FISHES OF DOUBTFUL OR POSSIBLE OCCURRENCE

In addition to the species listed above, the following species have been reported nearby and may occur within the area surveyed.

Lepisosteus productus (Cope)—This gar has not been reported from Kansas. It has been taken at several points in the northern half of Oklahoma and as far west as Canton Reservoir by Buck and Cross (1951). A specimen of the spotted gar was taken by Elkin (1954:28) in Salt Creek in Osage County, Oklahoma.

Polyodon spathula (Walbaum)—The paddlefish has never been reported from the Arkansas River system in Kansas. Several reports by fishermen were traced by the writer, but authentication was not achieved. One mounted specimen was examined in a sporting goods store in Arkansas City. This fish was said to have been taken on the Arkansas River south of Arkansas City but information on the date and method of capture were vague. Mr. Darrell Wheat of Arkansas City reported taking four paddlefish below a dam at Oxford, Kansas, in 1948 and 1949.

Hiodon alosoides (Rafinesque)—One specimen (K. U. 3095) of the goldeye was taken in 1953 on the Arkansas River near Oxford in Sumner County. Fishermen also report taking this fish occasionally in the Walnut River in Cowley County.

Noturus flavus (Rafinesque)—The stonecat was taken in the Verdigris system by R. D. Lindsay in 1911 (K. U. 2058) and more recently by Cross in Montgomery County (C-120) and Schelske (1957:46) in Wilson and Montgomery Counties. The close proximity of these collection areas to lower portions of the Elk River indicate probable occurrence in Elk River and other Verdigris tributaries.

Noturus nocturnus (Jordan and Gilbert)—The freckled madtom has been taken on all sides of the area studied making its occurrence therein highly probable. This madtom has been taken in Beaver Creek in Osage County, Oklahoma (OAM 4771); from a tributary of the Walnut River in Sedgwick County by Cross (1954); from the Chikaskia River (Moore and Buck, 1953:24); and from several localities on the Verdigris River (Schelske, 1957:47).

Etheostoma cragini (Gilbert)—One Cragin's darter (K. U. 3470) was taken by Cross in the Arkansas River near the Sumner-Cowley county line (Sec. 25, T31S, R2E). Records of this darter are few and widely scattered geographically. Several collections from north-eastern Oklahoma are noted by Moore and Cross (1950:144).

Etheostoma whipplii (Girard)—Schelske (1957:38) reports the redfin darter from the Verdigris River three miles southeast of Benedict, Kansas. Dr. George Moore of Oklahoma A. & M. College states that it has been taken in the Verdigris drainage in Oklahoma at several locations.

Etheostoma zonale arcansanum (Jordan and Gilbert)—Two banded darters (K. U. 3213) have been reported by Schelske (1957:49) from Fall River near Neodesha, Kansas. Because a tributary of Fall River enters Elk County its presence in this and other Verdigris tributaries in the area seems possible. This darter has been reported from only one other stream in Kansas, Shoal Creek in Cherokee County, where it has been collected often.

Roccus chrysops (Rafinesque)—The white bass has been stocked in Hulah Reservoir on Big Caney River in Oklahoma. To date it has not been reported from the Big Caney in Kansas. White bass are common in many reservoirs of Kansas and Oklahoma and have been taken in rivers in both states. Mr. Clement Gillespie of Arkansas City, Kansas Forestry, Fish and Game Commission wildlife protector for the area, states that two hundred young of R. chrysops were released in Grouse Creek several years ago under auspices of the Commission. The fish has not been reported by fishermen since that time to the knowledge of Mr. Gillespie or of the writer.

Lepomis microlophus (Gunther)—One redear sunfish was taken on Salt Creek in Osage County, Oklahoma, by Elkin (1954:28). Because this species has been stocked widely in Oklahoma its eventual occurrence in Kansas seems probable.

Chaenobryttus gulosus (Cuvier)—The warmouth has been taken south of the collection area in Osage County on Salt Creek by Elkin (1954:28).

FAUNAL COMPARISONS OF DIFFERENT STREAMS

The faunas of Elk River, Big Caney River, and Grouse Creek were generally similar. These streams and most of their tributaries originate in the same hilly area of eastern Cowley County and western Elk and Chautauqua counties; their similarities and differences have been pointed out.

The following species were taken in all of these streams:

Lepisosteus osseus
Dorosoma cepedianum
Ictiobus bubalus
Moxostoma erythrurum
Minytrema melanops
Cyprinus carpio
Campostoma anomalum
Notropis boops
Notropis lutrensis
Notropis umbratilis
Notropis volucellus
Pimephales notatus
Pimephales tenellus
Fundulus notatus
Gambusia affinis
Ictalurus melas
Ictalurus punctatus
Etheostoma spectabile
Percina caprodes
Micropterus salmoides
Pomoxis annularis
Lepomis cyanellus
Lepomis humilis
Lepomis megalotis
Lepomis macrochirus
Labidesthes sicculus

No species was found in Elk River to the exclusion of Big Caney and Grouse Creek. Fish taken exclusively in Grouse Creek were Ictiobus cyprinella at station G-2 and Notropis percobromus at station G-1. The following species were taken only in Big Caney River: Ictiobus niger, Notropis rubellus, Phenacobius mirabilis, Pimephales vigilax, and Pomoxis nigromaculatus.

Notropis buchanani and Pimephales promelas were taken in Grouse Creek and Elk River, but not in Big Caney River, although the watershed of Big Caney lies largely between these two streams. Three species, Notropis camurus, Micropterus punctulatus, and Aplodinotus grunniens, were found in Elk River and Big Caney but not in Grouse Creek. Ictalurus natalis, Pylodictis olivaris, and Percina phoxocephala were taken in Big Caney River and Grouse Creek but not in Elk River. Percina copelandi was taken by Cross on Elk River in 1954 and 1955 (K. U. 3464 and K. U. 3197).

Forty species were taken in Big Caney River, 35 in Grouse Creek and 31 in Elk River. Collections were made from only six stations on Elk River as compared with 18 from Big Caney and 17 from Grouse Creek.

Twenty-four species were taken in the Walnut River system, only one of which (Notemigonus crysoleucas) was taken exclusively there.

In the Arkansas River 18 species were found, four of which did not occur elsewhere. These were Hybopsis aestivalis, Notropis blennius, N. girardi, and Fundulus kansae.

Table 5 lists the number of stations in each of the streams surveyed from which each species was taken.

Table 5.—Species of Fishes Collected and Number of Stations in Each Stream System at Which Each Species Was Found.

DISTRIBUTIONAL VARIATIONS WITHIN THE SAME STREAM

An analysis of faunal variations in different parts of the same stream system was made for Big Caney River and Grouse Creek. Collecting was more extensive in these streams, and sampling was done over a wider range of habitat, than in the Arkansas and Walnut rivers.

The fish taken in the first five seine hauls at each station were counted and the number of each species was recorded as a percentage of the total number of fish taken. These percentages were calculated for the main stream and for each tributary in an attempt to discern possible intra-stream faunal patterns. In Table 6 lower, middle, and upper segments of each stream have been segregated and the average of all stations within each segment is shown.

The results are subject to several sources of error, some of which are discussed below:

(1) Seining techniques could not be entirely standardized. One station might present a series of long narrow riffles and narrow, shallow pools in which only a small seine could be used effectively; another station might consist of a large, deep, isolated pool in which a larger seine was needed for effective sampling. In practice, the five seine hauls were made with any of several seines ranging from ten to twenty feet in length.

(2) Seines are species-selective, due partly to the preference of certain fishes for special habitat niches. Fishes that are often found under stones or in weedy pools require special collecting techniques and frequently were not represented in the initial five hauls. If work subsequent to the first five hauls indicated that such fish were a prominent part of the fauna at a particular station, these results were considered before percentages were calculated.

(3) Temporal variations occur in populations at the same station. There were both seasonal and diurnal differences in relative numbers of species taken in these collections. This was noted especially at station C-5 where collecting was done both at night and by day. Spawning by certain species during the course of the study complicated estimates of their relative abundance.

(4) In tabulating percentages of fishes obtained an arbitrary element is often unavoidable in deciding whether a station, especially a station on a tributary, should be considered as part of the lower, middle, or upper segment of a river system.

Despite these disadvantages it is felt that table 6 has factual basis permitting some reliable interpretation.

Table 6.—Relative Abundance in Per Cent of Fishes in Collections From Three Stream Segments.

Big Caney River

The "lower segment" of Big Caney River is immediately upstream from Hulah Reservoir, and is not the lowermost portion of the entire river basin, but merely the lower part of the river in the area studied. A conspicuous characteristic of the lower segment was the general restriction of the deep-bodied suckers and the carp to this part of the stream. Other fishes that were most common in the lower section were Pimephales vigilax, Percina phoxocephala, Gambusia affinis, and Aplodinotus grunniens. Labidesthes sicculus and Lepisosteus osseus ranged into the middle section of the stream, but were present in larger numbers downstream. Ictalurus punctatus, Pomoxis annularis, and Lepomis macrochirus were taken chiefly in downstream habitats; however, stocking has confused the distributional pattern of these species. Notropis lutrensis, although found throughout the system, progressively declined in numbers taken in the middle and upper sections. Approximately 18 species were usually taken in downstream collections.

No species were found exclusively in the middle section of the Big Caney system. Micropterus punctulatus, Notropis umbratilis, and Lepomis megalotis tended to be most common in the middle section of the main stream. These three species were taken together at stations C-5, C-6, C-8, and C-10.

The upper section yielded no species that did not occur also in another section. Fishes most abundant in the upper section included: Campostoma anomalum, Etheostoma spectabile, Notropis boops, Notropis rubellus, Pimephales notatus, and Lepomis cyanellus. Ictalurus natalis also seemed more common upstream than in lower parts of the basin.

Campostoma anomalum was one of the most common fishes taken at many of the stations on small upland tributaries. In downstream collections its relative abundance was less, although it was often concentrated on riffles.

In the Big Caney system as a whole Notropis umbratilis was the most abundant species. Several species were present throughout the system in proportions varying, sometimes greatly, from station to station. Lepomis megalotis and Lepomis humilis were erratic in occurrence, and the numbers of Notropis camurus and Ictalurus melas varied without pattern.

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, Labidesthes sicculus, Ictalurus melas, and Lepomis humilis were the most common fishes. Shiners (Notropis spp.) and Lepomis megalotis were rarely taken. Hall (1953:36) states that Gambusia affinis, Fundulus notatus, and Labidesthes sicculus are usually associated 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 shiners (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 shiners and red shiners. 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.

Table 8.—Fish Taken in Nine Pools on Upper Beaver Creek (Progressing From Downstream to Upstream).

A series of collections similar to that on Crab Creek was carried out along 1½ 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 1½ 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.

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 25×25 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 illustrated 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 diminishing westward, and certain plains species diminishing 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 associations. 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

Neosho River

Verdigris River