Life History and Ecology of the Bluntnose Shiner (Notropis simus pecosensis) in the Pecos River of New Mexico

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Abstract
Surveys were conducted for the bluntnose shiner (Notropis simus pecosensis) in the Pecos River of New Mexico from Santa Rosa to an area just north of Carlsbad. The status of the species was assessed within its historic range and aspects of its life history and ecology were investigated. The distribution and abundance of the species seems to have declined during the last 40 years because much of its habitat is periodically dewatered. The bluntnose shiner occurs in the Pecos River from Fort Sumner to Artesia. Fishes most frequently associated with N. s. pecosensis were Hybognathus plactius, Hybopsis aestivalis, Notropis jemezanus, N. lutrensis, and N. stramineus. Bluntnose shiners appear to have an extended spawning period with fecundity similar to that of other species of Notropis. Reproduction is presently confined to two perennial sections of the Pecos River that exist because of local groundwater seepage. The species was most abundant in these two areas and was collected most often in main-channel habitats having sandy substrates, low velocity laminar flows, and at depths ranging from 17 to 41 cm.

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