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14 <br />in recommendations to eradicate the hybrid swarm (Kennedy, 1977). The <br />area was examined by Dr. Echelle and Texas Parks and Wildlife personnel <br />in January 1976 to determine the extent of the hybrid swarm. They <br />found hybrids in the entire lower segment from Monsanto Well to the Cow <br />Pond but some segregation of C. bovinus phenotypes in flowing water <br />and C. variegatus phenotypes in quiet water (A.A. Echelle, pers. comm.). <br />A stock of C. bovinus was flown,to the Federal Fish Hatchery in Dexter, <br />New Mexico, by the Texas Parks and Wildlife airplane as insurance against <br />a possible disaster. The lower segment of Leon Creek was treated with <br />rotenone on 13 February 1976. Prior to the rotenone treatment six <br />segments (up to 100 meters in length) were seined and all fish (except <br />Cyprinodon) and macroinvertebrates set aside and reintroduced into the <br />springs 500 meters ENE of Monsanto Well on 14 February (Hubbs,et al., <br />1978). On that date more than 100 C. bovinus and associated indigenous <br />fishes were obtained from Leon Creek 350 meters NE of the junction with <br />the Diamond-Y Springs outflow and were also released with the downstream <br />samples. On 28 February 300+ more C. bovinus from the same pool and 100+ <br />C. bovinus, from the Diamond-Y Spring Run, associated fishes (except for <br />Lepomis cyanellus as we wished to avoid excessive predation when its prey <br />fish species populations were at minimal levels), and macroinvertebrates <br />were released at Monsanto Well, the spring site 500 meters ENE, and at the <br />Highway 18 bridge. On 13 February the rotenone was initially released in <br />the Cow Pond and the entire creek and adjacent marshes sprayed, downstream <br />to upstream; by midday when the sgray crews reached the Highway 18 bridge, <br />the weather had warmed from near 0 C and courtship activity was noted <br />in a pool upstream from the bridge. That spot was also treated with <br />antimycin to kill any eggs that might have been spawned. Rotenone <br />drip bottles were placed over the springs near Monsanto Well and those <br />500 meters to the ENE. The upper pool at Monsanto Well was so heavily <br />treated with rotenone that the milky appearance of its water persisted <br />until 28 February. During that visit the lower segment of Leon Creek was <br />examined on foot and the only Cyprinodon (or any other fish) observed <br />were near the two-week old release location. Subsequently, the other <br />fishes were obtained and released. <br />Leon Creek was next examined 6 August, 1976 (Hubbs, et al., 1978) and <br />samples were obtained from the Cow Pond, Highway 18 bridge, and Monsanto <br />Well. All released fish species except G. geiseri were found in our <br />collections. The hybrid swarm between G. nobilis and G. affinis was re- <br />established (Hubbs, et al., 1978) and has subsequently resumed pretreat- <br />ment conditions. Both Lucania and Fundulus are now quite abundant and <br />the 1976 population decline was only temporary. Traces of Cyprinodon <br />genic contamination were found in adults and young from the Monsanto <br />Well sample (the highway bridge sample seemed uncontaminated but one <br />large female with a hybrid phenotype was collected from the Cow Pond). <br />The obvious failure to eradicate the hybrids was apparently concentrated <br />near Monsanto Well. That location had been exposed to a substantial <br />superlethal dose of rotenone but some adult hybrids must have survived. <br />Our suspicion that a few individuals had found shelter in or around spring <br />outflows flowing through the bottom muds in the large pool at Monsanto Well <br />was supported by the discovery of a series of spring boils in 0.5 meter <br />(diameter) depressions 0.1 meter deep in the rock bottom of the deepest <br />part of the pool following scouring by a flood just prior to our August 1978 <br />visit.