection site generalized habitat types were