WSP07272 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

low-desert strt'ams. enJoYIn,l.: the Wldt'st distrlbutlon of .tny specit.s In the regIOn. It has tt'mMkahle capability to disperse InW new hahuats. appe.lrlng J few hours or d.1H afu'r t10.... re.estahhshes In formerly.dry Str~,lm channels. The spelU:S IS .lIso markedly reSistant to Jr()u~ht. persiStlnf:, In drpn~ p()()ls of the Jeepest and most permancnt pJ.rts of a channr:! (which they find m some unkno....n mJnm'rI e...en thou~h crowded 10 habltat~ th,H become hlH and deoxygenJtcd. Longtin dace once were recorded to sur...i'.e In tlOy \'olumt.~ of waa:f bem:.Jth mats 01' tllamentous al~.If:. then feproduct' a lew d.i~.s .iftr-r ....hen summer r;llns felu\"enateJ the strt'am. The} spJwn at ,In}' orne JUring thr- }.eM, turther enhancint: the rJpld rt'culoniz;!tllln of formerly Jeslccatd h;lbnats. SpawnlOg In Color.IJo RJ\'er lun~tln dMe (l(Curs when females ctlme hi mdles O\'et n:J,HI\.el~' soh. s.lnd bottoms, A swir"n~ spdWmnt: ,ICt credres Jt'presslons, or "nest pi[s" 10 thr- s;.InJ (Fig. lH th.u Me used rept';IreJly by om- or more sp.iwning pJItS E~s buried In the w.llls ,lod bottoms of thesl' pItS hatch in a few days. Young live ,l[ Ilrst In rhe pItS. [hen .llone: stream marf:lns bt-fort' m()\.ltl~ to smooth runs of Open sandy Me,b ....Ith the adults. Sp.1WOlng ""pits" ;.Ind sp,IWnlng .ictl\"ltles h.n-e nO( b{'en obser...ed for the Rw YaqUl form. ReproJuUl\"t' ;.Idulrs M(' dJ.rkened. ,lOJ m,des m.i}' tk...e!op ydIO\\lO~ of th{' tin bJ.sr-s OIOJ lower heJ.d anJ hody_ ~lales 11,1"'(- IHge. s[ron~ rubt'rdes- horny projcctions that dt:\'elop on the tins. Ilt'".ld. .ind body-whICh J.re used tl) stimulate ,lnd lwld the female JUrln~ sp.lwmn,..:. OInJ pt.rh.irs In comb.lt betwr-en m.des. ThiS spe(lt.~ IS mor,- Offinl'l'orous th,ln mus[ western fishes. t'enhnf opr"nunistlcally on .tlgae or 1n,'r-rtt.br;H{'s. when a\'adJ.ble. .inJ on derfltus after t1tlOds reduce mht'r food supplies. Among small minml\\"S In the RIO Y;lqUl b'lsin. the beautiful shiner IS JUSt that {FI~. 55}. an ;Htr.lCtl'l'e membt'r lll.1 \nJespread ,..:roup mostly distributed e.lSt llf the Contlnent.l] DI\'Ldt. ;\bles de\'e!or Intt'nse \)[.In!=e pl.cmr-nts dut on.rile an almost sky.blue base color on rhe bod~', The tIns He orolnfe to reJdlsh orangt- with dark underl~'Ill.C pl~ments ,\t.des IU\'e tubt:rdes of varwus Sllt-S on the ht'ad. palft-d Ilns. and c.wd;ll pedundt. Fl-m.lln .ire suaw.\'l'il()\\ (lr blUish. The spOlwnlll~ au h.ls not been rt:co~ded. but prt-sul11Jbly conSlSLS {If spre.idlnf the eggs o\er aquatic '.tfr-rol[lOn. brush. or oth,-r co\'('r. Of perhaps Simply (l\'er the hottnm. ThiS speCIes is similar In Slle .Illd ecology to splkt-dolce. It\'Jn,c In mldw.iter habit.its of pt)\lls and runs. al\ln,c the shorehnr-s In iJr,ct- sue.lffiS. ;Ind tendlll~ mllrr- w mo\'e OntO ntilt's In smaller stre.lm-, It ;.Ilsn fCr-ds on dflfnn~ aqu.H1( and tr-rresul.il In\'errebrJ.tt'S. .. ~.+-"- ,- --- ."~- \:. '" -, . ~..' ~ ... ... "~ .t,.. Figure 34 The scal1enng 01 light-COlored depreSSions along lhls sand bar In Kirkland Creek. Arizona, are "nests." formed by whirling movements of longtln dace/chara/lto a/eta larga during spawning Eggs are deposlled In Ihe walls and bolloms 01 Ihe cones. Photograph by W G Kepner. Figure 35. Beauhlul shlnerlsardmlra hermosa. male (above) and female (below) (50 and 64 mm In lotal length, respectively), Irom Ihe RIO Pledras Verdes. Chihuahua. ThiS species lormerly occurred in the Mlmbres River, New MeXICO. and perSisted until the late 1960s in San Bernardino Creek.. Anzona Jt remains locally abundant in Mexico, but was conSidered of speCial concern by the Amencan Fisheries Society, 18