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<br />Colorado Squawfish
<br />Ptychocheilus lucius Girard
<br />
<br />HEAD SLENDER,
<br />
<br />FLATTENED
<br />
<br />, I
<br />
<br />danal
<br />linctIy
<br />Ie in
<br />tel or
<br />;>a5e
<br />Mitis
<br />areas
<br />imum
<br />tI lee-
<br />IVel' a
<br />dare
<br />olden
<br />other
<br />luatic
<br />GradQ
<br />game
<br />l as a
<br />~, pur-
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<br />..tong
<br />a.ndIng
<br />"'-riar-
<br />1:1; gill
<br />!anGer
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<br />1NSIed,
<br />
<br />Body slender, elongate, with long slender depressed head; caudal peduncle
<br />stout; maxillary reaching beyond anterior margin of eye; latelUl line strongly
<br />clecurved; scales moderate, 19, 83-87, 9; pharyngeal teeth 2, 5-4, 2; eye small,
<br />7 in head; dorsal fin rays 9; anal fin rays 9.
<br />Color, dusky-greenish above, sides silvery, belly yellowish to
<br />whitish. Young with a black caudal spot and faint pale lateral band
<br />below a darker one.
<br />The Colorado Squawfish is confined to the Colorado drainage to
<br />. the base of the Rockies. It is the largest known minnow in the New
<br />World. It may attain a length of 5 feet or more and a weight of 80
<br />pounds. Little is known about its life history. This species apparent-
<br />ly spawns in the spring. It feeds upon insects, insect larvae and
<br />nymphs, other small aquatic organisms and the larger specimens add
<br />fish to their diet. Carcasses of mice, birds, and even rabbits have
<br />been successfully used as bait for large individuals.
<br />. When caught, the Squawfish is used for food because of its large
<br />size. Locally it may be known as "white salmon."
<br />
<br />The Bonytail Chubs
<br />
<br />Genus Gila Baird and Girard
<br />
<br />Body'chubby to elongate, little compressed; back sometimes ClJCned, especi-
<br />ally in large adults; caudal peduncle typically long, slender, contnxted, usually
<br />much narrower than base of caudal fin, which is moderately to widely forked,
<br />with the rudimentary rays well developed in the more streamlined types; head
<br />broad, deep to depressed, profile convex to concave; mouth _II to large,
<br />oblique to horizontal, sometimes overhung by brood snout; donal fin over or
<br />behind middle of body; intestinal conal short; scales moderate to small; no
<br />barbels; pharyngeal teeth 2, 5-4, 2, or 2, 4-4, 2 or 2, 5-5, 2, dose set, com-
<br />pressed, hooked, without grinding surface; peritoneum dusky.
<br />Two specie!> are represented in Colorado, with one of the species represent-
<br />. !!Cl by 2 subspecific forms.
<br />
<br />KEY TO THE SPECIES OF GILA
<br />
<br />la. Caydal peduncle slender; rudimentary roys ot caudal tin mucl1 enIClrgea; scales
<br />small, more than 75 in laterol line; onal rays 9 or more.
<br />20. Dorsal rays 9; anol rays 9; fully scaled; caudol peduncle 3.3.4.3 in head
<br />____________________________Roundtoil Chub, Gilo ....sto robulto
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