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100 GREAT BASIN NATURALIST [Volume 55 <br />(many identified as Cyclops) represented most <br />zooplankton found in digestive tracts. Identified <br />genera of rotifers included Brachionus, <br />Cephalodella, Keratella, Lecane, Monostyla, <br />Polyarthra, and Trichocerca. Proportion of <br />zooplankton in diets of all fishes tended to <br />decrease with increasing fish length. <br />Bluehead sucker was the only species that <br />ate moderate amounts of algae (10-30% of <br />food volume); other fishes consumed minor <br />amounts. Algae consisted mostly of six diatom <br />genera (Cymbella, Fragilaria, Gyrosigma, <br />Navicula, Surirella, and Synedra), one desmid <br />genus (Closterium), and, to a lesser extent, <br />Pediastrum (a colonial green alga). Most diges- <br />tive tracts contained debris that accounted for <br />moderate or large proportions of gut contents <br />(>30%) in all fishes except speckled dace and <br />green sunfish. It was over 80% of gut content <br />in fathead minnow and bluehead sucker. Debris <br />consisted of fibrous particles of vascular plant <br />tissue usually mixed with large amounts of <br />clay particles and sand grains, suggesting bot- <br />tom feeding. Seeds (many identified as tama- <br />risk [Tamarix gallica]) were eaten by all fishes, <br />especially red shiner <31 mm TL. <br />Two observations were unique to Colorado <br />squawfish. Fish larvae were found in digestive <br />tracts of 10 Colorado squawfish (about 1% of <br />total examined); 1 was 21 mm TL, 8 were <br />36-48 mm TL, and 1 was 73 mm TL (probably <br />a yearling). No fish were detected in digestive <br />tracts of other species. Of the 18 fish larvae <br />found, most were too digested for species <br />identification or accurate length measurement, <br />but all were cypriniforms (mostly cyprinids) <br />and probably <- 10 mm TL. Six fish larvae (6-9 <br />mm TL) were identified as red shiner, and one <br />(about 8 mm TL) as fathead minnow. Interest- <br />ingly, the smallest Colorado squawfish had <br />four prey fish (all red shiner), whereas only <br />one or two fish were found in digestive tracts <br />of the others. Gut contents of six Colorado <br />squawfish, 36-48 mm TL, and the 73-mm-TL <br />specimen were exclusively fish; those for the <br />remaining specimens were 70-80% fish. <br />Digestive tracts of six Colorado squawfish <br />contained 2-6 cestode parasites (probably <br />Proteocephalus ptychocheilus; Flagg 1982); <br />cestodes were not found in guts of other fish- <br />es. Colorado squawfish infested with cestodes <br />were larger than 27 mm TL and were collect- <br />ed from both river reaches in autumn. <br />Diet Overlap <br />Degree of diet overlap between YOY Colo- <br />rado squawfish and other fishes was influenced <br />mainly by zooplankton and especially imma- <br />ture dipterans (Table 2). Within each reach, <br />diet overlap for all length intervals of <br />Colorado squawfish generally decreased as <br />lengths of other species increased. Degree of <br />diet overlap among fish of similar size was <br />generally greater in the lower than upper <br />reach. Overlap values were <0.60 (range = <br />0.10-0.59) for most comparisons; generally, <br />values were lowest for comparisons with fat- <br />head minnow and bluehead sucker (range = <br />0.10-0.44). Biologically important overlap <br />(values >0.60) occurred only between <br />Colorado squawfish >10 mm TL and some <br />size-reach groups of native speckled dace and <br />flannelmouth sucker and nonnative red shiner, <br />green sunfish, and especially channel catfish. <br />These higher overlap values were primarily <br />attributed to high proportions of larval chi- <br />ronomids in diets and, secondarily, especially <br />for diet overlap with green sunfish >40 mm <br />TL (upper reach) and 21-30 mm TL (lower <br />reach), to proportions of zooplankton. Degree <br />of diet overlap was greatest with channel cat- <br />fish and green sunfish. <br />DISCUSSION <br />Comparisons among food-habits investiga- <br />tions are difficult because of differences in <br />study design, location, and season. However, <br />our observations on diets of native and nonna- <br />tive fishes in backwaters of the Green River <br />generally agree with results of prior studies in <br />the upper Colorado River basin (e.g., Vanicek <br />and Kramer 1969, Jacobi and Jacobi 1982, <br />McAda and Tyus 1984) and reported food <br />habits of the nonnative species within their <br />native ranges (e.g., Carlander 1969, 1977, <br />Pflieger 1975, Harlan et al. 1987). Larger YOY <br />or yearling red shiner, sand shiner, speckled <br />dace, flannelmouth sucker, channel catfish, <br />and green sunfish eat mainly immature aquatic <br />insects. Diets of larger YOY or yearling fathead <br />minnow and bluehead sucker consist mostly of <br />algae and organic debris. Diet of YOY Colo- <br />rado squawfish consists primarily of zooplank- <br />ton and immature insects (especially chirono- <br />mid larvae) and occasionally includes fish. <br />Reported size at which wild Colorado <br />squawfish shift to a more piscivorous diet