Fishes of Chautauqua, Cowley and Elk Counties, Kansas Part 9

_Grouse Creek_

The fauna of the main stream of Grouse Creek fluctuated more in number and kinds of fish from station to station than did the fauna of Big Caney River. Again, the deep-bodied suckers showed downstream proclivities. In addition, _Notropis buchanani_, _Pimephales tenellus_, _Percina copelandi_, _Percina phoxocephala_, _Notropis percobromus_ and _Pylodictis olivaris_ were taken only at the lowermost station (G-1). At stations G-2 and G-3 the creek is sluggish and often turbid, meandering between high mud banks in a flood plain. At these stations _Fundulus notatus_, _Gambusia affinis, La_-_bidesthes sicculus_, _Ictalurus melas,_ and _Lepomis humilis_ were the most common fishes. s.h.i.+ners (_Notropis_ spp.) and _Lepomis megalotis_ were rarely taken. Hall (1953:36) states that _Gambusia affinis_, _Fundulus notatus_, and _Labidesthes sicculus_ are usually a.s.sociated with overflow pools, oxbows, and vegetated backwaters.

Those fishes mentioned in the preceding paragraph remained common in the middle section of the stream. In addition _Notropis lutrensis_, _Notropis umbratilis_, and _Lepomis megalotis_ were important members of the fauna.

In the uppermost section s.h.i.+ners (_Notropis_ spp.) were common. In the few upstream stations that were still in good condition with clear flowing water, the fauna resembled that of the upstream stations on Big Caney River. Most upstream stations on Grouse Creek were located on highly intermittent streams that are treated below.

FAUNAS OF INTERMITTENT STREAMS

Because of severe, protracted drought, most of the streams studied had ceased to flow by the close of the survey period. However, the duration of intermittency varied greatly in different streams, as did its effect in terms of the number and sizes of residual pools, water temperatures, pollution, and turbidity. Crab Creek, Beaver Creek, and a small unnamed tributary of Grouse Creek were severely affected by intermittency. Their faunas are discussed below.

In Crab Creek six collections were made from points near the mouth to the uppermost pool in which water was found. Pools near the mouth were as large as thirty feet in width and ninety feet in length, while those that were uppermost were shallow puddles averaging ten feet in length and five feet in width. The uppermost station was situated in bluestem pasture without benefit of shade from trees.

The species taken and their relative abundances based on five seine hauls at each station are shown in Table 7. At the uppermost pool (G-17) only small green sunfish were found. At G-16, next downstream, this species was joined by large numbers of black bullheads and a few redfin s.h.i.+ners and red s.h.i.+ners. G-13 was similar to G-16, but two additional species occurred there. G-12 was a clear, deep pool much larger than any at the stations upstream. Here, seven species were added to the fauna, and the percentages of _Ictalurus melas_ and _Lepomis cyanellus_ were much less. At G-10 _Fundulus notatus_, _Labidesthes sicculus_, and _Minytrema melanops_ appeared. Nevertheless, fewer species (10) were captured here than at station G-12 upstream.

TABLE 7.--PERCENTAGES OF FISHES TAKEN ON CRAB CREEK.

==================================================================== Stations | G-10 | G-11 | G-12 | G-13 | G-16 | G-17 --------------------------+------+------+------+------+------+------ _Minytrema melanops_ | 8.7 | | | | | _Labidesthes sicculus_ | 20.0 | 1.0 | | | | _Fundulus notatus_ | 25.7 | 41.0 | | | | _Ictalurus natalis_ | | 3.8 | .43| | | _Pomoxis annularis_ | 8.8 | 11.8 | 1.9 | | | _Lepomis humilis_ | 15.45| 9.9 | 8.5 | | | _Micropterus salmoides_ | | | 1.9 | | | _Etheostoma spectabile_ | 1.0 | | 1.9 | | | _Percina caprodes_ | | | 3.8 | | | _Moxostoma erythrurum_ | 1.0 | | 7.0 | | | _Lepomis megalotis_ | 5.7 | 2.3 | 7.0 | 2.0 | | _Pimephales notatus_ | | 34.0 | 9.0 | | | _Ictalurus melas_ | 5.3 | .5 | 29.0 | 49.0 | | _Notropis umbratilis_ | | 4.7 | 9.0 | 1.0 | | _Notropis lutrensis_ | 20.6 | 26.0 | 25.0 | 14.0 | 1.0 | _Lepomis cyanellus_ | 1.0 | | 1.9 | 34.0 | 49.0 | 100.0 --------------------------+------+------+------+------+------+------

TABLE 8.--FISH TAKEN IN NINE POOLS ON UPPER BEAVER CREEK (PROGRESSING FROM DOWNSTREAM TO UPSTREAM).

===================================================================== | _Notropis | _Notropis | _Lepomis | _Lepomis | _Ictalurus | umbratilis_ | lutrensis_| humilis_ | cyanellus_ | melas_ ------+-------------+-----------+----------+------------+------------ Pools:| | | | | 1 | 5 adults | 4 adults | adults | young | 1 juvenile | | 7 young | abundant | abundant | | | | | | 2 | 2 adults | 4 adults | 6 adults | young | | | | | abundant | | | | | | 3 | | 1 adult | 7 adults | 3 juveniles| 2 juveniles | | | | | 4 | | | 4 adults | young | young | | | | abundant | abundant | | | | | 5 | | | 2 adults | | | | | | | 6 | | | | 28 young | | | | | | 7 | | | | | | | | | | 8 | | | | | 1 adult | | | | | 9 | | | | | 1 adult -------+-------------+-----------+----------+------------+------------

A series of collections similar to that on Crab Creek was carried out along 1-1/2 miles of Beaver Creek on July 22, 1956. Nine pools were sampled (Table 8) of which number nine was the uppermost point where water was found (except for farm ponds). Mainly young of _Lepomis cyanellus_ and _Ictalurus melas_ were found in the uppermost stations, as on Crab Creek. Only adults of _Notropis lutrensis_ and _Notropis umbratilis_ were taken.

In another small intermittent tributary of Grouse Creek two collections (G-14 and G-15) were made. One was from several isolated pools near the source of the creek and the other was 1-1/2 miles upstream from the mouth. The two stations were approximately four miles apart. Table 9 indicates approximate percentages of fish taken in five seine hauls at these stations.

TABLE 9.--FISHES TAKEN IN A TRIBUTARY OF GROUSE CREEK.

================================================= Species | Upstream | Downstream | station | station --------------------------+----------+----------- _Ictalurus melas_ | 45% | _Lepomis humilis_ | 48% | 40% _Notropis lutrensis_ | 5% | 30% _Lepomis cyanellus_ | 2% | 20% _Fundulus notatus_ | | 10% --------------------------+----------+-----------

At two other stations, only _Lepomis cyanellus_ was found. One of these stations consisted of several small spring-fed pools in a dry arroyo tributary to Little Beaver Creek. Around these small "oases" rushes and smartweeds grew and blackbirds were nesting in the rushes. Although green sunfish up to eight inches in length were common in the shallow pools, no other species was found. The second station (C-17) on the East Fork Big Caney River is of special interest. The pool was isolated, had dimensions of about 2525 feet, and had an average depth of 15 inches.

The water was foul; cows had been fed fodder in a sheltered area above the pool during the preceding winter and the entire bottom was covered to a depth of 6 inches to 1 foot with a detritus of decomposing fodder, cattle feces, and leaves. The water became almost inky in consistency when the bottom was stirred and its odor was offensive. A thick gray-green bloom lay on the surface. This bloom was full of bubbles indicating gases rising from the bottom muds. One hundred fifty-three green sunfish, all less than 5 inches in length, were taken in one seine-haul at this station.

EAST-WEST DISTRIBUTION

In the Arkansas River system in Kansas there are marked differences between fish faunas of the western and eastern parts of the state. This can be ill.u.s.trated by comparison of Spring River in Cherokee County with the Cimarron River in southwestern Kansas. Single collections from Spring River or its tributaries usually contain 25 or more species of fish. Collections from the Cimarron rarely contain more than five or six species. Many of those fishes found in Spring River are characteristic of an Ozarkian fauna, and some are endemic to the Ozark uplands. Fish found in the Cimarron or Arkansas in western Kansas are members of a plains fauna of wide distribution. There is mingling of these two faunal groups across the state, with the number of Ozarkian species diminis.h.i.+ng westward, and certain plains species diminis.h.i.+ng eastward. A number of species such as _Moxostoma duquesnii_ and _Notropis spilopterus_ are limited, on the basis of present records, to Spring River and its tributaries in Kansas. Others have not been taken west of the Neosho drainage. The Verdigris River provides the next major avenue of westward dispersal followed by Caney River, Grouse Creek, and the Walnut River.

West of the Walnut River system Ozarkian species have been almost always absent from collections. The Chikaskia River is somewhat exceptional.

Moore and Buck (1953) reported from this river several species that seem more typical of eastern faunal a.s.sociations. Table 10 indicates the stream system in which the present westernmost records are located for a number of fishes found in the Arkansas River system in Kansas.

TABLE 10.--PRESENT WESTERNMOST RECORDS OF SOME FISHES IN THE ARKANSAS RIVER BASIN IN KANSAS.

Spring River _Cottus carolinae_ _Dionda nubila_ _Etheostoma blennioides_ _Etheostoma gracile_ _Etheostoma nigrum nigrum_ _Etheostoma punctulatum_ _Etheostoma saxatile_ _Hypentelium nigricans_ _Moxostoma duquesnii_ _Notropis spilopterus_ _Noturus exilis_

Neosho River _Cycleptus elongatus_ _Etheostoma chlorosomum_ _Etheostoma flabellare lineolatum_ _Hybopsis amblops_ _Hybopsis biguttata_ _Hybopsis x-punctata_ _Notropis zonatus pilsbryi_

Verdigris River _Etheostoma whipplii_ _Etheostoma zonale arcansanum_ _Percina copelandi_ _Moxostoma carinatum_ _Notropis boops_ _Notropis volucellus_ _Noturus miurus_

Chikaskia River _Ictalurus natalis_ _Percina phoxocephala_ _Labidesthes sicculus_ _Lepomis megalotis breviceps_ _Micropterus punctulatus_ _Moxostoma aureolum pisolabrum_ _Moxostoma erythrurum_ _Notropis camurus_ _Pimephales notatus_ _Pimephales tenellus_ _Noturus nocturnus_

The westernmost records for seven species are in the area studied.

1. _Lepisosteus platostomus._

2. _Carpiodes velifer._

3. _Moxostoma carinatum._

4. _Minytrema melanops._ One specimen taken at station G-10 near the mouth of Crab Creek const.i.tutes the present westernmost record. A specimen has been taken by Cross (C-24-51) in the headwaters of the Walnut River.

5. _Notropis boops._ The westernmost record is station G-5 on Grouse Creek. This fish has been reported slightly west of this in Oklahoma on Big Beaver Creek in Kay County (number 4776, Oklahoma A & M College Museum of Zoology).

6. _Notropis volucellus._ Two specimens were taken at station G-8 on Silver Creek.

7. _Percina copelandi._ The westernmost record is from station G-1, two miles above the mouth of Grouse Creek.

The easternmost occurrences of four species are in the area studied.

These species are _Hybopsis aestivalis tetranemus_ (Station A-2), _Notropis blennius_ (Station A-1), _Notropis girardi_ (Station A-2), and _Fundulus kansae_ (Station A-2 and Walnut River). These fish are a.s.sociated with the Arkansas River proper and its sandy western tributaries. In Oklahoma, these fish are found in the Arkansas River as it proceeds eastward and in the downstream portions of some of its tributaries. These fish show little tendency to ascend the streams of the Flint Hills.

SUMMARY

The fish fauna of the area studied is transitional between the Ozarkian and Great Plains faunas.

Fluctuation in water level seemed especially important in determining distribution of fishes in the area studied. Variable climate characteristic of the region studied causes recurrent floods and intermittency in streams. Both of these conditions have probably been accentuated by man's modifications of the habitat. The effects of intermittency were most strikingly demonstrated in small creeks of the uplands. The number of species of fish in the highly intermittent streams was small--especially in the uppermost pools sampled--but the actual number of fish was often high even though the number of species was low. In several instances the only fishes found in these isolated pools were _Lepomis cyanellus_ and _Ictalurus melas_. This phenomenon of concentrated numbers of individuals of a few species would indicate the presence of limiting factors that allow only those species most tolerant of the particular factor to flourish.

Soon after rains restored flow in these intermittent creeks _L.

cyanellus_ and _I. melas_ appeared in parts of the channels that had previously been several miles from the nearest water. Rapid upstream movements of other species after rains was also noted.

It was impossible to ascertain the precise effects of gradient and bottom-type on distribution, but certain species such as _Notropis blennius_, _Notropis girardi_, and _Fundulus kansae_ were taken only in streams with sandy bottoms. _Notropis deliciosus_ and _Hybognathus placita_ were most abundant over sandy bottoms.

The high gradient of upland tributaries in the Flint Hills area produced turbulence and bottoms predominantly of rubble. A fauna of which _Etheostoma spectabile_ and _Campostoma anomalum_ were characteristic existed in these waters while they were flowing. As flow decreased and intermittency commenced, qualitative and quant.i.tative changes in the fish faunas were observed. Gradient did not change during drought, but turbulence did. Because turbulence varies with water level as well as gradient, the effect of gradient on fish distribution ultimately is linked to climate.

Probably the small number of fish taken on the Walnut River in comparison with other eastern Kansas rivers (Verdigris, Neosho) results, in part, from the long-term pollution of the stream noted by Clapp (1920:33) and Doze (1924). No percid fishes, black ba.s.s, or madtom catfish were taken on the Walnut in Cowley County and the species of _Notropis_ numbered only three.

Four faunal a.s.sociations seem to be recognizable in the area.