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. . 'lI ;- .. .. HOLDEN, ET AL.: THREATENED FISHES OF UTAH Solmo clarki utah-Utah Cutthroat Trout , Status: Endangered subspecies Description: Utah cutthroat were originally described from Utah Lake by Suckley (1874) as a large-scaled, silvery fish with small, irregular spots. These characters may have been greatly influenced by the lacustrine con- ditions. Behnke (1973) characterizes Utah cutthroat trout as follows: "... scale counts (3642 above lateral line and 145-180 in the lateral series. . . ) and the vertebral counts (typical modal values of 62-63 . . . )." No other descriptions of Utah cutthroat are known. Lemon-yellow cut- tluoat slash marks appear to be a distinguishing character of freshly caught specimens. Biochemical analysis of genetic characteristics of Utah cut- tluoat (Utah State University) shows distinct differences from Yellow- stone cutthroat trout or rainbow trout influenced populations. Documentation: Utah cutthroat were found throughout the Bonneville basin of Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, and Nevada. An exception is Snake Valley of Utah and Nevada, which appears to have a distinct subspecies. Known populations in Utah are from Water Canyon and a small tributary of Reservoir Canyon, Washington County; an isolated tributary of little Cottonwood Creek near Salt Lake City; and Birch Creek near Beaver. Another population is found in Thomas Fork of Bear River, linco1n County, Wyoming. Solmo clarki subsp.-Snake Valley or Mt. Wheeler Cutthroat Trout i i Status: . Endangered subspecies Description: The Snake Valley cutthroat was recently determined to be a separate subspecies. Therefore, little is known of this form and descrip- tions are lacking. Behnke (1973) analyzed the available specimens and described it thusly: chunky, long head and dorsal fm, 15-50 basibranchial . teeth (X = 25-28), gillrakers 19-23 and lateral line scales 145-180 but usually 145-150. Since the range of this form is within the Bonneville basin, it may be confused with the Utah cutthroat. Spots are more evenly distributed over body, more basibranchial teeth, more gillrakers (18-21 in Utah cutthroat) and fewerlateralline scales (145-180 for Utah cutthroat) in Snake Valley cutthroat. Documentation: Apparently this fish was originally found only in the Trout Creek drainage of Snake Valley, Utah, and Nevada. In the late 1800s fish from Trout Creek were stocked into troutless, small, internally drained basins in Nevada (Behnke, 1973). It is from one of these, Pine Creek, White Pine County, Nevada, that this trout was first identified. Later investigations found it in isolated tributaries of Trout Creek in i i \ :J J .. . - , j. , r "'. 48 -- ..