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<br />RESULTS <br /> <br />Nine fish identified as possible G. elegans were captured during a 7- <br />day trip through Cataract Canyon on July 12-18, 1988 (Table 1). Three of <br />these fish were classified as adults; 383, 365, and 306 nun TL. The <br />remaining six fish were considered to be juveniles and ranged in size from <br />235 to 294 nun TL. <br /> <br />Photographs of the four largest fish are presented in the enclosed <br />sheets along with detailed meristics. Also presented for comparison are <br />photographs and meristics of three of the G. elegans that were transferred <br />from the Dexter National Fish Hatchery for radioimplant and release at <br />Island Park and Split Mountain of the Green River on July 28, 1988. The <br />complete set of meristics were recorded for all nine fish from Cataract <br />Canyon (CA07/15) as well as ten fish transferred from Dexter (DX07/28). <br />Five additional G. elegans from Dexter but held at OUray were briefly <br />examined. <br /> <br />DlsaJSSICN <br /> <br />Close examination of the photographs and meristics for the Cataract <br />fish and the Dexter fish reveal subtle differences between the two groups. <br />Examination of the photographs on sheets 1 (Cataract fish) and 2 (Dexter <br />fish) show basic differences in body shape, particularly in the anterior <br />regions. The most noticeable difference is that the Dexter fish exhibit a <br />smooth nape with a markedly concave frontal depression and a small head; in <br />contrast, the Cataract fish possess a more abrupt hump-like nape and a <br />smoothly concave frontal with a more robust head. Aside from differences in <br />coloration and apparently coarser scales on the Dexter fish, the two groups <br />have similar body shapes, including a narrow, elongated caudal peduncle and <br />caudal fins. A photograph of the tubercled head of Dexter fish no. 4146 is <br />also presented to show the pre-spawning condition of the males, a condition <br />that has only been seen in humpback chubs in Cataract Canyon. <br /> <br />The greatest meristic difference between the two groups of fish is that <br />all of the Dexter fish possess 10 dorsal and 10 or 11 anal rays; only two <br />Cataract fish possess these ray counts and the rest had 9 dorsal and 10 anal <br />rays. As for the ratio of caudal peduncle length to head length, all ten <br />Dexter fish exhibited CPLjHL ratios greater than 1.00; six of the nine <br />Cataract fish exceeded CPLjHL ratios of 1.00. The ratio of head length to <br />caudal peduncle minimum depth did not exceed 5.00 for any fish of either <br />group. <br /> <br />Based on this brief examination of photographs and meristics, it <br />appears that the fish from Cataract Canyon possess at least some genetic <br />influence of G. elegans. The strongest impression of this influence comes <br />from handling these fish afield; from a general examination of body shape, <br />scale distribution and coarseness, head shape, etc. Unfortunately, <br />photographs tend to compress the three-dimensional aspect of a fish so that <br />they often appear somewhat different in photos than what memory seems to <br />recall. I hope the similar photographs of the OUray fish will tend to <br />'neutralize' this effect. <br />