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<br />" <br /> <br />" . <br /> <br />,." <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />10 <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />similar numbers of spawning chiselmouth chubs. Some hybridization may <br /> <br />occur as fish were taken with appearances and meristic characteristics <br /> <br />intermediate between the two spec~es. <br /> <br /> <br />Male and fe~ile northern squawfish, were easily distinguished when in <br /> <br /> <br />spawning condition. Males were darkly colored with dark lateral bands <br /> <br /> <br />running the length of their sides. These bands were most obvious when <br /> <br />seen underwater and on fish at spawning sites. On males not on spawning <br /> <br />sites this dark lateral banding was not apparent. Many small tubercles <br /> <br />on the bodies of males, especially on the tops of their heads often gave <br /> <br />them a frosty appearance. Pectoral, pelvic and anal fins were dark yellow <br /> <br />.to orange. Female fish were also darker than normal and many had bands on <br /> <br />their sides but these features were generally duller than in males. Also <br /> <br />loss pronounced than in males but pres,ent on females were tubercles and <br /> <br />yellow fins. In contrast to males, the vents of females were enlarged, <br /> <br />inflamed and protrusive. <br /> <br />Most mature females were much larger than mature males (Table 1). <br /> <br />In the St. Maries River for instance, ~ales averaged 282 rom while females <br /> <br />averaged 375 mm Fl.. The probability is 95 percent that the actual difference <br /> <br />between mature male and female lengths is included in the interval (70.5, <br /> <br />US.s). Ages havE~ not as yet been determined from scales removed from <br /> <br />spawning fish, however, some indication may be gained by comparison with <br /> <br /> <br />age and length data collected by Reid (1971) from St. Joe River squawfish <br /> <br />in 1969. Using this data, males in the St. Maries and St. Joe rivers <br /> <br /> <br />apparently first mature at IV or V and females at VI or VII. The largest <br /> <br />fish collected of each sex were at least age X and the average spawner <br /> <br />age was VII for males and IX for females. Length-weight relationships and <br /> <br />gonadal development patterns remain to be summarized and compared. <br /> <br />~ <br />