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17 <br />Holden 1978; Vanicek 1967, Seethaler et al. 1979). Although intensive netting <br />and electrofishing efforts in the Green River mainstream by Service and Utah <br />Division of Wildlife Resources biologists yielded over 500 chubs (Miller <br />et al. 1982c; Tyus et al. 1987; M. Moretti, pers., comm.), status of humpback <br />chub in that system is not well understood, due j,n part to confusion with <br />specific identification of some fish (Tyus et al. 1987;~Rosenfeld and <br />Wilkinson 1989; M. Moretti, pers. comm.). <br />More intensive studies are needed to further evaluate the systematics of <br />Colorado River chubs and to determine their habitat needs in the Green River <br />basin. The morphological variation that occurs in some areas of sympatry may <br />be induced by recent habitat change (Valdez ahd Clemmer 1982). If preferred <br />spawning conditions and/or habitats are unavailable for one or more species, <br />spawning might occur during other times and/or places that promote <br />hybridization. Thus, the presence of intermediate forms in altered systems <br />(e.g., Green River and Colorado River) and the paucity of such forms in some <br />unaltered rivers (e.g., Yampa River and Little Colorado River) suggests that <br />natural riverine environments are important for recovery of the humpback chub. <br />The following paragraphs summarize information on habitat use of humpback chub <br />in Dinosaur, particularly Yampa Canyon (Tyus and Minckley 1988; Tyus and Karp <br />1989; Karp and Tyus 1990a) because little of this information is available for <br />the mainstream Green River basin. <br />During spring and early summer, humpback chub in the Green River basin are <br />most prevalent in high-gradient, whitewater reaches dominated by rocky runs, <br />riffles, and rapids. Adult fish are most often collected in seasonally <br />flooded shoreline eddies that are downstream of large boulders and upstream of <br />rapids. Juveniles appear more common in sma]ler eddies in rocky shoreline <br />runs. Humpback chub remain rare in Dinosaur, and only 133 juvenile and adult <br />fish were captured during spring sampling efforts from 1986-1989 (Karp and <br />Tyus 1990a). Feeding habits of humpback chub are relatively unknown in the <br />Green River basin, but stomachs of a few fish contained hymenopterans and <br />plant debris. Humpback chub also feed on Mormon crickets and presumably other <br />foods at various levels within the water column (Karp and Tyus 1990a). <br />Although fall and winter habitat requirements of humpback chub are not well <br />known, some observations in Dinosaur suggest that the fish remain in pools and <br />eddies of impounded water and rapids in low flow conditions (Karp and Tyus <br />1990a). Minimum flows are thus required to maintain such habitats from <br />midsummer through late winter, but specific flow leve]s for the Green River <br />are not determined. <br />Saawning <br />Humpback chub generally spawn between temperatures of 16-20 °C but may also <br />spawn in temperatures as low as 11.5 °C (Valdez and Clemmer 1982) and as high <br />as 20.5 °C (Kaeding and Zimmerman 1983). Eggs are adhesive, but little is <br />known about preferred substrate for egg deposition. Hatchery success <br />diminishes as temperatures vary from their optimum of 20 °C (Hamman 1982a; <br />Marsh 1985). The eggs generally hatch in 5-1 days at 19-20 °C (Hamman 1982a). <br />