The faunas of Elk River, Big Caney River, and Grouse Creek were
generally similar. These streams and most of their tributaries originate
in the same hilly area of eastern Cowley County and western Elk and
Chautauqua counties; their similarities and differences have been
pointed out.
The following species were taken in all of these streams:
_Lepisosteus osseus_
_Dorosoma cepedianum_
_Ictiobus bubalus_
_Moxostoma erythrurum_
_Minytrema melanops_
_Cyprinus carpio_
_Campostoma anomalum_
_Notropis boops_
_Notropis lutrensis_
_Notropis umbratilis_
_Notropis volucellus_
_Pimephales notatus_
_Pimephales tenellus_
_Fundulus notatus_
_Gambusia affinis_
_Ictalurus melas_
_Ictalurus punctatus_
_Etheostoma spectabile_
_Percina caprodes_
_Micropterus salmoides_
_Pomoxis annularis_
_Lepomis cyanellus_
_Lepomis humilis_
_Lepomis megalotis_
_Lepomis macrochirus_
_Labidesthes sicculus_
No species was found in Elk River to the exclusion of Big Caney and
Grouse Creek. Fish taken exclusively in Grouse Creek were _Ictiobus
cyprinella_ at station G-2 and _Notropis percobromus_ at station G-1.
The following species were taken only in Big Caney River: _Ictiobus
niger_, _Notropis rubellus_, _Phenacobius mirabilis_, _Pimephales
vigilax_, and _Pomoxis nigromaculatus_.
_Notropis buchanani_ and _Pimephales promelas_ were taken in Grouse
Creek and Elk River, but not in Big Caney River, although the watershed
of Big Caney lies largely between these two streams. Three species,
_Notropis camurus_, _Micropterus punctulatus_, and _Aplodinotus
grunniens_, were found in Elk River and Big Caney but not in Grouse
Creek. _Ictalurus natalis_, _Pylodictis olivaris_, and _Percina
phoxocephala_ were taken in Big Caney River and Grouse Creek but not in
Elk River. _Percina copelandi_ was taken by Cross on Elk River in 1954
and 1955 (K. U. 3464 and K. U. 3197).
Forty species were taken in Big Caney River, 35 in Grouse Creek and 31
in Elk River. Collections were made from only six stations on Elk River
as compared with 18 from Big Caney and 17 from Grouse Creek.
Twenty-four species were taken in the Walnut River system, only one of
which (_Notemigonus crysoleucas_) was taken exclusively there.
In the Arkansas River 18 species were found, four of which did not occur
elsewhere. These were _Hybopsis aestivalis_, _Notropis blennius_, _N.
girardi_, and _Fundulus kansae_.
Table 5 lists the number of stations in each of the streams surveyed
from which each species was taken.
TABLE 5.--SPECIES OF FISHES COLLECTED AND NUMBER OF STATIONS IN
EACH STREAM SYSTEM AT WHICH EACH SPECIES WAS FOUND.
KEY:
A: Arkansas River 3 stations
B: Walnut River 5 stations
C: Grouse Creek 17 stations
D: Big Caney River 18 stations
E: Elk River 6 stations
F: Middle Caney 2 stations
G: Beaver Creek 3 stations
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Total number | | | | | | |
of stations | A | B | C | D | E | F | G
--------------------+-------+---+----+----+--------+---+----
_L. osseus_ | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | Seen | |
_D. cepedianum_ | Seen | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
_Carpiodes carpio_ | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | | |
_I. bubalus_ | | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | |
_I. cyprinella_ | | | 1 | | | |
_I. niger_ | | | | 2 | | |
_M. erythrurum_ | | | 4 | 10 | 3 | |
_M. melanops_ | | | 1 | 3 | 1 | |
_Cyprinus carpio_ | 1 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | |
_C. anomalum_ | | 1 | 1 | 14 | 2 | | 1
_H. aestivalis_ | 1 | | | | | |
_N. blennius_ | 2 | | | | | |
_N. boops_ | | | 2 | 14 | 2 | 2 |
_N. buchanani_ | | | 1 | | 1 | |
_N. camurus_ | | | | 13 | 2 | |
_N. deliciosus_ | 3 | 3 | | | | |
_N. girardi_ | 2 | | | | | |
_N. lutrensis_ | 3 | 4 | 13 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 3
_N. rubellus_ | | | | 11 | | |
_N. percobromus_ | 3 | 3 | 1 | | | |
_N. umbratilis_ | | | 8 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 2
_N. volucellus_ | | | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
_N. crysoleucas_ | | 1 | | | | |
_H. placita_ | 3 | 2 | | | | |
_P. mirabilis_ | | 1 | | 1 | | |
_P. notatus_ | | 1 | 6 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 1
_P. promelas_ | 2 | 2 | 1 | | 1 | 1 | 1
_P. vigilax_ | 1 | | | 3 | | 1 |
_P. tenellus_ | | | 1 | 7 | 1 | 2 |
_F. notatus_ | | 4 | 10 | 1 | 1 | | 1
_F. kansae_ | 2 | | | | | |
_G. affinis_ | 3 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 1 | |
_I. melas_ | 1 | 4 | 12 | 9 | 5 | | 3
_I. natalis_ | | | 6 | 3 | | |
_I. punctatus_ | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | |
_P. olivaris_ | 1 | | 1 | 1 | | |
_E. spectabile_ | | 1 | 4 | 17 | 2 | | 1
_P. copelandi_ | | | 1 | 5 | | |
_P. phoxocephala_ | | | 1 | 4 | | |
_P. caprodes_ | | | 5 | 8 | 1 | |
_M. salmoides_ | | | 4 | 2 | 3 | | 1
_M. punctulatus_ | | | | 7 | 1 | |
_P. annularis_ | | 2 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
_P. nigromaculatus_ | | | | 1 | | |
_L. cyanellus_ | | 3 | 14 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 3
_L. humilis_ | 1 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 2
_L. megalotis_ | | 3 | 9 | 18 | 6 | 2 | 2
_L. macrochirus_ | | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
_A. grunniens_ | | | | 1 | 1 | |
_L. sicculus_ | | | 5 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1
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