Fishes of Chautauqua, Cowley and Elk Counties, Kansas Part 6

The highest relative numbers of bluntnose minnows were taken at station G-12 on Crab Creek, station C-12 on Cedar Creek and station C-16 on Spring Creek. At G-12, this minnow was abundant in the deeper isolated pools. Males in breeding condition were taken on June 9. In Cedar Creek the population of bluntnose minnows was observed periodically in one pool in which they were dominant. This pool was 100 feet by 50 feet, shallow, and with bedrock bottom. At its upper end, however, there was a small area of heavily-shaded deeper water. Throughout the spring bluntnose minnows were found in large schools in the shallow area. As the summer progressed they were no longer there, but seining revealed their presence in the deeper, upper end.

At station C-16 on Spring Creek on July 9 male _P. notatus_ were taken in extreme breeding condition, being light brick-red in color and with large tubercles.

#Pimephales tenellus# (Girard): Stations G-1, C-2, C-3, C-5, C-6, C-7, C-8, M-1, E-2, E-4 (C-131 C-133).

The mountain minnow was never taken far from the mainstream of Big Caney, Middle Caney, or Elk River. In this respect it differed from _P.

notatus_, which reached large concentrations in the small upland tributaries. On the other hand, _P. tenellus_ was not so abundant as _P.

vigilax_ in the silty larger streams. In no collection was the mountain minnow common. The highest percentages were 2.4 per cent (Station C-5), and 2.1 per cent (Station C-7) on Big Caney River. These stations consisted of clear, flowing water over rubble bottoms. Males at C-7 (June 16) were in breeding condition.

Moore and Buck (1953:23) reported finding this species among rocks in very fast water rather than in the quiet backwaters frequented by _P.

vigilax_. Other records of the mountain minnow from the Flint Hills indicate that it seeks areas of maximum gradient and flow; in this distributional respect it is like _Notropis camurus_. The two species are recorded together from other streams in this region such as the Chikaskia (Moore and Buck, 1953:23), Cottonwood (Cross, 1954a:310), and Spring Creek, tributary of Fall River (Elliott, 1947). It is conceivable that a preference for flowing water might explain its restriction to the medium-sized, less intermittent streams in this area. The only tributary which the species seemed to ascend to any extent was Otter Creek, which is seldom intermittent downstream.

#Pimephales vigilax perspicuus# (Girard): Stations A-3, C-1, C-4.

The parrot minnow was found only in downstream habitats. Collection C-4 (June 3) on Rock Creek was made about 1/2 mile from the mouth of this tributary of Big Caney and the creek here had almost the same character as the river proper. The presence of other channel fishes such as _Ictiobus bubalus_ indicates the downstream nature of the creek. Some males of _P. vigilax_ in breeding condition were taken in this collection.

At C-1, only one specimen was found in a turbid, isolated pool with bedrock bottom. At A-1 only one parrot minnow was taken; it was in deep, fairly quiet water near the bank.

Other collections outside the three-county area revealed the following: In the Neosho River, several parrot minnows were found in quiet backwaters and in shallow pools. In the Verdigris River three were taken directly under water spilling over the dam at this station, while others were found, together with _P. promelas_, in the mouth of a small creek that provided a backwater habitat with mud bottom.

Cross and Moore (1952:405) found this species only at stations in the lower portion of the Poteau River. Farther west the minnow may ascend the smaller sandy streams to greater distances. Moore and Buck (1953:23) took parrot minnows at six of 15 stations on the Chikaskia River and found the species as far upstream as Drury, Kansas. Elliott (1947), in comparing the South Ninnescah and Spring Creek fish faunas, found only _P. vigilax_ and _P. promelas_ on the sandy, "flatter" Ninnescah and only _P. notatus_ and _P. tenellus_ on Spring Creek, an upland, Flint Hills stream in Greenwood County.

#Pimephales promelas# Rafinesque: Stations A-2, A-3, W-3, W-4, G-9, B-1, M-1, E-4 (E&F, C-136).

Occurrences of the fathead minnow were scattered, but included all streams sampled except Big Caney.

Three of the collections were in small intermittent streams where conditions were generally unfavorable for fishes and in one instance extremely foul. Two of these stations had turbid water and all suffered from siltation.

In Middle Caney Creek the species was rare but in the Elk River (June 28) more than 100 specimens, predominantly young, were taken. This station consisted of a large isolated pool with a variety of bottom types. Water was turbid and the surface temperature was high (93 F.).

In different parts of the pool the following numbers of specimens were taken in single seine-hauls: 15 over shallow bedrock; 35 over gravel (1-1/2 feet deep); 50 over mud bottom (1 foot deep).

_P. promelas_ was found also in the large, flowing rivers: Arkansas, Walnut, Verdigris, and Neosho. The species was scarce in the Arkansas River, and was found princ.i.p.ally in muddy coves. In the Walnut (W-3), this minnow comprised 7.65 per cent of the fish taken and was common in quiet pools.

#Campostoma anomalum# Rafinesque: Stations W-4, G-4, C-1, C-3, C-5, C-6, C-7, C-8, C-9, C-10, C-11, C-12, C-13, C-14, C-15, C-16, C-17, C-18, B-3 (E&F, C-131, C-136).

Although the stoneroller was found in most streams surveyed, it was taken most often in the Big Caney system, where it occurred at 16 of the 18 stations. In contrast, it was represented at only one of 17 stations on Grouse Creek. High percentages were found in three creeks--Cedar, Otter, and Spring. As noted above, these streams are normally clear, swift and have steep gradients and many rubble and gravel riffles. On these riffles young stonerollers abounded. Station C-16 on Spring Creek typifies the habitat in which this species was most abundant. The stream has an average width of 10 feet and depth of a few inches. The volume of flow was less than 1 cubic foot per second but turbulence was great.

Water was clear and the bottom was gravel and rubble. Following rains in June, stonerollers quickly occupied parts of Spring Creek (upstream from C-16) that had been dry throughout the previous winter.

On April 2 many _C. anomalum_ and _Etheostoma spectabile_ were taken in shallow pools and riffles in an extensive bedrock-riffle area on Cedar Creek near station C-12. Most of the females were gravid and the males were in breeding condition. On June 6 these pools were revisited. Flow had ceased and the pools were drying up. Young-of-the-year of the two species were abundant, but only a few mature stonerollers were taken. On August 24, prolonged drought had drastically altered the stream and all areas from which stonerollers and darters had been taken were dry.

Seining of other pools which were almost dry revealed no stonerollers.

Collections on May 31, June 15, and June 16 in Otter Creek revealed large numbers of stonerollers. They were found in riffle areas, in aquatic vegetation, and especially in detritus alongside banks. Most of the specimens were young-of-the-year.

#Anguilla bostoniensis# (Le Sueur): An American eel was caught by me in Grouse Creek in 1949.

#Gambusia affinis# (Baird and Girard): Stations A-1, A-2, A-3, W-1, W-2, W-3, W-4, W-5, G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-9, C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4, C-6, C-15, E-1.

Mosquitofish occurred widely but in varied abundance. Huge populations were in the shallow sandy backwaters and cut-off pools of the Arkansas River. In the shallow pools of several intermittent streams such as station G-8 on Silver Creek this fish also flourished.

_G. affinis_ was taken at every station in the Arkansas, Walnut and Grouse systems except those stations on two upland tributaries of Grouse Creek (Crab Creek and Grand Summit Creek). The mosquitofish was not observed in the clear upland tributaries of Big Caney, nor on upper Big Caney River itself in May, June, and July. On September 3, however, _Gambusia_ were taken at station C-15 on Otter Creek and others were seen at station C-14 on the same date.

Hubbs and Ortenburger (1929b:99) and Cross and Moore (1952:407) observed that _G. affinis_ usually was absent from small upland tributaries, even though it was abundant in lower parts of the same river systems.

#Fundulus kansae# (Garman): Stations A-2, A-3, Evermann and Fordice as _Fundulus zebrinus_.

At station A-2, seven plains killifish were taken together with a great many _Notropis deliciosus_ and _Gambusia affinis_ in a shallow, algae-covered channel with slight flow and sand bottom. At station A-3 many young killifish were taken in small shallow pools on December 22.

_Fundulus kansae_ has been found in the lower part of the Walnut River Basin, especially where petroleum pollution was evident. Eastward from the Walnut River plains killifish have not been taken.

#Fundulus notatus# (Rafinesque): Stations B-1, G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, G-11, G-14, C-1, M-1, E-1, Evermann and Fordice as _Zygonectes notatus_.

The black-banded topminnow was not taken in the Arkansas River but was common in the Walnut and Grouse systems. It was common also in Middle Caney, but in Big Caney and Elk River it was taken only at the lowermost stations.

This species did not seem to ascend far into smaller tributaries of Grouse Creek. In Crab Creek it was taken at the lower two of six stations and in Grand Summit Creek at the lower of two stations.

The highest relative numbers were taken at stations G-3 (17.5 per cent), G-4 (24 per cent), G-10 (25.75 per cent) and G-11 (41.52 per cent), on Crab Creek and Grouse Creek. Both upstream and downstream from these stations, which were within five miles of each other, the relative abundance dropped off sharply. The bottoms at these stations were mostly rubble and mud, and water was turbid at three of the stations. At G-10 (June 24) and G-11 (July 16) young-of-the-year were abundant.

#Ictalurus melas# (Girard): Stations W-2, W-3, W-4, W-5, B-1, B-2, B-3, G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, G-5, G-8, G-9, G-11, G-12, G-13, G-14, G-17, C-1, C-9, C-11, C-12, C-14, C-15, C-17, C-18, E-1, E-2, E-4, E-5, E-6, N-1, Evermann and Fordice as _Ameiurus melas_ (C-133).

The black bullhead was taken at slightly more than half of the stations, and probably was present at others. Larger numbers were taken in Grouse Creek than in any other stream system. In many small, shallow pools in the Grouse Creek system young black bullheads shared dominance with _Gambusia affinis_ in the late summer. _I. melas_ was also abundant in isolated pools at the extreme upper ends of Crab Creek, Beaver Creek and Grand Summit Creek. _I. melas_ was most common in areas with silty bottoms. The species seemed scarce in the main stream of Big Caney River but was common in some of its tributaries.

#Pylodictis olivaris# (Rafinesque): Stations A-3, G-1, C-5.

Flathead catfish were taken by angling at stations A-3 and C-5. At station G-1 (September 5) a flathead catfish five inches long was taken in the four-foot nylon net.

#Ictalurus punctatus# (Rafinesque): Stations A-3, W-2, W-3, G-2, C-5, E-4.

Channel catfish from stations W-3, A-3, and C-5 were taken on hook and line. At station G-2 (August 29) twenty young-of-the-year were seined from the shallow narrow end of a large pool. All collections of both _I.

punctatus_ and _P. olivaris_ were in the larger streams surveyed.

#Ictalurus natalis# (LeSueur): Stations G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, G-8, G-11, C-12, C-14, C-15.

The yellow bullhead was taken at only 9 stations, compared with 33 stations for the black bullhead. _I. natalis_ was represented in 7 of 17 stations in the Grouse Creek system but in only 3 of 18 stations in the Big Caney system. Of the seven records from Grouse Creek four were from the main stream. At every station where yellow bullheads were taken, black bullheads were found also and were abundant, usually several times more abundant than _I. natalis_.

At G-11 on Crab Creek (July 16), _I. natalis_ made up 3.8 per cent of the fish taken. All were young-of-the-year, existing in a tiny, gravelly pool containing not more than five gallons of water, and were the only fish present. Young yellow bullheads were also found in small pools with gravel bottoms at station G-4 on September 7.

#Labidesthes sicculus# (Cope): Stations G-1, G-2, G-3, G-7, G-10, B-2, C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4, C-5, C-12, E-1, E-2, E-3, E-7, M-1 (E&F, C-131).