Ecological Distribution of Fishes of Moapa (Muddy) River in Clark County, Nevada
- 1 July 1972
- journal article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Transactions of the American Fisheries Society
- Vol. 101 (3) , 408-419
- https://doi.org/10.1577/1548-8659(1972)101<408:edofom>2.0.co;2
Abstract
Fish collections were made at nine stations along the Moapa River of southern Nevada. Four native species are ecologically separated into headwater and middle‐stream types. The headwater fishes are ecologically segregated into one pond species (Crenichthys baileyi) and one stream species (Moapa coriacea). The apparent temperature preference for both species is near 29.5 C. Temperature range for Crenichthys is 27–32 C and for Moapa 19.5–32 C. Both Gila robusta and Rhinichthys osculus are most abundant in the turbid middle portion of the stream in undisturbed, deep riffle habitats. A fifth native species, Plagopterus argentissimus, is extremely rare or of accidental occurrence. The unsaturated Moapa River environment has been easily colonized by exotic or non‐native species, most recently and most successfully by Poecilia mexicana. An additional species, Gambusia affinis, is widespread and abundant throughout much of the stream. Cyprinus carpio, Notropis lutrensis, Pimephales promelas, Ictalurus melas, Ictalurus punctatus, Micropterus salmoides, and Lepomis cyanellus occur in the lower and/or middle sections of the stream where populations of Gila and Rhinichthys may have been more abundant prior to these introductions. Populations of Moapa and Crenichthys in the headwaters also appear to have declined following the introduction of Poecilla. Populations of all native species have apparently recovered somewhat from a low in 1963–64.This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: