The long-nosed gar was abundant at the lower and middle Neosho stations
and the lower Marais des Cygnes station. Numbers increased slightly in
the period of study, probably because of increased, continuous flow. The
long-nosed gar was not taken at the upper Neosho station. At lower
stations the fish occurred in many habitats, but most commonly in pools
where gar often were seen with their snouts protruding above the water
in midstream. Gar commonly lie quietly near the surface, both by day and
by night, and are therefore readily collected by means of the shocker.
Twice, at night, gar jumped into the boat after being shocked.
Young-of-the-year were taken at the middle and lower stations on both
the Neosho and Marais des Cygnes rivers, and all were near shore in
quiet water. Many young-of-the-year were seined at the lower Neosho
station on 18 June 1959, near the lower end of a gravel-bar in a small
backwater-area having a depth of one to three inches, a muddy bottom,
and a higher temperature than the mainstream. Forty-three of these young
gar averaged 2.1 inches in total length (T.L.).
Comparison of sizes of long-nosed gar taken by means of the shocker and
gill nets at the lower and middle Neosho stations revealed that: the
average size at each station remained constant from 1957 to 1959; the
average size was greater at the lower than at the middle station; and,
with the exception of young-of-the-year, no individual shorter than 13
inches was found at the middle station and only one shorter than 16
inches was taken at the lower station (Table 5).
Because collecting was intensive and several methods were used, I think
that the population of gars was sampled adequately. Wallen (_Fishes of
the Verdigris River in Oklahoma_, 1958:29 [mimeographed copy of
dissertation, Oklahoma State University]) took large individuals in the
mainstream of the Verdigris River in Oklahoma and small specimens from
the headwaters of some tributaries. Because I took young-of-the-year at
the lower Neosho station, it is possible that long-nosed gar move
upstream when small and then slowly downstream to the larger parts of
rivers as the fish increase in size. This pattern of size-segregation,
according to size of river, merits further investigation.
Ripe, spent, and immature long-nosed gar (38 males and 10 females) were
taken in three gill nets, set across the channel, 150 to 500 yards below
a riffle, at the lower Neosho station on June 16, 17, and 18, 1959. On
23 June, 1959, 12 males and two females were taken in gill nets set 50,
150, and 400 yards above the same riffle. Operations with the shocker
between 24 June and 10 July, 1959, yielded 29 males and three females.
The fish were taken from many kinds of habitat in a three-mile section
of the river.
Direction of movement as recorded from gill nets shows that of 67 gar
taken, 45 had moved downstream and 22 upstream into the nets. Only ten
of the above gar were taken from the nets set above the riffle; six of
the ten were captured as they moved downstream into the nets.
On one occasion I watched minnows swimming frantically about, jumping
out of the water, and crowding against the shore, presumably to avoid a
long-nosed gar that swam slowly in and out of view. I have observed
similar activity when gar fed in aquaria. Stomachs of a few gar from the
Neosho River were examined and found to contain minnows and some channel
catfish.
Long-nosed gar have a relatively long life span (Breder, 1936). This
longevity and their ability to gulp air probably insure excellent
survival through periods of adverse conditions. The population of
long-nosed gar probably would not be drastically affected even in the
event of a nearly complete failure of one or two successive hatches.
Maturity is attained at approximately 20 inches, total length.
Collections at the middle Neosho station in 1958 indicate that the
long-nosed gar is more susceptible to capture at night than in daytime
(Table 9, p. 402).
TABLE 5. NUMBERS AND SIZES OF LONG-NOSED GAR CAPTURED
BY SHOCKER AND GILL NETS AT THE MIDDLE AND LOWER NEOSHO
STATIONS IN 1957, 1958 AND 1959.
Average total
Location Date Number length (inches) Range
Middle Neosho 1957 19 22.2 14-32
Middle Neosho 1958 57 22.2 14-40
Middle Neosho 1959 64 21.6 13-43
Lower Neosho 1957 14 29.4 9-45
Lower Neosho 1958 7 25.3 23-28
Lower Neosho 1959 107 26.2 16-43
#Lepisosteus platostomus Rafinesque#