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<br /> <br />----'-150. <br /> <br />, , <br />CALIFORNIA FISH' AND GA.ME <br /> <br />Distri'butWnj Abundance. The rainbow trout is not native to the Co]o.. <br />'rado. However, the npper waters of thiS drainage have been stockPd <br />:With rairibOwsfor ,many years. ReeentIy; fairly larg~ numbers ha'l"e <br />been planted in the,.river just below Boulder Dam. For -a discussion of <br />this fishery refer" to Moffett (1942). , <br />There have been several reports of rainbows taken much further <br />downStream, i.e., in the area discussed in this article. A few are said to <br />be taken regularly in winter about 12 miles above Needles and th~y are <br />found occasionally at Topock according to Mr. James Brown of ~PPllles. <br />(Oral communication of February 17, 1942,) :Mr. J. A. Dannpr of <br />Needles Boat Landing told me (February 15, 1942) that a 16-inch rain. <br />bow was taken in Lake Havasu in the late fall of 1941" Two 18-inch rain. <br />.,.----~ bow:~ere reported caught in tbis reservofiin-the Witlter'ofi942 accord. <br />ing to :Mr. Meadows of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service at <br />Needles. (Oral communication of May 5, 1942.) ,The lowermost record <br />known to the author was furnished by :Mr. W. C. Blewett in a letter of <br />February 17, 1943. While fishing for catfish in lower Palo Verde Slough <br />on January 29, 1943, :Mr. J. C. Bowen took a 16-inch rainbow" carrying <br />two large layers of eggs." The head of this trout was sent to the author <br />for verification of the identification. .. <br />Obviously, the lower river is unsuitable for the establishment of a <br />permanent population of trout. We may, however, exp~t continued <br />records 01 occasional downstr~am migrants especially during the colder <br />. 'seasons. <br /> <br />Catostomidae. Suckers <br /> <br />The only fishes known from the lower river which do not possess <br />. toothed jaws are the suckers and minnows ( Cyprinidae). The mouth <br />of the suckers is located on the underside of the head j the lips are thick, <br />very protractile, and are covered with small fleshy projections, <br /> <br />Humpback sucker, Xyra#cbno t",..a"... (Abbott) <br /> <br />Local, Names. Humpback sucker j razorback sucker j camelback; buf. <br />falo (T). <br /> <br />Recognition Characters. The large sharp-edged hump rising imme. <br />diately behind the low flattened head readily identifies thi~ fish.IS <br /> <br />Distributionj Abundance. This unique native species is found only in <br />the Colorado River drainage. In 1890, "It was found extremely ab~' <br />dant at Yuma and at all points below as far as the Horseshoe Bend, alld,m <br />Hardee's Colorado,-" according to Gilbert and Scofield (1898), Gnn. <br />nell (1914) took it near Mellen (Topock), Arizona, in 1910 bll~ says <br />nothing of its abundance. In 1916, Evermann (1916) says that I,t ~:~ <br />rather common in the Salton Sea. Coleman (1929) states that It 1.1 <br />reported as rather common" there. In recent years, Moffett (1942 an <br />1943) has observed it a short distance below Boulder Dam and in Lake <br />Mead but does not discuss its abundance at either plaee. <br /> <br />_ 1AJ'ordan and Evermann (1896, p, 184) give the coloration a.s "plain olivace~u;-~ <br />Ellis (1914 p 31) says that the general color Is ". · · bluish gray to ol1vaceous tt'! <br />dorsal color fading gradually to silverY white below." The following col?r ~~st: <br />taken from the fresh specimens described in this report may. therefore, be of ~nt;"'ni<h <br />dorsal surface of the body and head, and sides or head. lITey; sides of bod~ t\~~ gr~~ <br />with a distinct copperlsh cast; ventral surfaces of head and body yellow. .... <br />or olive. <br /> <br /> <br />- ~~~~~~~~~:r";'::;~~~-'~~-=-~ ~-. .----..---..--"--- ---~~- --:,.--:--:---:...:-:-----~.. --.----.-----------~- <br />iY.HE.'T!SHERY OF THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER 151 <br />::::;/.:~:,:,-,-<----: <br />r;;:-....._~' _~~ ,. ~ <br />.~:ftwaS most plentiful atone time throughout the lower <br />;ii:tEi"agricultural ditches according to residents. It is now <br />,i~'T'liisWasthe only native fresh-water species seen in: the <br />,.author in 1942, and it was noted at only one point. On the <br />.ay19th, a small school of humpbacks was seen in a bay <br />'e''lIeadgate Rock Da.m near Parker. Attempts to surround <br />'''''ewere unsuccessful, but an overnight gill-net set caught <br />Thiee of these escaped, and six others were released after <br />fShad been taken. The following information is based <br />on the examination of these fish. <br /> <br />~ijrthese fish averaged 16.4 inches in length (range, 13.4-20,8 <br />,', pollDdB-{range-;=I.l-:a:371'oUiiasYiri:--wergnf;='=-.r ordan <br />'":' (:1896} state that this species reaches a weight of 8 to,lO <br /> <br />.S~egonads of the 4 fish examined showed them to be <br />,_~,!~!~ of the males which were released had flowing milt. <br /> <br />~." tive tractsof 4 fish were examined. In each case the <br />cCked with silt which was rich in microscopic organisms <br />'" IDB) and filamentous algae~.. The gut is long, being <br />',gthin a specimen 16.9 inches long. It seems probable <br />,if of large quantities of. bottomBilt enables them to <br />'~triment from its. organic.coI).Stituents. In this regard, <br />'ofthehumpbacks'uckerare similar_to those of the <br />~.::~.~,' . -, - - <br />-,' -, <br /> <br /> <br />.it1tery~' This sucker is not a game fish, and the author has <br />9~:ll.S_to.its use as a foodfieh by the residents of the lower <br />~14}- reports that it u,.. .. :jt'.:.---istaken incnumbers by <br />...., . ':from the Colorado River near Fort Mohave," and <br />orado) it is marketed along with the 1tannel-mouthed <br />'tfbmus latipinnis). <br />:':detritus is its primary source of food this species would <br />t{)be=-ln direct competition with any other fish except the <br />~tIJ.S probable that it is able to utilize much potential food <br />"(i.otherwise go to waste. Furthermore, if young suckers are <br />" 'efish; this species would thus serve as a valuable link in a <br />:ind actually increase the productivity of the river. <br /> <br />Cyprinidae. Minnows <br /> <br />.~a the suckers (Catostomidae) are the only fishes found <br />IlJ:Jilckteeth in their jaws. The mouth of the minnows has a <br />%T~;tfr.terminal position (i,e., it is not located distinctly on the <br />~Clfthehead), and the lips are not thick or covered with small <br />"'_~c:>~ Some members of the minnow family reach a large <br /> <br />,.::~~' <br />CJUiracters. It is readily distinguished from all other <br />;;~~rr: the river by: its long dorsal fin with a toothed spine; <br /> <br />-~ -- <br />-- ....:..:-------- <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />tt. <br />pi <br />'l(,~,',."J, ' <br />" cor. <br />.- ->.! <br />~L <br />. ,',l~ <br />~ -1-; <br />