| Gila longfin dace | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cypriniformes |
| Family: | Cyprinidae |
| Genus: | Agosia |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | A. c. chrysogaster |
| Trinomial name | |
| Agosia chrysogaster chrysogaster (Girard, 1856) | |
The Gila longfin dace (Agosia chrysogaster chrysogaster) is a subspecies of the longfin dace found in Arizona. It is considered the nominate subspecies of the longfin dace.
The only other form of fish closely related to Gila longfin dace is the Yaqui longfin dace, which also occurs in Arizona. The body is fusiform, meaning that it is spindle-shaped (wide in the middle and tapers at both ends). The scales are small. A typical Gila dace has an average length of 3.5 inches (89 mm). Their mouths are small and oblique, with a bluntly shaped snout and head. The nares or outer nostrils of the fish direct water toward the gills and define the termination of the mouth. The Gila dace is easily distinguishable from other minnows by the lack of dark spots normally located on the triangular dorsal fin. However, a large black spot is at the base of the caudal fin. This fish is typically silvery gray dorsally and olive ventrally, with the absence of gold speckles found on its relative, the Yaqui longfin dace. [2] [3] [4] [5]
The Gila longfin dace has a wide range of water temperature preferences compared to other fish, being found from hot desert streams to mountain brooks with extremely cold water. They also prefer brooks and streams that have sandy or gravely bottoms, typically with overhanging banks to protect them from being spotted by predators and humans. The fish prefers relatively warmer water, with an average temperature preference of 23.9 °C (75 °F). They also prefer water depths averaging 0.18 m (7.1 in). During water shortages, they seek refuge in algae and detritus mats of wetland habitats.
The Gila longfin dace was originally introduced into the Virgin River Basin, the Zuñi, and the Mimbres Rivers. This represents the bulk of the range and overall distribution of the fish, with increasing populations around mountainous areas of the Mogollon Rim. This drastic, rapid increase in range is due to vast climate changes within its range. They are generally found at elevations less than 4,900 feet (1,500 m), with some scattered outlying records of species above 2,030 meters (6,660 ft).
Sediment discharge in river bottoms occurs during flooding seasons, and will cause the Gila dace to swim directly into the currents avoiding the spraying of sediment into the gills. If droughts occur, the fish also seek refuge in wetland areas such as algae mats. They can survive desiccation by hiding under logs and stones. The wetlands provide detritus, a nutrient that these fish primarily eat, as the fish are omnivorous and are opportunistic feeders. They can also feed on invertebrates, zooplankton, and other forms of algae when the circumstances allow.
Gila longfin daces usually spawn during the months of September to December, and can extend this into January in desert habitats. They reach sexual maturity within the first year of birth, and will create depressions in the sand to hide their eggs. This helps them provide a safe place for development, allowing minimal disturbance from other species or predators. Studies have shown a positive correlation between fecundity and fish length, and it is suggested that the same correlation exists between male body length and mating success.
The Virgin River is a tributary of the Colorado River in the U.S. states of Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. The river is about 162 miles (261 km) long. It was designated Utah's first wild and scenic river in 2009, during the centennial celebration of Zion National Park.
The roundtail chub is a cyprinid fish in the genus Gila, of southwestern North America. It is native to the Colorado River drainage basin, including the Gila River and other tributaries, and in several other rivers. It is part of the “robusta complex”, which includes the Gila robusta robusta, G.r. grahami, and G.r. seminuda.
The humpback chub is a federally protected fish that lived originally in fast waters of the Colorado River system in the United States. This species takes its name from the prominent hump between the head and dorsal fin, which is thought to direct the flow of water over the body and help maintain body position in the swift currents of the Colorado river. The body is almost entirely scaleless, retaining only about 80 mid-lateral scales along the lateral line. The fish is very streamlined, with a thin caudal peduncle and a deeply forked tail. The back is a light olive gray, the sides silver, and the belly white. The dorsal fin usually has nine rays, and the anal fin 10 or more. Maximum recorded length is 38 cm.
The bonytail chub or bonytail is a cyprinid freshwater fish native to the Colorado River basin of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming in the southwestern United States; it has been extirpated from the part of the basin in Mexico. It was once abundant and widespread in the basin, its numbers and range have declined to the point where it has been listed as endangered since 1980 (ESA) and 1986 (IUCN), a fate shared by the other large Colorado basin endemic fish species like the Colorado pikeminnow, humpback chub, and razorback sucker. It is now the rarest of the endemic big-river fishes of the Colorado River. There are 20 species in the genus Gila, seven of which are found in Arizona.
The Yaqui sucker is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Catostomidae. It is found the Aridoamerica region of northern Mexico and south-western United States. Catostomus bernardini or Yaqui sucker belongs to the family Catostomidae. The Yaqui sucker is related to the Sonora sucker and could possibly be a subspecies of the Gila sucker.
The beautiful shiner is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is found in Mexico and Arizona and New Mexico in the United States. It is one of 22 species of Cyprinella found in North America.
The Gila chub is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is found in Mexico and the United States. The Gila chub is closely related to the roundtail chub. This species is commonly found in association with the Gila topminnow, the desert and Sonora sucker, and the longfin and speckled dace.
The Yaqui chub is a species of freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is found in northern Mexico and the United States. The Yaqui chub is a medium-sized minnow fish that historically occurred in streams of Rios Matape, Sonora, and the Yaqui systems of Sonora, Mexico. It is one of the five species of the genus Gila in Arizona. The Yaqui chub is closely related to G. ditaenia, and G. orcutti ; and shares several physical characteristics with the G. orcutti, but proves different by having a black wedge near the base of the caudal fin.
The spikedace is an endangered species of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is found in Arizona and New Mexico in the United States. It lives in fast-moving streams.
Ictalurus pricei, the Yaqui catfish, is a species of North American freshwater catfish native to Mexico and Arizona.
The Gila topminnow or charalito is a species of fish in the family Poeciliidae. It is found in Mexico and the United States.
The San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge is located on the U.S.-Mexico border in Cochise County, Arizona. Situated at 3,720 to 3,920 feet (1,130–1,190 m) elevation in the bottom of a wide valley, the refuge encompasses a portion of the headwaters of the Yaqui River, which drains primarily western Chihuahua and eastern Sonora, Mexico. The 2,309-acre (9.34 km2) ranch was acquired by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1982 to protect the water resources and provide habitat for endangered native fishes.
The Yaqui longfin dace is a small fish of the American Southwest and northern Mexico, and considered a form of the longfin dace. It is often referred to as Agosia chrysogaster sp 1.
The Mexican stoneroller is a species of fish native to Arizona and Texas in the United States and parts of adjacent Mexico. It belongs to the carp family, Cyprinidae. The other species in this genus, Campostoma are morphologically similar.
The headwater chub is a species of fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is found in Arizona and New Mexico.
The Sonora Sucker, Catostomus insignis, is a medium-sized catostomid fish with 16 other species in the genus scattered throughout North America. This species is remarkably similar in appearance to the Yaqui Sucker.
The Yaqui topminnow is a species of fish in the family Poeciliidae. Its scientific name is Poeciliopsis sonoriensis; it is also sometimes considered a subspecies of Poeciliopsis occidentalis as P. o. sonoriensis. This fish is native to Mexico and the United States, with a few native and introduced populations persisting in Arizona in the United States, and a number of populations still extant in northern Sonora, Mexico.
The longfin dace is a species of leuciscid fish found in western North America in the United States and Mexico. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Agosia. The Gila longfin dace is considered the nominate subspecies. The Yaqui longfin dace is considered as a form.
The desert sucker or Gila Mountain sucker, is a freshwater species of ray-finned fish in the sucker family, endemic to the Great Basin and the Colorado River Basin in the United States. It inhabits rapids and fast-flowing streams with gravelly bottoms. It is a bi-colored fish with the upper parts olive brown to dark green, and the underparts silvery-tan or yellowish. The head is cylindrical, tapering to a thick-lipped mouth on the underside. This fish can grow to 31 in (79 cm) in Arizona but is generally only about half this size elsewhere. There are three subspecies, found in different river basins, and some authorities allot this species its own genus Pantosteus.
