humpback chub behaviors

Humpback chub exhibited lower absolute measures of gut fullness (corrected for assimilation efficiency of food resources) compared to the other species. Historically limited to a few Maintaining the Long-Term Viability of the Humpback Chub in the Grand Canyon Pierce Donovan and Michael R. Springborn The humpback chub is a native fish of the Colorado River that is vulnerable to extinction. It has large fins and a streamlined body that is pencil-thin near its tail. Matter and Mannan 2005, Morphology Example - Portz and Tyus 2004, Fish Humps in Colorado . Behavior. Adaptations to swift, silty flow include compressed skull, small eyes, a lateral line that senses vibrations of insect prey, large fins, forked tail, narrow caudal peduncle and a dorsal hump that acts as a stabilizer. ... habitat as humpback chub, which is primarily canyon bound reaches containing deep, fast ... (2000) reported sedentary behavior of Roundtail Chub in two Colorado River tributaries in the lower basin, as did Beyers et al. Coloration is typically grey dorsally, fading to white ventrally, with yellowish pigmentation near the base of the pectoral and pelvic fins. The humpback chub, Gila cypha, is a rare minnow native to the upper Colorado River system. The streamlined body is characterized by a smooth hump (smaller than that of the humpback chub) located directly posterior to the head of adult fish, and a narrow caudal peduncle. The humpback chub is huge for a minnow, sometimes attaining 20 inches in length. Morphology, Physiology and Behavior – That render some individuals less vulnerable . The bonytail chub is omnivorous, feeding mainly on terrestrial insects, larvae, algae, and detritus. Roundtail Chub (Gila robusta) Species Status Statement. The bonytail is the rarest of the endangered, native fish of the Colorado River and is thought to have evolved around 3-5 million years ago. Humpback chub are successful in the Little Colorado river, and chubs found in the Colorado were probably spawned in the Little Colorado. Bonytail Chub (Gila elegans) Bonytail Chub. Photo: Brian Gratwicke. Humpback chub also exhibited the highest degree of seasonality or hydrologically influenced variability in gut fullness (Fig. The humpback chub became protected in 1973 under the Endangered Spe-cies Act. Its name describes the fish as an elegant swimmer and member of the “chub” group of minnows. The bonytail chub or bonytail (Gila elegans) 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. River Fishes, Environmental Biology of Fishes . More * States/US Territories in which the Humpback chub, entire is known to occur: Arizona , Colorado , Utah * USFWS Refuges in which the Humpback chub, entire is known to occur: BILL WILLIAMS RIVER … The narrow tail terminates in a V-shaped caudal fin. Natural History Size: Adult humpback chub generally range in total length from 230 mm to around 400 mm. The bonytail chub was once considered a subspecies of the roundtail chub (G. robusta) but has since been accorded full species status. The Humpback chub lives in the benthopelagic, potamodromous, freshwater environment.. Behavior Example - Gorman and Stone 1999, Ontogenesis of Humpback Chub, American Midland Naturalist . The breeding male's belly turns bright orange-red. The bonytail chub is a more streamlined cousin to the humpback chub with a long, thin tail stock (from which it received its name); one old-timer from Craig described them as “broomtails,” because he could grab them by the tail as easily as a broom handle. 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