sometimes stopped. The male approached, erecting his fins and
arching his body to the left. The female also assumed this arch to
the left, and the pair moved in a tight, counter-clockwise circle,
with the male on the inside. After a short period in this position,
the male moved aside in display, and gyrated to the side and down.
Females at both stations moved about slowly, usually remaining in
the immediate vicinity of activity by males, and returning to the
area even when pursued and deserted some distance away.
=Notropis deliciosus= (Girard), sand shiner: Meek (1895:136);
Evermann and Cox (1896:402), both as _Notropis blennius_ (Girard);
and Jennings (1942:365) as _Notropis deliciosus missuriensis_
(Cope). All stations excepting 1-S, 10-G, 12-G, 17-G, 20-G, 21-G,
22-G, 24-G, 29-G, 30-M, 31-G, 32-G, 33-M, 35-M, 51-M, 55-M, 57-M,
58-G, and 59-G.
Nelson (personal communication) has studied the sand shiner in
Kansas, and has found that the Big Blue River is an area of
intergradation between the southwestern subspecies (_deliciosus_)
and the plains subspecies (_missuriensis_). _Notropis d. deliciosus_
prefers cool, rocky habitat, and occurs in small streams of the
Flint Hills, whereas _N. d. missuriensis_ occupies the sandy, turbid
Big Blue and Little Blue rivers. Intergrades occur most frequently
in the Big Blue River, but are found in all habitats.
=Notropis topeka= (Gilbert), Topeka shiner: Meek (1895:136);
Evermann and Cox (1896:403); and Minckley and Cross (in press).
Stations 10-G, 11-G, 12-G, 19-G, 31-G, and 32-G.
This species was common locally in the upland streams. Female Topeka
shiners stripped easily at Station 11-G on July 8, 1958, and adult
_N. topeka_ in high breeding condition were collected at Station
31-G on July 14, 1958. The water temperature at both stations was
77.5 deg.F. Evermann and Cox (1896:403-404) recorded female Topeka
shiners "nearly ripe" on June 29, 1893.
=Notropis buchanani= Meek, ghost shiner. Stations 3-S and 4-S. Only
two specimens of _N. buchanani_ were taken, both on August 14, 1957.
These specimens (KU 3833), a female with well-developed ova, and a
tuberculate male, were near a sandbar in the main channel. To my
knowledge, this is the first published record of the ghost shiner
from the Kansas River Basin. Mr. James Booth, State Biological
Survey, collected _N. buchanani_ from two stations on Mill Creek,
Wabaunsee County, Kansas, 1953.
=Hybognathus nuchalis= Agassiz, silvery minnow. Stations 2-S, 3-S,
4-S, 7-G, 8-S, and 16-G.
This species was taken sporadically, but sometimes abundantly, in
the Big Blue River. At Stations 7-G and 16-G a few young-of-the-year
were found.
TABLE 2. COMPARISONS OF THREE SERIES OF _HYBOGNATHUS_, 50 SPECIMENS
EACH, FROM DIFFERENT STREAM SYSTEMS.
TABLE LEGEND:
Column A: [=X] = MEAN;,
Column B: [sigma] = ONE STANDARD DEVIATION;
Column C: 2 [sigma]_{m} = TWO STANDARD ERRORS.
RANGES ARE IN PARENTHESES.
STANDARD LENGTHS OF SPECIMENS ARE:
WALNUT RIVER, KANSAS, 60.0 TO 72.7 mm., [=X] = 67.1;
BIG BLUE RIVER, 43.3 TO 63.3 mm., [=X] = 52.0; AND
CHIPPEWA RIVER, WISCONSIN, 57.6 TO 74.4 mm., [=X] = 65.9.
================+=================+=================+==================
| Walnut River, | | Chippewa River,
| Kansas | | Wisconsin
COUNT OR | _H. n. placita_,| Big Blue River, | _H. n. nuchalis_,
PROPORTIONAL | KU 3869 | Kansas KU 3812 | KU 2012
MEASUREMENT +-------+----+----+-------+----+----+-------+-----+----
| A | B | C | A | B | C | A | B | C
----------------+-------+----+----+-------+----+----+-------+-----+----
Lateral-line | 38.9 | 1.1| 0.4| 37.2 | 1.1| 0.4| 37.3 | 1.0 | 0.2
scales |(37-41)| | |(35-39)| | |(35-39)| |
| | | | | | | | |
Predorsal | 16.8 | 0.9| 0.7| 15.9 | 0.8| 0.2| 15.1 | 0.5 | 0.1
scale-rows |(15-19)| | |(14-17)| | |(14-17)| |
| | | | | | | | |
Scale-rows below| 15.6 | 1.2| 0.3| 14.9 | 1.0| 0.3| 12.9 | 0.7 | 0.2
lateral-line |(13-18)| | |(12-16)| | |(12-15)| |
| | | | | | | | |
Scale-rows | 16.2 | 1.1| 0.3| 15.8 | 0.8| 0.2| 13.8 | 0.6 | 0.2
around caudal |(15-19)| | |(14-18)| | |(12-15)| |
peduncle | | | | | | | | |
----------------+-------+----+----+-------+----+----+-------+-----+----
TABLE 2.--Concluded.
============+===================+==================+===================
| Walnut River, | | Chippewa River,
| Kansas | | Wisconsin
COUNT OR | _H. n. placita_, | Big Blue River, | _H. n. nuchalis_,
PROPORTIONAL| KU 3869 | Kansas KU 3812 | KU 2012
MEASUREMENT +-------+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-------+-----+-----
| A | B | C | A | B | C | A | B | C
------------+-------+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-------+-----+-----
Orbit / | .051 |.0035|.0010| .059 |.0047|.0013| .068 |.0044|.0013
standard |(044- | | |(047- | | |(059- | |
length | 61)| | | 71)| | | 77)| |
| | | | | | | | |
Gape-width /|.066 |.0046|.0013| .064 |.0044|.0013| .056 |.0038|.0011
standard |(055- | | |(055- | | |(046- | |
length | 75)| | | 74)| | | 64)| |
| | | | | | | | |
Orbit / | .776 |.0083|.0024| .907 |.0080|.0023| 1.223 |.0119|.0034
gape-width |(647- | | |(712- | | |(953- | |
| 945)| | |1.067)| | | 1.566)| |
------------+-------+-----+-----+------+-----+-----+-------+-----+-----
Bailey (1956:333) does not consider the southwestern _Hybognathus
placita_ (Girard) specifically distinct from the northeastern _H.
nuchalis_, but little evidence of intergradation has been published.
In Table 2, I have compared measurements and counts of 50 specimens
of _Hybognathus_ from the Big Blue River, 50 _H. n. placita_ from
the Walnut River, Kansas (Arkansas River Basin), and 50 _H. n.
nuchalis_ from Wisconsin. Measurements and counts were made by
methods described by Hubbs and Lagler (1947:8-15) and measurements
are expressed as thousandths of standard length.
_Hybognathus_ from the Big Blue River tend to have fewer, larger
scales than _H. n. placita_ from the Walnut River, Kansas, but more
and smaller scales than _H. n. nuchalis_ from Wisconsin. In
specimens from the Blue River, the size of the orbit divided by
standard length, and the width of gape divided by standard length
and width of orbit, are also intermediate between the Walnut River
and Wisconsin specimens, but tend toward the former. Specimens from
the Big Blue River resemble _H. n. placita_ from the Walnut River in
body shape, robustness, and in the embedding of scales on the nape.
=Pimephales notatus= (Rafinesque), bluntnose minnow: Meek
(1895:136); and Evermann and Cox (1896:399). Stations 2-S, 3-S, 5-G,
6-S, 8-S, 9-G, 10-G, 11-G, 12-G, 13-G, 16-G, 19-G, 27-G, 29-G, 53-S,
54-G, and 58-G.
The bluntnose minnow preferred the clearer creeks, with gravel or
gravel-silt bottoms, but occurred rarely in the mainstream of the
Big Blue River. Males and females in high breeding condition were
taken on July 14, 1958. The temperature of the water was 75.5 deg. F.
=Pimephales promelas= Rafinesque, fathead minnow: Meek (1895: 136);
and Evermann and Cox (1896:397-398). All stations excepting 1-S,
4-S, 12-G, 30-M, 43-S, 44-S, and 56-S.
Small muddy streams were preferred by _P. promelas_; however, the
fathead minnow was taken in all habitats, and in association with
most other species.
Canfield and Wiebe (1931:6-7) may have recorded _P. promelas_ from
the Big Blue River Basin, Nebraska, as "blackhead minnows."
=Campostoma anomalum plumbeum= (Girard), stoneroller. All stations
excepting 1-S, 2-S, 3-S, 14-S, 15-S, 21-G, 22-G, 28-G, 30-M, 33-M,
34-M, 35-M, 36-M, 37-M, 38-S, 41-S, 44-S, 45-M, 51-M, 52-S, and
55-M.
Stonerollers were usually taken in riffles with gravel-rubble
bottoms. Those individuals collected in areas with mud or sand
bottoms were almost invariably in the current, or in the edge of
currents.
Specimens from the Big Blue River Basin have an average of 47.4
scale-rows around the body (range 42-54).
=Ictalurus melas= (Rafinesque), black bullhead: Evermann and Cox
(1896:387) as _Ameiurus melas_ (Rafinesque); and Canfield and Wiebe
(1931:5-7, 10) as "bullheads." Stations 2-S, 6-S, 7-G, 11-G, 16-G,
20-G, 22-G, 23-G, 24-G, 28-G, 35-M, 40-M, 51-M, 53-S, 55-M, 56-S,
57-M, and 58-G.
Black bullhead occurred in all habitats, but were less commonly
taken in the Big Blue and Little Blue rivers than in other streams.
=Ictalurus natalis= (LeSueur), yellow bullhead. Stations 7-G, 9-G,
10-G, 11-G, 17-G, 18-G, 19-G, 34-M, 35-M, 36-M, 37-M, 40-M, 47-M,
48-M, 53-S, and 55-M.
The yellow bullhead inhabited the muddy-bottomed streams and the
upland, gravelly creeks, usually occurring in the headwaters. I
obtained only one _I. natalis_ in the sandy Big Blue River.
=Ictalurus punctatus= (Rafinesque), channel catfish: Cragin
(1885:107); Meek (1895:135); Evermann and Cox (1896:386); and
Canfield and Wiebe (1931:6-7, 10) as "channel catfish." Stations
1-S, 2-S, 3-S, 4-S, 5-G, 6-S, 7-G, 8-S, 9-G, 11-G, 14-S, 15-S, 16-G,
18-G, 25-S, 27-G, 30-M, 35-M, 38-S, 39-S, 41-S, 42-S, 43-S, 44-S,
46-M, 50-S, 51-M, 52-S, 53-S, and 56-S.
Channel catfish were most common in the larger, sandy streams, but
occurred in other kinds of streams. The ages and calculated total
lengths at the last annulus for 40 channel catfish were: I, no fish;
II, 7.3 (16); III, 10.6 (5); IV, 12.3 (5); V, 13.3 (6); VI, 15.5
(4); VII, 18.0 (3); and VIII, 21.9 (1). These lengths are slightly
lower than averages reported by Finnell and Jenkins (1954:5) in
Oklahoma impoundments.
The length-frequency distribution of 438 channel catfish, collected
by rotenone on August 5 and 7, 1958, indicated that two age-groups
were represented. Without examination of spines, I assigned 265 fish
to age-group O (1.3 to 2.9 inches, average 2.5) and 173 fish to
age-group I (3.1 to 5.8 inches, average 4.5). The average total
length of age group I (4.5 inches) is only slightly higher than the
total length at the first annulus reported as average for Oklahoma
(4.0 inches, Finnell and Jenkins, _loc. cit._). It seems unlikely
that my yearling fish taken in August, 1958, would have reached the
length at the second annulus recorded in my study of spines (7.3
inches) by the end of the 1958 growing season.
From 1952 to 1956, severe drought was prevalent in Kansas, probably
causing streams to flow less than at any previously recorded time
(Minckley and Cross, in press). This drought must have resulted in
reduced populations of fishes in the streams. The channel catfish
hatched in 1956 were therefore subjected to low competition for
food and space when normal flow was resumed in 1957, and grew
rapidly, reaching an average total length of 7.3 inches at the
second annulus, while channel catfish that were members of the large
1957 and 1958 hatches suffered more competition and grew more
slowly.
=Noturus flavus= Rafinesque, stonecat: Jennings (1942:365). Stations
3-S, 4-S, 6-S, 16-G, 25-S, 28-G, 38-S, 41-S, 42-S, 43-S, 52-S, 53-S,
and 56-S.
_Noturus flavus_ frequented riffles and swift currents along
sandbars in the Big Blue and Little Blue rivers. Cross (1954:311)
reported that "the shale-strewn riffles of the South Fork [of the
Cottonwood River, Kansas] provide ideal habitat for the stonecat."
In my study-area, this species was found not only on rubble-bottomed
riffles, but occurred along both stationary and shifting sandbars
where no cover was apparent.
=Pylodictis olivaris= (Rafinesque), flathead catfish: Canfield and
Wiebe (1931:7) as "yellow catfish." Stations 3-S, 4-S, 6-S, 8-S,
15-S, 25-S, 38-S, 41-S, 43-S, 44-S, 53-S, and 56-S.
Flathead catfish were found only in the larger rivers. The species
was taken rarely by seine, but was readily obtained by electric
shocker. Data on the age and growth and food-habits of this species
are to be the subject of another paper.
=Anguilla bostoniensis= (LeSueur), American eel: Jennings
(1942:365).
American eels are now rare in Kansas, and none was taken in my
survey. The specimen reported by Jennings (_loc. cit._) is at Kansas
State College (KSC 2916), and was taken by I. D. Graham from the Big
Blue River, Riley County, 1885.
=Fundulus kansae= Garman, plains killifish. Station 42-S.
The plains killifish was collected by me only at Station 42-S.
Specimens were collected from my Station 4-S by the Kansas State
College class in fisheries management in 1954 (KSC 4985). My
specimens were 11 to 13 mm. in total length.
=Roccus chrysops= (Rafinesque), white bass. Station 3-S.
That the white bass is indigenous to Kansas is evidenced by records
of Graham (1885:77) and Cragin (1885:111); however, since that time,
and prior to the introduction of this species into reservoirs in the
State, _R. chrysops_ has rarely been recorded in Kansas. I collected
young white bass at Station 3-S in both 1957 and 1958, and I
collected them also in an oxbow of the Kansas River four miles west
of Manhattan, Riley County, Kansas, in the mouth of McDowell's
Creek, Riley County, and in Deep Creek, Wabaunsee County, and I saw
other specimens from an oxbow of the Kansas River on the Fort Riley
Military Reservation, Riley County, Kansas. The apparent increase in
abundance of white bass in the Kansas River Basin must be
attributable to introductions in reservoirs, with subsequent escape
and establishment in the streams.
=Micropterus salmoides salmoides= (Lacepede), largemouth bass.
Stations 6-S, 11-G, 43-S, and 45-M.
Four largemouth bass were taken. This species has been widely
stocked in farm-ponds and other impoundments in Kansas.
=Lepomis cyanellus= Rafinesque, green sunfish: Breukelman
(1940:382); and Canfield and Wiebe (1931:5, 7-8, 10) as "green
sunfish." All stations excepting 1-S, 2-S, 4-S, 8-S, 9-G, 15-S,
22-G, 25-S, 30-M, 32-G, 34-M, 38-S, 39-S, 41-S, 42-S, 43-S, 44-S,
45-M, 46-M, 47-M, 50-S, and 52-S.
Green sunfish occurred primarily in the muddy streams. The ages and
total lengths at the last annulus for 25 specimens are as follows:
I, 1.1 (9); II, 2.2 (4); III, 3.1 (7); IV, 5.4 (4); and V, 6.0 (1).
Male green sunfish were seen on nests on June 29, July 1, and July
9, 1958.
=Lepomis humilis= (Girard), orangespotted sunfish: Meek (1895:137);
Evermann and Cox (1896:418); Canfield and Wiebe (1931:6) as "orange
spots"; and Breukelman (1940:382). All stations excepting 1-S, 9-G,
13-G, 15-G, 17-G, 21-G, 26-G, 34-M, 36-M, 38-M, 43-M, 44-S, 47-M,
50-S, and 52-S.
_Lepomis humilis_ was most common over sand-silt bottoms. Only two
age-groups were found; their calculated total lengths were I, 1.7
(15); and II, 2.4 (10). Orangespotted sunfish were seen nesting on
the same dates as _Lepomis cyanellus_.
=Lepomis macrochirus= Rafinesque, bluegill. Stations 7-G, 13-G,
16-G, 24-G, and 59-G.
This species has been widely stocked in Kansas. Only
young-of-the-year and sub-adults were taken, and these were rare.
=Pomoxis annularis= Rafinesque, white crappie: Canfield and Wiebe
(1931:5-8, 10) as "white crappie." Stations 3-S, 6-S, 8-S, 12-G,
42-S, and 53-S.
White crappie were rare, except in a borrow-pit at Station 6-S. Ages
and calculated total lengths at the last annulus for 50 specimens
from 6-S are as follows: I, 3.6 (22); II, 5.0 (14); III, 7.1 (5);
IV, 8.3 (7); and V, 10.7 (2).
=Pomoxis nigromaculatus= (LeSueur), black crappie. Station 6-S.
One black crappie (KU 4174) was taken. Canfield and Wiebe (1931:10)
noted: "The Black Crappie has been planted here [Big Blue River
Basin in Nebraska] by the State, but, apparently, is not propagating
itself."
=Stizostedion canadense= (Smith), sauger. Station 56-S.
Mr. Larry Stallbaumer, of Marysville, Kansas, obtained a sauger (KU
4179) while angling on May 25, 1958.
=Stizostedion vitreum= (Mitchill), walleye.
Though I failed to obtain the walleye in my survey, Dr. Raymond E.
Johnson (personal communication) reported that the species occurred
in the Nebraskan portion of the Big Blue River in recent years.
Canfield and Wiebe (1931:6, 10) reported that "yellow pike are taken
at Crete [Nebraska]," but may have referred to either the walleye or
the sauger.
=Perca flavescens= (Mitchill), yellow perch: Canfield and Wiebe
(1931:5-6, 10) as "ring perch" and "yellow perch."
This fish was not taken in my survey. Canfield and Wiebe (_loc.
cit_.) reported that the yellow perch "had been planted by the State
[Nebraska]."
=Etheostoma nigrum nigrum= Rafinesque, johnny darter: Jennings
(1942:365) as _Boleosoma nigrum nigrum_ (Rafinesque). Stations 10-G,
11-G, 12-G, 13-G, 16-G, 29-G, 40-M, 53-S, and 54-G.
The larger pools of gravelly streams were preferred by johnny
darters, but one specimen was taken from the main stream of the Big
Blue River, and the species was abundant in one stream over hard,
sand-silt bottom.
=Etheostoma spectabile pulchellum= (Girard), orangethroat darter:
Jennings (1942:365) as _Poecilichthys spectabilis pulchellus_
(Girard). Stations 5-G, 7-G, 10-G, 11-G, 12-G, 13-G, 16-G, 17-G,
18-G, 21-G, 23-G, 27-G, 28-G, 29-G, 33-M, 40-M, 49-M, 53-S, 54-G,
and 59-G.
The orangethroat darter was less restricted in habitat than the
johnny darter, occurring in all stream-types, but most often in the
riffles of gravelly streams. Most specimens from muddy or sandy
streams were small.
=Aplodinotus grunniens= Rafinesque, freshwater drum. Stations 3-S,
4-S, 6-S, 7-G, 8-S, 15-S, 38-S, 39-S, 53-S, and 56-S.
The ages and calculated total lengths at the last annulus for 42
freshwater drum from the Big Blue River were: I, 3.0 (10); II, 5.7
(6); III, 9.4 (7); IV, 12.1 (13); V, 14.0 (3); VI, 15.1 (2); and
VII, 16.3 (1).
HYBRID COMBINATIONS
I obtained two hybrid fishes in my study-area. One specimen of
_Notropis cornutus frontalis_ x _Chrosomus erythrogaster_ was taken
at Station 29-G. This combination was recorded by Trautman
(1957:114) in Ohio. The other hybrid was _Lepomis cyanellus_ x
_Lepomis humilis_, captured at Station 24-G. This combination was
first recorded by Hubbs and Ortenburger (1929:42).
Hubbs and Bailey (1952:144) recorded another hybrid combination from
my area of study: _Campostoma anomalum plumbeum_ x _Chrosomus
erythrogaster_, UMMZ 103132, from a "spring-fed creek on 'Doc'
Wagner's farm, Riley County, Kansas; September 21, 1927; L. O. Nolf
[collector]."
RELATIVE ABUNDANCE AND DISCUSSION OF SPECIES
The relative abundance of different species was estimated by
combining counts of individual fishes taken in 290 seine-hauls, 26
hours and 15 minutes of shocking, and seven samples obtained with
rotenone. At some stations all seine-hauls were counted. At other
stations the seine-hauls in which complete counts were recorded had
been selected randomly in advance; that is to say, prior to
collecting at each station. I selected those hauls to be counted
from a table of random numbers (Snedecor, 1956:10-13). I did not use
the frequency-of-occurrence method as proposed by Starrett
(1950:114), in which the species taken and not the total number of
individuals are recorded for all seine-hauls. However, the frequency
of occurrence of each species is indicated by the number of stations
at which it was found, and those stations are listed in the previous
accounts. Table 3 shows the percentage of the total number of fish
that each species comprised in three kinds of streams: sandy (Big
Blue and Little Blue rivers), muddy, and gravelly streams.
The habitat preferences of some species affect their abundance in
different stream-types. _Notropis lutrensis_ and _P. mirabilis_
seemed almost ubiquitous. _Notropis deliciosus_ also occurred in all
kinds of streams (rarely in muddy streams); however, this species
was represented by the sand-loving _N. d. missuriensis_ in the Big
Blue and Little Blue rivers, and _N. d. deliciosus_ in the clear,
gravelly, upland creeks (Nelson, personal communication). Because of
its widespread occurrence, and for purposes of later discussion, I
refer to this minnow also as an ubiquitous species in the Big Blue
River Basin.
_Carpiodes carpio_, _Cyprinus carpio_, _I. punctatus_, _I. melas_,
and _L. humilis_ were widespread, but each was absent or rare in
one of the kinds of streams (Table 3). _Carpiodes carpio_, _Cyprinus
carpio_, and _I. punctatus_ occurred most frequently in the sandy
streams, whereas _L. humilis_ was most common in muddy streams. The
high per cent of _I. melas_ in collections from the Big Blue River
is a direct result of one large population that was taken with
rotenone in a borrow-pit at Station 6-S. In my opinion, this species
actually was most abundant in the muddy streams.
TABLE 3. RELATIVE ABUNDANCE OF FISHES IN PER CENT OF THE TOTAL NUMBER
TAKEN, BIG BLUE RIVER BASIN, KANSAS. TRACE (TR.) IS USED FOR VALUES
LESS THAN .05 PER CENT, AND DASHES SIGNIFY THAT THE SPECIES DID NOT
OCCUR IN THE COUNTED COLLECTIONS ALTHOUGH IT MAY HAVE OCCURRED IN
UNCOUNTED COLLECTIONS FROM THE SAME STREAM-TYPE. THREE SPECIES,
_C. AURATUS_, _N. BUCHANANI_, AND _S. CANADENSE_, WERE NOT TAKEN IN
COUNTED COLLECTIONS.
====================+=================+=========+==========
| Sandy streams | |
+--------+--------+ Muddy | Gravelly
SPECIES | Big | Little | streams | streams
| Blue | Blue | |
| River | River | |
--------------------+--------+--------+---------+----------
_N. lutrensis_ | 43.5 | 55.9 | 27.6 | 56.0
_I. punctatus_ | 14.0 | 7.0 | 1.2 | 4.2
_Carpiodes carpio_ | 11.9 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 0.5
_N. deliciosus_ | 8.2 | 28.2 | 3.1 | 11.1
_I. melas_ | 2.5 | -- | 1.3 | 0.5
_Cyprinus carpio_ | 2.3 | 1.9 | 2.7 | 0.2
_P. olivaris_ | 1.8 | 0.8 | -- | --
_L. humilis_ | 1.7 | -- | 9.0 | 5.1
_I. bubalus_ | 1.4 | 0.1 | -- | Tr.
_P. mirabilis_ | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.3
_H. nuchalis_ | 1.2 | -- | -- | Tr.
_P. promelas_ | 0.8 | 1.0 | 28.7 | 4.0
_H. aestivalis_ | 0.7 | 0.2 | -- | --
_A. grunniens_ | 0.5 | -- | -- | 0.2
_L. osseus_ | 0.5 | 1.0 | -- | --
_C. anomalum_ | 0.4 | 0.2 | 2.7 | 4.6
_C. commersonnii_ | 0.4 | -- | -- | 0.7
_D. cepedianum_ | 0.4 | Tr. | 0.1 | --
_N. percobromus_ | 0.3 | -- | -- | --
_P. annularis_ | 0.3 | Tr. | -- | --
_N. flavus_ | 0.2 | 0.4 | -- | Tr.
_S. atromaculatus_ | 0.2 | 0.1 | 12.2 | 1.7
_M. aureolum_ | 0.1 | 0.2 | -- | --
_I. cyprinella_ | 0.1 | -- | 0.1 | --
_P. notatus_ | 0.1 | -- | -- | 2.2
_I. niger_ | 0.1 | 0.1 | -- | --
_H. alosoides_ | 0.1 | -- | -- | --
_E. spectabile_ | 0.1 | -- | 1.4 | 1.6
_R. chrysops_ | 0.1 | -- | -- | --
_L. cyanellus_ | 0.1 | -- | 3.5 | Tr.
_H. storeriana_ | Tr. | -- | -- | --
_L. platostomus_ | Tr. | -- | -- | --
_M. salmoides_ | Tr. | -- | -- | --
_P. nigromaculatus_ | Tr. | -- | -- | --
_I. natalis_ | Tr. | -- | 1.0 | Tr.
_N. umbratilis_ | Tr. | -- | -- | --
_C. forbesi_ | Tr. | -- | -- | --
_S. platorynchus_ | Tr. | -- | -- | --
_F. kansae_ | -- | Tr. | -- | --
_E. nigrum_ | Tr. | -- | 0.1 | 0.2
_N. rubellus_ | -- | -- | -- | Tr.
_N. topeka_ | -- | -- | -- | 1.0
_N. cornutus_ | -- | -- | -- | 1.0
_C. erythrogaster_ | -- | -- | -- | 1.0
_L. macrochirus_ | -- | -- | -- | 1.0
--------------------+--------+--------+---------+----------
Some fish were almost restricted to the sandy streams, apparently
because of preference for larger waters, or sandy stream-bottoms:
_P. olivaris_, _I. bubalus_, _H. nuchalis_, _H. aestivalis_, _A.
grunniens_, _L. osseus_, _D. cepedianum_, _N. percobromus_, _P.
annularis_, _N. flavus_, _M. aureolum_, _I. niger_, _H. alosiodes_,
and _R. chrysops_. Other species that were taken only in the larger
rivers, and that are sometimes associated with streams even larger
(or more sandy) than the Big Blue River are _H. storeriana_, _L.
platostomus_, _M. salmoides_, _P. nigromaculatus_, _C. forbesi_, _S.
platorynchus_, _F. kansae_, _N. buchanani_, _S. canadense_, and _C.
auratus_. _Ictiobus cyprinella_ also occurred more frequently in the
larger streams.
The muddy-bottomed streams supported populations composed primarily
of _P. promelas_, _N. lutrensis_, and _S. atromaculatus_. No
species was restricted to this habitat, but the following were
characteristic there: _P. promelas_, _S. atromaculatus_, _L.
humilis_, _L. cyanellus_, and _I. natalis_. _Carpiodes carpio_,
_Cyprinus carpio_, _C. anomalum_, _E. spectabile_, and _E. nigrum_
were locally common in muddy streams, but the first two were most
frequent in larger, sandy streams, and the last three in gravelly
streams.