stream fishes of ohio field guide

STREAM FISHES OF OHIO f i e l d g u i d eDIVISION OF WILDLIFE

04 FishWatching05 StreamEcology&Conservation06 TypesofStreams

07 OhioBasins08 PrincipalRivers&Streams10 SpeciesAccounts

77 Funding&References78 Anatomy&Glossary80 SportfishStateRecords

CommonName

ScientifcNamewith pronunciation

DistributionMap

CurrentPageQuickReferencealternative names, status, size, and preferred food

SpeciesPhotoif one image is present then there is little to no visual difference between genders( = male / = female)

Textdescription, habitat, behavior, and reproduction

FamilyName

STREAM FISHES oF oHIo TABLEOFCONTENTS

HoW To USE THIS BooK STREAMFiShESOFOhiO

Textby:BrianZimmerman

Ohio’s diverse landscape is laced withover 60,000 miles of streams, and theseaquatic habitats are among our most im-portantlandscapefeatures.Over170spe-ciesandsubspeciesoffishinhabitourlakesandwaterways;afabulousdiversityofoneofourmostinterestinggroupsofanimals.

StreamFishesofOhio includesthemostcommon species found in the BuckeyeState.Wehopethatthisbooklethelps in-creaseyourunderstandingofthefascinat-ingunderwaterworldthatliesbeneaththesurfaceofOhio’smyriadcreeksandrivers.ThispublicationwasmadepossibleinpartthroughdonationstotheWildlifeDiversityFund,purchasesoftheOhioWildlifeLegacyStamp,anddonationstotheOhioincomeTaxCheckoff(lineforoptionaldonationonyourOhiostateincometaxform).

InTRodUcTIon

TheODNRDivisionofWildlifeisthestateagencyresponsibleformanagingOhio’sfishand

wildliferesources.Theprimarysourceoffundingforthedivisioncomesfromthesaleof

huntingandfishinglicenses,federalexcisetaxesonhunting,fishing,andshootingequipment,

anddonations fromthepublic. Wecareaboutallwildlifeandmaintainingstable,healthy

wildlifepopulations.Ourchallengeistobalancetheneedsofwildlife,habitat,andpeople.

PhotographyCredit

NORTHERN LAMPREYS10 LeastBrookLamprey

STURGEONS11 ShovelnoseSturgeon

PADDLEFISHES12 Paddlefish

GARS13 LongnoseGar

FRESHWATER EELS14 AmericanEel

CARP & MINNOWS15 TonguetiedMinnow16 CreekChub17 hornyheadChub18 StripedShiner19 CentralStonerollerMinnow20 SpotfinShiner21 BluntnoseMinnow22 StreamlineChub23 SuckermouthMinnow24 WesternBlacknoseDace25 LongnoseDace26 RedsideDace27 SouthernRedbellyDace28 RedfinShiner29 ScarletShiner30 SandShiner31 SilverjawMinnow32 PopeyeShiner

SUCKERS33 CreekChubsucker34 NorthernhogSucker35 CommonWhiteSucker36 QuillbackCarpsucker37 GoldenRedhorse38 RiverRedhorse39 SmallmouthRedhorse

NORTH AMERICAN CATFISH40 ChannelCatfish41 FlatheadCatfish42 StonecatMadtom43 TadpoleMadtom44 BrindledMadtom45 MountainMadtom46 YellowBullhead

TOPMINNOWS47 BlackstripeTopminnow

PIKES48 GrassPickerel

MUDMINNOWS49 CentralMudminnow

CHAR, SALMON, TROUT, & WHITEFISH50 BrookTrout

TROUT-PERCHES51 Trout-perch

NEW WORLD SILVERSIDES52 BrookSilverside

STICKLEBACKS53 BrookStickleback

SCULPINS54 MottledSculpin

SUNFISH55 RockBass56 SmallmouthBass57 SpottedBass58 OrangespottedSunfish59 LongearSunfish60 GreenSunfish

DARTERS & PERCH61 EasternSandDarter62 JohnnyDarter63 FantailDarter64 BandedDarter65 GreensideDarter66 VariegateDarter67 TippecanoeDarter68 BluebreastDarter69 SpottedDarter70 OrangethroatDarter71 RainbowDarter72 BlacksideDarter73 DuskyDarter74 LogperchDarter75 SlenderheadDarter76 Sauger

SPECiESACCOUNTS

ON THE COVERRAINBOW DARTER I PHOTO BY JIM McCORMAC

Fish are far more challenging to observethandeer in ameadow,birds at your feederorbutterflies inthegarden.Forthosewillingtowettheirfeet,itispossibleto“fish-watch,”andadmirethesefascinatingcreaturesintheirnaturalhabitats.ifthewaterisreasonablyclear,itissurprisinghowwellfishcanbeobserved,andhowmanyofthemcanbeidentifiedwithpractice. Stream species such as creek chub,black-striped topminnows, and long-nosedgarareofteneasytoseeandrecognize.Evenvariousdarterspeciescanbeobservedastheyforageinshallowriffles.

Toreallygetahandleonwhatlurksinthedepths, professionals such as Ohio DivisionofWildlife fisheriesbiologistsuseanelectro-shocker.Thisdevicesendsanelectricalcurrentinto the stream,which in turn stuns any fishwithinasmallradius.Biologistscaneasilynetthestunned fish,collectdata,andreleasetheanimals unharmed.however, thismethod re-quires extensive training and special permits,andisoutofreachformostpeople.

Aneasier–andlegal–waytocapturefishforobservationistouseaseine,suchastheone being used in the accompanying photo.Manyspeciesoffishareeasytocaptureinthisway,allowingthemtobecloselyinspected.Thisbookletcanbeusedtohelpidentifythem.Al-wayskeepcapturedfishmoistandnotoutofthewaterforextendedperiods.Afterexami-nation,theycanbereleasedunharmed.

FISH WATcHIng

! noTE !Collectingfishbyanymeans,evenfor

short-term examinations, and eventualreleaserequiresanOhio fishing license.Part of the funds generated by licensesalesgoestowardsstreamconservation,research, and education. Never keepstate-listed endangered or threatenedspecies.

Ameshseineisaneasyandeffectivewaytocapturestreamfishforcloserinspection.

BIG DARBY CREEKJim McCormac

4

REDSIDE DACEJulie Zimmerman

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Ohio’smanywaterwayscontainspeciesnotidentifiedinthisbooklet.TheOhioDivisionofWildlifeoffersafreeonlineA-ZSpeciesGuidecontaininginformationonallcommonandna-tivefishes.Visitwildohio.comtosearchtheA-ZSpeciesGuideandreferenceOhio’scur-rentfishinglaws.

ForadditionalinformationonOhio’sfishesandfishesacrossthecountryvisitnanfa.org.The NorthAmerican Native FishesAssocia-tion (NANFA) is a not-for-profit, tax-exemptcorporation dedicated to the appreciation,study,andconservationofthecontinent’sna-tivefishes.

AmaleredsidedacebeingreleasedinaCuyahogaRivertributary

EvERybODy LIvES DOwNSTREAmGood stream stewardship is vital to the

conservationofournaturalresources.Bysafe-guarding waterways, not only do we protectthefishesandotheraquaticorganismsthatliveinthem,butoverallwaterqualityisimproved,andthataffectseveryoneinthewatershed.

Thesimplestway toprotectstreams is toprotectriparianbuffers–thenaturalstream-side vegetation. Plants hold and stabilizestreambanks, shade and cool thewater, andprovide valuable habitat for a variety of ter-restrial animals. Many plants are specificallyadapted to live along streams, such as thesycamore.Thesegianttreesinturnoftensup-portspecializedanimalssuchas thebeautifulyellow-throatedwarbler (onceknownas thesycamorewarbler).

Fishplayimportantroleswithinthestream.They are voracious predators of insects andotherinvertebrates,andinturnserveasfoodforotheranimals.Birdssuchasgreatblueher-ons, green herons, and belted kingfishers areprolificconsumersoffish.Manymammalsalsoeatfish,includingmink,raccoons,andriverot-ters.Fishareessentialinthelifecyclesofmanyfreshwatermusselsaswell.inoneofnature’sodder reproductive systems, fish-dependent

mussels blast larval mussels, known as glo-chidia,intothegillsofasuitablehostfish.Theyoung mussels are protected within the fishgills,andoncetheymaturetoacertainpoint,dropoffandbeginanindependentlifeonthestreambottom.

The Ohio Division of Wildlife has longplayedastrongroleintheconservationofthestate’sstreamsand fisheries. in fact, theDivi-sionoriginallyformedin1873astheOhioFishCommission.Tothisday,fisheriesmanagementisoneoftheDivisionofWildlife’smajormis-sions, involving tworesearchstations, six fishhatcheries, and numerous ongoing researchandsurveyprojects.TheDivisionofWildlifeisalsoactivelyinvolvedinvariousstreamresto-ration andhabitat acquisition projects,whichofteninvolveavarietyofoutsidepartners.

yOU CAN hELpOneoftheeasiestwaystosupportstream

conservationistobuyafishinglicense.Partofyourinvestmenthelpstopayforfishconserva-tion,habitatrestoration,research,andeduca-tion.Also consider the purchase of an OhioWildlifeLegacyStamp.Stampproceedsgotoendangeredspeciesresearch,landac-quisition,andtheproductionof educational materialssuch as this free booklet.information about fish-ing licenses, the stamp,andtheOhioDivisionofWildlifecanbe foundatwildohio.com.

STREAM Ecology And conSERvATIon

SYCAMORE TREEJim McCormac

Whiteandbrown-barkedsycamoretreesareacommonsightalongstreams,andplayanimportantroleinstreamecology.

5

Eventhebiggestrivershavetobeginsome-where, and the uppermost reaches of a wa-terway istermedaheadwaterstream.Some-times called“runs,” headwater streams typi-callydrain less than20 squaremiles andcanoftenbe jumpedoreasilywaded.When twoor more headwater streams join, a creek isformed.Creeksareusuallysmallormedium-sizedstreamsanddrain less than700squaremiles.Theyareprobablythemostcommonlyexplored type of waterway, and frequentlycontain riffles, pools, and other aquatic habi-tatsusedbymostofthefishesincludedinthisbooklet.

There are approximately 3,300 namedstreams inOhio, and they encompass every-thing from tiny rivulets to the mighty OhioRiver.Ohioisdividedintotwodrainages:OhioRiver,andLakeErie.Thesoutherntwo-thirds(seenbelow inyellow)of thestate’s streamsflow into theOhioRiver, andultimately intotheMississippiRiverandtheGulfofMexico.

Streamsinthenorthernone-thirdofOhio(seenbelowingreen)enterLakeErie,andtheirwaterseventuallyentertheNiagaraRiver,flowintoLakeOntario,thentheSt.LawrenceRiver,andonintotheAtlanticOcean.

TyPES oF STREAMS

LIBERTY FENJim McCormac

The ultimate phase of headwater streamsandcreeks isrivers.Our largeststreams,riv-ersusuallyareover100milesinlength,drainwatershedsofover700squaremiles,havehighflowrates,anddeepwaterhabitats.ThelargestOhioriversincludetheGreatMiami,Maumee,Muskingum,Ohio,andSciotorivers.

Aprairie-typeheadwaterstreamfedbycoldspringwaterslicesthroughLibertyFenStateNaturePreserveinLoganCounty.

ELEVATION MAP OF OHIOODNR Geological Survey

6

OHIO RIVER DRAINAGE Wabash Basin Great Miami Basin Ohio River West Basin Little Miami Basin South Point Basin Scioto Basin Hocking Basin Muskingum Basin Ohio River East Basin Mahoning Basin

oHIo BASInS LAKE ERIE DRAINAGE Lake Erie East Basin Cuyahoga Basin Lake Erie Central Basin Sandusky Basin Portage Basin Maumee Basin Ottawa Basin

NORTH AMERICA BASINSO C E A N B A S I N S

PACIFIC OCEAN DRAINAGE Yukon River Basin Pacific Shoreboard Colorado River Basin Columbia River Basin

ARCTIC OCEAN DRAINAGE Arctic Shoreboard Mackenzie River Basin Hudson Bay Shoreboard Nelson River Basin

ATLANTIC OCEAN DRAINAGE St. Lawrence River Basin Atlantic Shoreboard Mississippi River Basin Rio Grande Basin Gulf of Mexico Shoreboard

E N D O R H E I C B A S I N S The Great Basin

Adrainagebasinactsasafunnel,collectingthesurfacewaterwithinanareacoveredbythebasinandchannellingittowardsa

singlepoint.Eachdrainagebasinisseparatedtopographicallyfromadjacentbasinsbyageographicalbarriersuchasaridge,hillor

mountain,whichisknownasawaterdivide.

Watershedmanagementistheprocessofimple-mentingmeanstosustainorenhancewatershedfunctionsthataffecttheplant,animal,andhumancommunitieswithinthatbasinboundary.

7

PRIncIPAl RIvERS And STREAMS8

PO

RTAGE RIVER

TEN MILE CREEK OTTAWA RIVER

ST. JO

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BLANCHARD RIVER

OTTAWA RIVER

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AU

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AUGLAIZE R

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BAKES CREEKMILL CREEK

BEAVER CREEK

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GREENVILLE CREEK

STILLW

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ALU

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LITTL

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RACCOON CKSOU

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BLA

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LICKING RIV

ERJONATHAN CREEK

MO

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WILLS CREEK

SALT FORK

BUFFALO F

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SENEC

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SUNFISH CREEK

WHEELING CREEK

CAPTINA

CROSS CREEK

CREEK

LITTLE STILLWATER CK

MCMAHON CK

STILLWA

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TUSCARAWAS RIV

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SANDY CREEK

YELLOW CREEK

NO

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SOU

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SUGAR CREEK

SHORT CREEK

JEROM

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MUDDY F OR

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DOUG

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WIM

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MEAND

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EAST B

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NORTH

SCIOTO RIVER

MAUMEE RIVER

SAN

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WABASH RIVER

GRE

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MI RIV

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MIDDLE FORK

FORK

LITTLEBEAVERCREEK

L I T T LE CUYAHOGA

ASHTABULA RIV

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KOKOSING RIVER

WA

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WABASH BASIN Wabash River

Beaver Creek

GREAT MIAMI BASIN Great Miami River

Loramie CreekStillwater RiverSpring CreekHoney CreekWolf CreekTwin CreekClear CreekSeven Mile CreekIndian CreekDry ForkMad River

OHIO RIVER WEST BASIN Ohio River

Mill CreekIndian CreekWhite Oak CreekStraight CreekEagle CreekOhio Brush Creek

West ForkBaker Fork

LITTLE MIAMI BASIN Little Miami River

Little Miami East ForkTodd ForkCaesar Creek

SOUTH POINT BASIN Ohio River

Little Scioto RiverPine CreekIce CreekSymmes CreekIndian Guyan CreekRaccoon CreekCampaign CreekLeading CreekShade River

SCIOTO BASIN Scioto River

Scioto Brush CreekSunfish CreekSalt Creek

Paint CreekRattlesnake CreekRocky Fork

Deer CreekBig Darby Creek

Little Darby CreekLittle Walnut Creek Big Walnut Creek

Alum CreekBlacklick Creek

Olentangy RiverWhetstone Creek

Mill CreekBakes CreekLittle Scioto

HOCKING BASIN Hocking River

Federal CreekSunday CreekMonday CreekClear CreekRush Creek

MUSKINGUM BASIN Muskingum River

Wolf CreekSouth Branch

Moxahala CreekJonathan CreekLicking River

Rocky ForkWills CreekWalhonding River

Kokosing RiverNorth BranchMohican RiverKillbuck Creek

Apple CreekTuscarawas River

Stillwater CreekConotton CreekSugar CreekSandy Creek

OHIO RIVER EAST BASIN Ohio River

Little Beaver CreekYellow CreekCross CreekShort CreekWheeling CreekMcMahon CreekCaptina CreekSunfish CreekLittle Muskingum RiverLittle Hocking River

MAHONING BASIN Beaver River (PA)

Mahoning RiverMosquito CreekMeander CreekEagle Creek

Shenango River (PA)Pymatuning RiverYankee Creek

LAKE ERIE EAST BASIN Lake Erie

Chagrin RiverGrand RiverAshtabula RiverConneaut Creek

= SCENIC RIVER

CUYAHOGA BASIN Lake Erie

Cuyahoga RiverLittle Cuyahoga River

LAKE ERIE CENTRAL BASIN Lake Erie

Green CreekHuron RiverVermilion RiverBlack RiverRocky River

SANDUSKY BASIN Sandusky River

Wolf CreekHoney CreekTymochtee CreekBroken Sword Creek

PORTAGE BASIN Portage River

Portage RiverMiddle ForkEast Branch

Muddy Creek

MAUMEE BASIN Maumee River

Tiffin RiverSt. Joseph RiverSt. Marys RiverAuglaize River

Blanchard RiverOttawa River

Swan Creek

OTTAWA BASIN Ottawa River

Ten Mile Creek

L A K E E R I E D R A I N A G E

O H I O R I V E R D R A I N A G E

MIL

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SUNFISH CREEK

PAINT CREEK

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SHA

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EA

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CLEAR CREEK

RUSH CREEK

FED

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DESCRIPTIONAll lampreys have a long eel-like body and no scales.They have segmentsof muscles that are visible along their bodycalled myomeres, and a jawless mouth. inlarval lampreys, called ammocoetes, theirmouth is not fully developed, very small, andhidden between folds of skin. Adults havea disc-shaped mouth with varying amountsof teeth depending on the species.The leastbrook lamprey has a deeply notched dorsal

fin, separating it into twodistinct parts. They have54-62 myomeres (musclesegments)betweenthelastgill opening and the anus.Thedisc-likemouthoftheadultscontains largeteeth

only in the center.Any teeth on the outerportionofthediscareverysmallanddifficulttosee.Adultsaredark tanaboveand lighterbelow prior to spawning. During spawning,

adults become blue-black in color.The leastbrooklampreyismostsimilartotheAmericanbrook lamprey and sea lamprey inOhio.Thesea lamprey is much larger reaching an adultsizeofasmuchas25inchesandisalightbrownwith darker speckles or blotches. Both theAmericanbrookandsea lampreyshavemorethan62myomeresbetweenthelastgillopeningand the anus.AllotherOhio lamprey specieshaveonlyasinglelongdorsalfin.HABITAT & HABITSAllnon-parasiticlampreysrequire two distinctly different habitats thatareconnectedby free-flowing (freeofdams)stretchesofstreams.Adultsarefoundinclearbrookswithfastflowingwaterandeithersandor gravel bottoms. Juveniles or ammocoetesare found in sluggishwater,where theyburythemselves in soft substrate of medium tolargestreams.TheleastbrooklampreyisnativetotheOhioRiverdrainage.ThisisOhio’smostcommon lamprey. in someareas, such as the

hocking hills region, large spawning groupscanbewitnessedinverysmallrockystreamsinthespring.REPRODUCTIONLeastbrooklampreyspawnin March andApril in shallow pits that areexcavatedneartheupperendsofgravelriffles.These pits are created communally with asmany as 20 individuals constructing one pit.They use their suction-cup-like mouth tomove stones away to form the pit.A singlefemale can deposit as many as 1,100 eggs.Afterhatching, the ammocoetesburrow intothe sediment. During this phase, least brooklamprey eat organic particles strained frombottom sediments and the water, as well asmicroscopic organisms. After at least threeyears,theammocoetestransformintoanon-parasiticadultinthelatesummerorfall.Adultsremaininthesmallerstreamsanddonotfeed.Thefollowingspringtheyspawnandthendieshortlyafter.

lEAST BRooK lAMPREy L a m p e t r a a e p y p t e r a • L a m - p e t - r a e - p i p - t e r - a h

ALIAS Lamprey STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 4-6” (Max. 7”) FOOD Organic matter and microscopic organisms

FAMILY Petromyzontidae (Northern Lampreys)

10

DISTRIBUTION

© PHOTO CREDIT: (profile) Uland Thomas • (mouth) Uland Thomas

DESCRIPTION The shovelnose sturgeon isa native species and is the smallest sturgeonspecies found inNorthAmerica.Their snoutis broad and flatwhich gives them thename“shovelnose,” and the body is covered in ar-moredplatesratherthanscales.Theonlyoth-ersimilarspeciesinOhioisthelakesturgeon,ararespeciesofLakeErie.HABITAT & HABITS Theshovelnosesturgeonis a large river species that prefers sand andgravelsubstrateswithratherfastcurrent.his-toricallytheywereabundantintheOhioRiver

allthewayupstreamtothePennsylvanialine.They steadily decreased in abundance in theOhioRiverafter1910when thepresentdaylock and dam system was first constructed.Today shovelnose sturgeonarea rare find inOhio.SmallnumberscanstillbefoundintheOhio River from Portsmouth to the indianalineandinthelowerSciotoRiver.ifcapturedtheymustbereleasedimmediatelybecauseoftheirendangeredstatus.REPRODUCTIONThelargestfemalesproducea maximum of 50,000 eggs. Spawning occurs

over gravel substrates in swift current fromAprilthroughJunewhenwatertemperaturesrange from 65 to 70 °F. Female shovelnosesturgeonarereportedtoreachsexualmatu-rity at five to sevenyearsof ageanddonotspawneveryyear.AgingstudiesfromtheMis-sissippiRiver report fish greater thanage12arerare.Thissuggeststhatmostfemaleshov-elnosesturgeonlikelyspawnonlythreetofourtimes in their life.Young sturgeonhatched inthespringreachlengthsofsixtoeightinchesbyOctoberoftheirfirstyear.

SHovElnoSE STURgEon S c a p h i r h y n c h u s p l a t o r y n c h u s • S k a f - i h - r i n - k u s p l a t - o h - r i n - k u s

ALIAS None STATUS Endangered LENGTH Avg. 18-30” (Max. 36”) WEIGHT Avg. 1-5 lbs (Max. 10 lbs) FOOD Freshwater mussels, snails, and other aquatic inver tebrates

FAMILY Acipenseridae (Sturgeons)

11

DISTRIBUTION

© PHOTO CREDIT: Danny Brooks

DESCRIPTION Paddlefish are unique withtheir long paddle-shaped snout.They have alargemouthwithnoteeth,verysmalleyesandnoscales.Theskeletonismadecompletelyofcartilage.There is no other NorthAmericanfishspeciesthatresemblesthem.

HABITAT & HABITS PaddlefisharefoundintheOhioRiveranduptothefirstdamonitslargertributaries.Theypreferthesluggishpoolsandbackwater areasof these rivers and streams.historically they were much more commonandcouldbe foundas faruptheOhioRiverasPennsylvania. it isalsoprobable that therewasasmallpopulationinLakeErieatonetime.Today paddlefish are most often seen in theOhioRiverfromPortsmouthdownstreamtotheindianastateline.

REPRODUCTION Paddlefish spawn in thespring during periods of high flow. The fe-malescatterseggsoversubmergedgravelandcobblebars.Theyounghatchanddriftdownstreamtodeeperpoolswithslowwater.

PAddlEFISH P o l y o d o n s p a t h u l a • P o l - e e - o h - d o n s p a t h - u - l a

ALIAS Spoonbill STATUS Threatened LENGTH Avg. 24-48” (Max. 60”) WEIGHT Avg. 5-20 lbs (Max. 150 lbs) FOOD Paddlefish filter zooplankton and small insect larvae from the water with their long gill rakers

FAMILY Polyodontidae (Paddlefish)

12

DISTRIBUTION

© PHOTO CREDIT: (profile) Danny Brooks • (snout) Danny Brooks

DESCRIPTIONThe longnose gar has a verylongandnarrowsnoutcontainingmanynee-dle-liketeeth.Theirbodyislongandcylindri-cal, coveredwithdiamond-shaped,hard,non-overlappingscales.Theyareoliveorbrownishcoloredontheirbackwithawhitebelly.Whencaughtfromclearwaterstheyoftenhavenu-merousdarkspotsontheirsides,fins,andtail.Longnosegarhaveamuchlongersnoutthananyotherspeciesofgar.Additionallytheyhavefewerspotsthanthespottedgar,buttypicallymorethantheshortnosegar.HABITAT & HABITS Longnosegarareby farthe most common species of gar found inOhio.TheycanbefoundinboththeLakeErie

andOhioRiverdrainages.Garoccupymediumtolargeriversandpreferareasoflittleornoflowwithclearwater.Theyarealso found inthe harbors, bays, and other backwaters ofLake Erie.All species of gar have a special-izedairbladderthatgivesthemtheabilitytobreathe air. They can often be seen brieflypokingtheirbeakfromthewaterastheytakeinagulpofair.Eventhoughgarcanbreatheairtheyarenotobligatedtodosoandalsohavefullyfunctionalgillslikeotherfish.REPRODUCTION Spawning takes place inlateMayorearlyJune,ofteninshallowriffles.Longnosegarmigrateintosmallerstreamstospawn.Largerfemalesareoftenchasedbytwo

ormore smallermales during courtship.Theratherlargeeggsarestickyandadheretothesubstrate or aquatic plants. One female pro-duces about 30,000 eggs a year; they hatchaboutaweekafterbeinglaid.Newlyhatchedgarofallspecieshaveanadhesivedisconthetop of their head which they use to anchorthem selves toobjects until their yolk sac isabsorbed and they begin feeding. Longnosegarattainalengthof12-15inchesintheirfirstyear.Malesmatureattwotothreeyearsofageanda lengthofabout24inches.Femalesma-tureatthreetofouryearsofageandalengthof28ormoreinches.

longnoSE gAR L e p i s o s t e u s o s s e u s • L e p - i h - s o s - t e e - u s o s s - e e - u s

ALIAS Needlenose gar STATUS Sportfish LENGTH Avg. 24-36” (Max. 50”) WEIGHT Avg. 2-7 lbs (Max. 25 lbs) FOOD Small fish, primarily minnows or gizzard shad

FAMILY Lepisosteidae (Gars)

13

DISTRIBUTION

© PHOTO CREDIT: Brian Zimmerman

DESCRIPTION American eels are brownish,with a slender snake-like body and a smallpointedhead.Thedorsalfinislong,extendingmorethanhalfthelengthofthebodyandcon-nectingthetailandanal fins.Theyhaveshortroundedpectoral fins and nopelvic fins.Themouth has numerous small teeth.Adult eelsareverymuscularanddifficulttoholdbecausethey secrete a slimy substance when threat-ened.Maleeelsgrowtoabout18inches,butfemalescanreachupto52inchesinlength.

HABITAT & HABITS TheAmericaneelmaybefoundat times in any stream inOhio, and inLakeErie.Theyoccurmostofteninmoderateorlargeriverswithcontinuousflowandmod-eratelyclearwater.While in freshwater,eelsare secretive and hide in deep pools aroundcover, sometimes burying themselves duringthedayandcomingouttofeedatnight.

REPRODUCTION Adult American eels mi-grate to theSargassoSea,acalmarea in thesoutheast section of theAtlantic Ocean, tospawnandthendie.Thefemalelaysuptofourmillion buoyant eggs, which are fertilized bythe male.After hatching, young eels migratetowardNorthAmericaandenter freshwatersystems.Theymaturewhilemigratingupriver.

AMERIcAn EEl A n g u i l l a r o s t r a t a • A n - g w i l - a h r o s - t r a y - t a

ALIAS Eel, freshwater eel STATUS Threatened LENGTH Avg. 15-40” (Max. 52”) WEIGHT Avg. 1-3 lbs (Max. 7 lbs) FOOD Fish or crayfish, but will feed upon anything they can overpower

FAMILY Anguill idae (Freshwater Eels)

14

DISTRIBUTION

© PHOTO CREDIT: Nick Little

DESCRIPTION TheWestern tonguetiedmin-nowgets itsnamefromitsoddmouth.Mostminnows have fleshy lips on both the upperandlowerjaw.however,inthisspeciesonlytheouterone-thirdofthelowerlipsoneithersideof the mouth are covered with fleshy lobes.Thecenterofthelowerjawprojectsforwardasabonysheathwithout fleshy lips.Theoddmouth is subterminal and rather small.Thisspecies has a dark slate-gray to brown back,lightergrayorbrownsideswithpurplishflecksorreflections,andawhiteorlightcream-col-oredbelly.YoungWesterntonguetiedminnowshave a faint mid-lateral stripe which is veryfadedorabsentinadults.

HABITAT & HABITS TheWesterntonguetiedminnowisonlyfoundinsouthwestOhiointheGreat Miami and Little Miami river systems.Theywereoncewelldistributedintheupperportionofbothoftheseriversystems,butto-daycanonlybefoundintheMadRiverandas-sociatedtributaries.TheremaystillbeafewintheextremeupperportionoftheLittleMiamiRiver.Thisspeciesisveryintolerantofturbidwaters and needs a clean gravel and pebblestreambottom.Theyalsorelyonforestedandundercut streambanks, and alternating riffle-poolhabitats.Lastly,theymayneedsomewhatcooler water temperatures than the averageOhiostreamhasinsummer.

REPRODUCTION The Western tonguetiedminnowspawnsinMaywhenwatertempera-turesreach60degreesF.Malesconstructlargenestsmadebyplacingsmallpebblesinarect-angularpile.Thispile,whichliesperpendiculartotheflowofthestream,canbeonetofourfeet longand8-18 incheswide.Spawningoc-curs above this nest and males continue topilemorepebblesontopofthenestbetweenspawningevents.Oncespawningisfinishedthenestandeggsareleftunguarded.

TongUETIEd MInnoWE x o g l o s s u m l a u r a e • E x - o h - g l o s - u m l o r - e e

ALIAS None STATUS Threatened LENGTH Avg. 3-5” (Max. 6”) FOOD Various aquatic inver tebrates

FAMILY Cyprinidae (Carps and Minnows)

15

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION Creekchubshaveathickbodyandabroadhead.Themouthislarge,andthebackendoftheupperjawextendsbeyondthefrontedgeof theeye.Theyalsohavea smallflap-like barbel that is often hidden in thegroove between the upper jaw and the restofthehead.Thereisadarkspotonthefrontedge of the dorsal fin where it attaches totheir body.A dark stripe runs the full lengthofthebody.Thisstripeisdarkeronyoungfishandfishcaughtinclearwater;itcanbefaintorabsentonlargeadults,especiallymales.Largeadultbreedingmaleshavearustyorange-redcolor to their cheeks, lips, and much of thebellyandlowerfins.Theymayalsoshowsomeofthiscolorontheirdorsalfin.Breedingmales

alsohaveadarkbar justbehindthegillsandhavemanylargetuberclesontopofthehead.The similar river and hornyhead chubs haveslightlysmallermouthsthatendinfrontoftheeye,nodarkbaseatthefrontofthedorsalfin,anddarkedges to their scales, giving themacrosshatchedpattern.HABITAT & HABITS Creek chub are one ofthemostcommonfishinOhioandarefoundthroughoutthestate.Theyaremostabundantinsmallstreamswheretheyareoftenthetoppredator.This is a tolerant species that canwithstandawidevarietyofwaterconditions.REPRODUCTION Creekchubsspawninearlyspring when water temperatures reach 55degrees F. The males select spawning sites

insmallstreamsinsmoothwaterwithgravelsubstratenearariffle.Malesdigapitbysweep-ingtheirtailagainstthestreambedandmovinggravelawaywith theirmouth.Afterspawningoccurstheyfillinthepit,buryingtheeggs,withsmallpebblescreatingamound.Themalewillthendiganewpitimmediatelydownstreamofthepileofpebbles.Asspawningcontinuesthisactivitycreatesaridgeofpebblesthatcanbeafootacrossandseveralfeetlong.Manyothersmallerspeciesoffishwillsneakinandspawninthechubnest.Thus,theytakeadvantageofthewaythemalecreekchubaggressivelyde-fends the nest, which ensures their eggs areprotectedaswell.

cREEK cHUB S e m o t i l u s a t r o m a c u l a t u s • S e m - o h - t i l - u s a t - r o - m a k - u - l a t e - u s

ALIAS Chub, horn chub STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 4-8” (Max. 12”) FOOD Feeds on a wide variety of aquatic and terrestr ial insect larvae and other inver tebrates. Large creek chubs will eat small crayfish and fish


16

DISTRIBUTION

© PHOTO CREDIT: (male) Brian Zimmerman • (female) Uland Thomas

DESCRIPTION hornyhead chub have a fairlylarge mouth that ends before it reaches thefrontoftheeye.Thereisasmallbarbelintherear corner on each side of the head. Darkedges rim the scales, which lends a cross-hatchedpatterntothebody.Thedarkbrowncontrastswithlighterbrownorgoldsidesandacreamcoloredbelly.Adarkstripedowntheside ismostvisibleonyoungandnon-breed-ing adults.The fins, particularly the tail, oftenhaveaslightredororangetinge to theoth-erwise brown coloration. hornyheads differfrom the closely related river chub in havingashortersnout,slightlymoreterminalmouth,andadarkspotatthebaseofthetailwhichismostapparent inyoungand females.Adultbreedingmalesdifferfromriverchubinhavingabrightredspotbehindtheeye.Theirbreed-

ingtubercles(horn-likeprojections)ontopoftheheadextend fromslightly in frontof theeyetowellbehindtheeyeabovethegillcov-ers. hornyhead chubs can also be mistakenforcreekchubs.however,thosehavealargermouthextendingjustbeyondthefrontedgeoftheeye,adarkbasetothefrontedgeofthedorsalfin,andlackthecrosshatchedbodypat-ternformedbydarkscaleedges.HABITAT & HABITS hornyhead chub arefoundinsmalltomedium-sizedstreamswithagravelorsandbottom.Theyarefoundinsmall-erstreamsthanthecloselyrelatedriverchuband usually larger streams than creek chub.They also prefer slower currents than riverchub.inOhiotheyarecommonintheupperportionofBigandLittleDarbyCreeks,theup-

perAuglaize River, and the upper portion oftheCuyahogaRiver.REPRODUCTION hornyheadchubsspawninAprilandMay.Themalesselectspawningsitesincalmwaterwithgravelsubstratejustaboveorbelowariffle.Atthesesites,malesbuildamoundby stacking up a pileof pebbleswiththeirmouth.Theyspawnabove thisnestandcontinuetoaddtoitbetweenspawningevents.As spawning continues this activity creates aroundpebblemoundthatcanbeonetotwofeetacrossandsixtoeightincheshigh.Manyothersmallerspeciesoffishwillalsosneakinandspawninthenestofthechub.Thus,theytakeadvantageof theway themalechubag-gressively defends the nest, which ensurestheireggsareprotectedaswell.

HoRnyHEAd cHUBN o c o m i s b i g u t t a t u s • N o - k o - m i s b i g - u - t a t e - u s

ALIAS Chub STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 4-7” (Max. 9”) FOOD Various aquatic inver tebrates, and terrestr ial insects that fall in the water


17

DISTRIBUTION

© PHOTO CREDIT: (male) Uland Thomas • (female) Brian Zimmerman

DESCRIPTION The striped shiner is deep-bodied and slab-sided.These minnows havelarge scales and silvery sides with a darkerback.Theirnamestemsfromtheseriesofdarkstripesthatrundowntheback.Thesestripesjoininthecenterofthebackbehindthedor-salfin,forming“V”shapes.Thereareusuallyafewdarkscaleswhichlooklikedarkblotchesonthesides.Thecommonshiner,whichisonlyfound in northern Ohio, is very similar.Thebestwaytodistinguish thetwo is to lookatthebackscales immediatleybehind thehead.Onastripedshinerthesearerelativelyevenly

sized.Onthecommonshinertheyaresmall-er than the scales on the rest of their backand appear squished together. Breeding malestripedshinersbecomebrightpinkish-redontheir sides, lower fins, andrearedgeof theirtail.Smallpointytuberclesalsoformontheirhead, which they use to defend territoriesfromrivalmales.HABITAT & HABITS StripedshinersarefoundthroughoutOhioinsmalltomediumstreams.Theypreferstreamswithrelativelyclearwaterandcleangravelandsandsubstrates.Theyaremuchmoreabundantthanthesimilarcommon

shiner.Mostof their time is spent in deeperpools,andtheycanoftenbeseeneatinginsectsoffthesurface.Stripedshinersare frequentlycaughtbyfishermen.REPRODUCTION Striped shiners spawn inlargeschoolsnearriffles.Malesdigshallowpitswith their tails in coarse sand or fine gravelsubstrates. Many females then scatter theireggs into these shallow nests. After spawn-ing, theadultsreturntodeeperpoolswheretheyspendmostoftheirtime.Afterhatchingtheyoungdriftdownstreamandfrequenttheedgesofpoolsinshallowwater.

STRIPEd SHInER L u x i l u s c h r y s o c e p h a l u s • L u x - i l - u s k r y - s o - c e f - a l - u s

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 6-8” (Max. 10”) FOOD Aquatic and terrestr ial insects, insect larvae, and other aquatic inver tebrate


18

DISTRIBUTION

© PHOTO CREDIT: (male) Brian Zimmerman • (female) Brian Zimmerman

DESCRIPTION Stonerollers are moderatelystoutbrownishminnowswithsmalleyesandshort,roundedfins.Thesnoutisbluntlyround-edandprojectsbeyondthenearlyhorizontalmouth.Theirmouth is alwayswhite in color.Young and non-breeding adults usually havedarkblotchesovermuchoftheirbody.Largebreedingmaleshavesomeorangeandblackonfins,largepointedtuberclesontheirhead,andreddish-orangeeyes.

HABITAT & HABITS ThestonerollerisfoundthroughoutOhioinmoderatetohigh-gradientstreamswithsandytogravellysubstrate.Theypreferareaswhererifflesandpoolsalternateinrapidsuccession.however,stonerollersarevery tolerant and can survive in almost anystream with an adequate food supply.This isone of the most common species of streamfishinthestate.

REPRODUCTION Stonerollers spawn be-tweenMarchandlateMay.Malesdigspawningpits near riffles and aggressively defend theirchosensitefromothermales.Femalesremainin deeper water near the spawning pits, andenterthemindividuallyoringroupstodepositeggs.Theadhesiveeggsbecomelodgedinthegravel and are abandoned prior to hatching.Moststonerollersbecomesexuallymatureintheirsecondorthirdsummer.

cEnTRAl STonERollER MInnoW C a m p o s t o m a a n o m a l u m • C a m - p o s - t o - m a a - n o m - a l - u m

ALIAS Dough belly, racehorse chub, rotgut minnow, steel-backed chub, stone lugers, stoneroller, tallow-mouth minnow STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 3-5” (Max. 7”) Males are usually larger than females FOOD Algae and detr itus that they scrape from rocks, logs, and other submerged objects with the spade-like extension of their lower jaw


19

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION Spotfin shiners are silver-bluewith a darker back and light cream-coloredbelly.Theyarelaterallycompressedandhaveadistinctivediamond-shapedcrosshatchingpat-ternonthesidescreatedbydarkscaleedges.Thereisaduskyblotchonthewebbingofthedorsal fin near the midsection of the threerearfinrays.Additionally,thisspecieshaseightanalfinrays.Breedingmalespotfinshinershaveintenselysteel-bluesides,andfinsflushedwith

white. The closely related steelcolor shinerdiffersbyhaving a rounded rearedge to thedorsal fin, dark speckles of pigment in thefront half of thedorsal fin, nine anal fin rays,andaslightlydeeperbody.Additionally,breed-ingmalesteelcolorshinershaveared-tippedsnoutandfinsflushedwithyellowratherthanwhite. Breeding males of both species havewhitetipstothefinswhichareoftenvisibletoanobserverabovethewater’ssurface.

HABITAT & HABITS SpotfinshinersarefoundthroughoutOhioinawidevarietyofhabitats.They often become very abundant in areaswithpoorhabitat forotherspecies.TheyareoneofthefewminnowspeciesabletothriveinOhio’smanyreservoirs.REPRODUCTION Spotfin shiners spawn increvices between rocks or in bark on sub-merged fallen trees. Spawning takes placethroughout the warmer months of the yearstartinginlateMayorearlyJune.

SPoTFIn SHInERC y p r i n e l l a s p i l o p t e r a • S i h - p r i h - n e l - a h s p i l - o p - t e r - a h

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 2-4” (Max. 5”) FOOD Various aquatic inver tebrates


20

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION The bluntnose minnow has astouthalfrayinfrontofthetypicaleightrayson thedorsal fin.Thescaleson thebackbe-tween the head and dorsal fin are small andappearsquishedtogether.Thereisadarkspotof pigment on the first two or three dorsalraysaboutmidwayupthefin.Thisspecieshasaroundedheadandslightlysubterminalmouth.Therearedarkedgestothescaleswhichgivesacrosshatchedpatternovermuchofthebody.Breedingmalescanbeverydarkincoloration,andhavethreerowsoflargepointedtuberclesonthesnout.Theyalsohaveaspongypadonthebackbetweentheheadanddorsalfin.Thebluntnose minnow differs from the closely

relatedfatheadminnowbyadarkmid-lateralstripe that runs from the snout to the tail,terminatinginadarktailspot.Thisstripecanbeabsent in fish fromturbidwaters,but theblackspotisusuallystillvisible.Theyalsohaveacompletelateralline,whichthefatheadmin-now does not have.Another closely relatedspecies,thebullheadminnow,differsbyhavingashorter,thickerbody,andadarkcrescent-shaped mark on the side of the snout. Bothbullheads and fatheads lack the dark scaleedgesthatgivethebluntnoseminnowacross-hatchedappearance.HABITAT & HABITS The bluntnose minnowisfoundthroughoutOhio.itoccupiesabroad

rangeofhabitatsincludinglakes,ponds,rivers,andstreams.Theyprefershallowareasofclearwaterwithsandandgravelbottoms.REPRODUCTION Bluntnose minnows spawnrepeatedly starting in May and continue intoAugust.Malesselectthespawningsite,usuallyunderlogs,branchesorrocksinshallowwater.They will also use artificial spawning sites inoldtilesorpipes.Femaleslayadhesiveeggsontheundersideof thespawningstructure.Themale then aggressively defends the spawningsite fromother fish.Malesalsouse the largespongypadonthetopoftheirbodytocleantheeggsthefemalehaslaidontheundersideoftheselectobject.

BlUnTnoSE MInnoW P i m e p h a l e s n o t a t u s • P i m - e f - a l - e e s n o - t a t e - u s

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 2-3” (Max. 4.5”) FOOD Algae, aquatic insect larvae, diatoms, small crustaceans, and other inver tebrates


21


DISTRIBUTION

DESCRIPTION Thisisasmallspeciesofchubwithnomarkingsonthefinsandasinglesmallbarbelineachoftherearcornersofitsmouth.Streamline chubs have a subterminal mouth,anda longslenderbodyshapewhichgives itthe“streamline”partof itsname.Theydifferfromthecloselyrelatedgravelchubbyhavingaseriesof7-11distinctdarkdashesalongthesides,a longer,moreslenderbody,andbright

silvery sides rather than light straw-brownbodycoloration.HABITAT & HABITS Streamline chub arefound in medium to large streams and riv-ers in the Ohio River basin.They are highlyintolerant of clayey silt and other pollutants,making this species a good indicator of highqualitystreams.Streamlinesfrequentareasofswift current near riffles, in one to four feet

ofwateroveracleangravelbottom.Theyareoftenfoundinslightlysmallerstreamsthanthecloselyrelatedgravelchub.StreamswithgoodpopulationsofstreamlinechubinOhioincludetheKokosingRiverandBigDarbyCreek.REPRODUCTION Streamline chub likelyspawn in springorearly summer,but little isknownabouttheirreproductivebiology.

STREAMlInE cHUBE r i m y s t a x d i s s i m i l i s • E r - i m - e e - s t a x d i s - i m - i l - i s s

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 2-4” (Max. 4.5”) FOOD Various aquatic inver tebrates such as stonefly or mayfly larvae


22

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION Suckermouth minnows gettheir name from their distinctly subterminalmouth.This gives them the appearance of asmall sucker. however, all species of suckershavetheanal finpositionedclosertothetailandhavemorethaneightdorsalfinrays.Suck-ermouthminnowshaveanarrowdarkstripedownthesidewhichendsinadarkspotatthebase of the tail. immediately above this darkline isanarrowgold line.Theyhaveadarkergrayorbrownbackandalightcreamtowhitebelly.Thesidesof thebodycanbesilveryor

lightbrownandtherearenospotsorotherdistinctmarkingsonthefins.HABITAT & HABITS Suckermouth minnowsare found in medium to large rivers in swiftrifflesandgravelruns.Theyarevery tolerantofturbidityandactuallyseemtohaveaprefer-ence formurkywaters.Onlywhen the swiftriffles become covered in silt do they disap-pearfromagivenlocality.historicallythisspe-cieswasprobablynotfoundinOhioandmayhave been limited to the plains west of theMississippiRiver.Asprairiesandforestswere

clearedandstreamsandriversbecamemoreturbid, the suckermouth minnow expandedits range eastward.The first individuals werefound in illinois and indiana in 1876. Ohio’sfirst specimens date from 1920. Since thattime they have spread throughout Ohio andarecommoninmanylargerstreamsandrivers,particularlyinthewesternpartofthestate.REPRODUCTION Suckermouth minnowsspawningravelrifflesinAprilandMay.Nopa-rentalcareisgiventotheeggsoryoung.

SUcKERMoUTH MInnoWP h e n a c o b i u s m i r a b i l i s • F e n - a h - k o b e - e e - u s m e r - a b - i l - i s s



23

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION Westernblacknosedacehaveanolivetodarkbrownback,lightersides,anda cream-colored belly.They also have blackblotchesscatteredacrosstheirbackandsides,and a darkmid-lateral stripe from the snouttothebaseof thetail.Thisstripe isblackorbrown in females (and young) and rusty redinmales.Thesnout is relatively long,and themouth isslightlysubterminal.Likeotherspe-ciesofdace,theyhaveverysmallscaleswhichlendsascalelessappearance.Theydifferfrom

thecloselyrelatedlongnosedacebyhavingashorter snout, largereye, andadistinctmid-lateralstripe.HABITAT & HABITS The blacknose dace isfoundinsmallstreamsandbrooksinOhiothathavemoderateorhighgradients,clearwaters,andcleansubstratesofsand,gravel,andcob-ble.Thesefisharetypicallyfoundinfastwaterwherethereareoverhangingrootsorunder-cutbanks.Theycanalsobefoundinriffleshid-ingunderlargerocksorboulders.Thisspecies

ismoretolerantof increasedwaterturbiditythanotherOhiostreamdace,butdisappearsifrifflesubstratesbecometoosilted.REPRODUCTION Western blacknose dacespawnduringspringandearlysummerinrifflesovershallowgravel.Mostspawnattwoyearsofageandliveforthreeorfouryears.Unlikeother species of dace the two Ohio Rhinich-thysspeciesdonotspawninthenestsoflargerminnowspecies.

WESTERn BlAcKnoSE dAcE R h i n i c h t h y s o b t u s u s • R h y - n i k - t h e e s o b - t o o s - u s

ALIAS Riffle dace STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 2-3” (Max. 4”) FOOD Aquatic insect larvae and other inver tebrates


24

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION Longnose dace have a longsnoutthatprojectswellbeyondthetipofthelower jaw, resulting in a subterminal mouth.They also have a rather long and stream-lined body.As with other dace species, theyhaveverysmall scales,whichcreatesascale-less appearance. Longnose dace are olive todarkbrownabove,withblackblotches,lighterbrownsides,andacream-coloredbelly.Therearetwolightspotsatthefrontandbackbaseofthedorsalfin,visiblewhenlookingdownonthe fish. Males have red or orange lips, rearedge of gills, and base of all their lower fins.

Thetwolightspotsbythebaseofthedorsalfinarealsooftenredororangeonmales.Theydiffer from the closely relatedWestern blac-knosedacebyhaving a longer snout, smallereye,andnodistinctlateralstripe.HABITAT & HABITS Longnosedaceoccur inrockystreamswithsteepgradientsandswiftcurrents.Theycanalsobefoundinlargelakeswith rocky wave-swept shorelines. Longnosedace are found in small streams in the Cha-grinRiverwatershed,a fewothersmalleast-ernLakeErietributaries,and inseveralsmallstreams draining into the upper Ohio River.

in thesestreamstheyare found in theswift-estriffles.TheycanalsobefoundalongrockyshorelinesofeasternLakeErie.heretheyareonly found during the colder months of theyear,anditissuspectedtheymigratetodeeperwatersduringsummer.REPRODUCTION Longnosedace spawndur-ing spring in fast riffles over shallow gravel.Most spawnat twoyearsof age and live forthree or four years. Unlike other species ofdace,thetwoOhioRhinichthysspeciesdonotspawninthenestsoflargerminnowspecies.

longnoSE dAcER h i n i c h t h y s c a t a r a c t a e • R y - n i k - t h e e s c a t - a r - a k - t e e

ALIAS Riffle dace STATUS Special interest LENGTH Avg. 2-4” (Max. 5”) FOOD Various aquatic inver tebrates such as stonefly or mayfly larvae


25

DISTRIBUTION

© PHOTO CREDIT: (male) Brian Zimmerman • (female) Uland Thomas

DESCRIPTIONTheredsidedaceisastrikinglycolored fishwithadistinctivewideredbandonitssides.Thisband,whichextendsfromjustbehindtheeyetothefrontedgeoftheanalfin,isalightredorpinkonnon-breedingfishandbrightcarmine-redonbreedingmales.Unlikemostminnowspecies,thebandisonlyslightlyless intensely colored on breeding females.Abovethisbandisathingoldlinewhichrunsfromtheeyetothebaseofthetail.Abovethegoldlinethebackisdarkolive-browntodeepgreen.Belowtheredband,thebellyiswhiteorlightcream,andthefinshavenospotsoroth-erdistinctmarkings.Redsidedacehavealong

narrow body with very small scales, a largeeye, and a distinctive large upturned mouth.Thecloselyrelatedrosysidedacediffersbybe-ingsuffusedwithredorpinkalongtheentirelower side, and the red reaches beyond thefrontoftheanalfin.Rosysidedacealsohaveasmallermouth,deeperbody,andlargerscales.HABITAT & HABITS Theredsidedaceisanin-dicatorofveryhighqualitysmallstreams.Thisspeciesisintolerantofturbidityandsilt.Theyareattractedtodeeppoolswithanabundanceofwoodydebris.Thesmall streams they fre-quenttypicallyhaveratherhighgradients,veryclear cool water, and are in heavily forested

watersheds.Thisspecies is found intheeast-ernhalfofthestate,withtheexceptionoftheMadRiverinwest-centralOhio.REPRODUCTION Redside dace spawn ingroups in lateApril or early May. Like manyspeciesofsmallminnows,theyusuallyspawninthenestoflargerminnowsorsuckers.Creekchub, striped shiners, common shiners, andcommon white suckers are common hosts.Thesenestsarefoundnearfastrifflesincoarsesandorfinegravel.Redsidedaceleavetheeggstobeguardedbythe largerhostspeciesandprovidenoparentalcare.

REdSIdE dAcEC l i n o s t o m u s e l o n g a t u s • C l i h - n o s - t o - m u s e - l o n - g a t e - u s

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 3-4” (Max. 5”) FOOD Insects and various other aquatic inver tebrates


26

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION Southern redbelly dace haveextremely small scales, which lends them ascaleless appearance.They have a distinctivecoloration, unlike any other Ohio species ofminnowandarelativelysmallterminalmouth.There is a rowof small dark blotches downthe center of the back, starting just behindtheheadandextendingtothetail.Athindarkstripeextendsfromheadtotailalongtheup-per sides. immediately below that is a widesilvery-gold stripe that runs from the eye tothetail.Aseconddarkstripegoescompletelyaroundthetipofthenose,acrossthegills,andallthewaydownthesidestothetail.Thelow-ersidesandbellyarewhitetoyellowish-creaminyoungandnon-breedingadults.Thefinsarelightyellowtowhitishandarenearlytranspar-

ent.Breedingmalesarebrightredacrosstheentirebellyandthroattotheedgeofthelowerdark stripe.The fins are often bright lemon-yellowand sometimes there is a red spot atthebaseofthedorsalfin.Breedingfemalesalsohavesomeredontheirbellyandyellowonfins,buttheyarenotasdistinctivelycolored.HABITAT & HABITS Southern redbelly daceprefersmallheadwaterstreamswithclearun-pollutedwater.Manyofthesestreamsarelessthanfivefeetwideandhavemoderatetohighgradientswithwelldevelopedpoolsandriffles.Suitable streams are found in shady, forestedareas where the dace typically occupy poolswith some flow and an abundance of hidingplacessuchasundercutbanks,downtrees,andlogs.This species relies heavily on the pres-

enceofthesehabitatfeaturestosustainlargepopulations.Theyarefoundthroughoutmuchofthestate,butareabsentinnorthwestOhiowheresmallstreamstendtobesluggishwithfewriffles.REPRODUCTION Southern redbelly dacespawninlargegroupsinlateAprilorearlyMay.Like many smaller species of minnows, theyusuallyspawninthenestoflargerfish.Com-monhostsincludecreekchub,stripedshiners,common shiners, and common white suck-ers.Thesenests are foundnear fast riffles incoarsesandorfinegravel.Theeggsarelefttobeguardedbythehostspeciesandnoparentalcareisprovided.

SoUTHERn REdBElly dAcE C h r o s o m u s e r y t h r o g a s t e r • K r o - s o - m u s e r - i t h - r o - g a s - t e r

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 2-3” (Max. 3.5”) FOOD Feeds in groups along the bottom on detr itus (decaying organic matter) and some aquatic inver tebrates


27

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION Redfin shiners have a darkblotchatthefrontbaseofthedorsalfin.Thisspeciesislaterallycompressedandhasadeepbody.The sides are silver-blue with a darkerbackandalighterwhiteorcreambelly.Breed-ingmales canbecomebright shinybluewithredfins.Femalessometimesbecomepaleredonthefins,butitismuchlessvisiblethanthatofmales.Redfinshinersdifferfromthecloselyrelatedscarletshinerbyhavingadeeperbody,

no distinct saddle bars, and by having moreanalfinraysonaverage(11-13,usually11).HABITAT & HABITS Redfinshinersarefoundinsluggishsectionsofsmalltomediumstreamsand are rather tolerant of turbid water andsome siltation.They can also occur in largerrivers, but if so they are usually scarce.Red-fins are most common in the Maumee, Por-tage,andSanduskyriversystemsofnorthwestOhio, but canbe found throughout theLake

Eriedrainage,andintheOhioRiverdrainageinsoutheastOhio.insouthwestOhiotheyarereplacedbythecloselyrelatedscarletshiner.REPRODUCTION Spawning occurs through-outlatespringandsummerovercleansandorfinegravelsubstrates.Redfinshinerswilloftenusethenestsoflargerminnowspeciesorevensunfishforspawning,butarenotobligatedtodoso.

REdFIn SHInERL y t h r u r u s u m b r a t i l i s • L i t h - r u r - u s u m - b r a t - i l - u s

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 2-3” (Max. 3.5”) FOOD Various aquatic inver tebrates


28

DISTRIBUTION



DESCRIPTION Scarlet shiners have a darkblotchatthefrontbaseofthedorsalfin.Thisspeciesislaterallycompressedandhasarath-er longslenderbody.Theyhave4-11distinctsaddle bands over the back and upper sides(more visible onmales).The sides are silver-blue,contrastingwithadarkerbackandlighterwhite or cream belly. Breeding males can bebrightshinybluewithbrightredfins.Femalescandevelopsomefaintredcolorationonthe

fins, but it is much less visible than that ofmales. Scarlet shiners differ from the closelyrelatedredfinshinerbyhavingamoreslenderbody,4-11distinct saddlebars, andbyhavingfeweranalfinraysonaverage(9-11,usually10).HABITAT & HABITS Scarletshinersarefoundin sluggish pools of small to medium-sizedstreamsandarenottolerantofturbidwaterorsilt.Theycanalsooccurinlargerrivers,butifso,usuallyinlownumbers.Theyarefoundin

southwestOhiofromtheSciotoRiverdrain-agewestward,andarereplacedbythecloselyrelatedredfinshinerintherestofOhio.REPRODUCTION Scarlet shiners spawnthroughoutlatespringandsummerovercleansand or fine gravel substrates often in swiftriffles.Theywilloftenuse thenestsof largerminnowspeciesforspawning,butarenotob-ligatedtodoso.

ScARlET SHInERL y t h r u r u s f a s c i o l a r i s • L i t h - r u r - u s f a s - e e - o h - l a r - i s



29

DISTRIBUTION

DESCRIPTION Sandshinersareasmallsilveryminnows,usuallywithsevenanalfinrays.Theyhavenodistinctstripealongthesides,butdohaveastripedownthecenteroftheback.Thisstripestopsinawedge-shapedspotinfrontofthedorsal fin and thencontinuesbehind thedorsal fin, but does not encircle the base ofthefin.Thefinsaretransparentwithnodarkmarkings.Thescalesalongthelaterallinejust

behindtheheadarenearlyaswideastheyaretall. Sand shiners differ from mimic, channel,and ghost shiners by having a rather distinctstripe down the center of the back, lack ofa stripe along the sides, andhaveonly sevenratherthaneightanalrays.Additionally,ghostshinershaveadeeperbodyandlongerfins.HABITAT & HABITS Sand shiners are foundthroughout Ohio in medium to large rivers

andstreams.Theyaremostabundantinpoolsinstreamswithsandorfinegravelsubstratesandlowormoderateturbidity.Theyaremoretolerantofturbidwaterthanthesimilarmimicshiner.REPRODUCTION Sand shiners spawn in latespringandearlysummer,scatteringeggsovera sand or gravel substrate. No parental careisgiven.

SAnd SHInERN o t r o p i s s t r a m i n e u s • N o - t r o - p i s s t r a - m i n - e e - u s



30

DISTRIBUTION

© PHOTO CREDIT: Uland Thomas

DESCRIPTION Thesilverjawminnowissmallandsilverywithdistinctiveheadfeatures.Theventralandlowersidesoftheheadhavesilveryplatesthatreflectthenumerousinternaltubu-larchannels.Thesechannelsarethoughttobea series of sensory organs that help the fishdetectprey itemsonand justunderthesur-faceofsand.NootherOhiominnowspecieshasthisfeature.Theupperjawis longerthanthelowerjaw,andtheundersideoftheheadisflattened.Thesidesoftheheadangleinward

towardsthetop.Theeyesarepositionednearthesummitofthehead;thus,thepupilscanbeseenwhenlookingdownonthefish.andtherathersilverybodyisdarkeronthebackwithlighter sides andbelly. Silverjawminnowsaremostsimilartothebigmouthshiner,whichhasaverysimilarbodyshape,butlackstheplatingon the lower jaw. Silverjaws also superficiallyresemblethetrout-perch,whichisnotamin-nowandcanbeseparatedbythepresenceofanadiposefin,whichallminnowslack.

HABITAT & HABITS Thesilverjawminnowisfound throughout Ohio in medium to smallstreams,almostexclusivelyinareaswithasan-dybottom.Theyareverycommonwhereap-propriatehabitatispresentandlargeschoolscanoftenbefound.REPRODUCTION Silverjaw minnows spawnbetweenAprilandJuneinshallowareasneargravel riffles, over coarse sand or pea-sizedgravel.

SIlvERjAW MInnoW N o t r o p i s b u c c a t u s • N o - t r o - p i s b o o - k o t - u s

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 2-3” (Max. 4”) FOOD Insect larvae and other aquatic inver tebrates


31

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION Popeye shiners are small sil-veryminnowswith adusky tip to the lowerjaw and a faint dusky stripe along the sidesthat ismostvisiblenear the tail.Theyhaveaverylargeeyeandterminalmouth.Allthefinsaretransparentwithnodistinctmarkingsandtherearenineanalfinrays.Popeyeshinerscanalsobedistinguishedbyanobviousdipinthelaterallinethroughthecenterpartofthebody.

The similar bigeye shiner has only eight analrays,amoredistinctstripealongtheside,andalessprominentdipinthelateralline.HABITAT & HABITS This species is found inclear,unsiltedwaterinmedium-sizedstreams.Thesestreamsusuallyhaveslowtomoderateflow and many long sluggish pools in whichthe popeye shiners reside.This species was

thoughttohavedisappearedfromOhiopriorto1900until apopulationwasdiscovered inSciotoBrushCreek in southernOhio in themid1980s.REPRODUCTION Popeyeshinersareassumedtoreproduceinspringorsummer,butlittleisknown about their reproductive activities orrequirements.

PoPEyE SHInERN o t r o p i s a r i o m m u s • N o - t r o - p i s a i r - e e - o m - u s

ALIAS None STATUS Endangered LENGTH Avg. 2-3” (Max. 3.5”) FOOD Various aquatic inver tebrates and terrestr ial insects that fall in the water or fly just above the surface


32

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION Creekchubsuckersareasmallspeciesofsuckerwithadarkgolden-bronzebackanduppersides,andacreamorwhitebelly. The edges of their scales have darkmargins, creating a cross-hatched appear-ance over much of the body.The mouth issubterminal, and there areusually9-10dor-sal rays.Adultshavea seriesof five toeightfaint dark saddles over the back and uppersides. Below these saddles there is a seriesofblotcheswhichmaybefusedintoabroadand usually faint stripe.Adult males have ahookedorfalcateanalfinandwhenbreeding

theyhavethreetuberclesoneachsideofthesnout.Youngchubsuckershaveadistinctblackstripedownthesideandareoftenmistakenfor small minnows.They also have a blackleading edge to their dorsal fin.The closelyrelatedlakechubsuckercanbedistinguishedbyitsmoreterminalmouth,usually11or12dorsalrays,andaslightlydeeperbody.HABITAT & HABITS Creek chubsuckers arefound in sluggish prairie streams with clearwatersandanabundanceofaquaticvegetation.Theyoccuroverareasofsand,finegravel,ororganicdebristhatarefreeofclayeysilt.This

specieswasmuchmorenumeroushistoricallyinwesternOhiothanitistoday.itcanstillbefoundinnumbersinsomeofthehigherqualityprairiestreamsinwesternOhio.REPRODUCTION Creek chubsuckers spawnin April in small streams. Like many othersuckerspecies,twomaleswillpressasinglefe-malebetweenthemasallthreefishvibrateandshake their tail.This is done over fine gravelor sand substrates and the fish’s movementscausetheeggstobecomeburied.Noparentalcareisgiven.

WESTERn cREEK cHUBSUcKERE r i m y z o n c l a v i f o r m i s • E r - i h - m y - z o n c l a - v i - f o r - m i s


FAMILY Catostomidae (Suckers)

33

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION Northernhog suckershave abonyheadthattapersabruptlyintoaslenderbody,andaverydistinctivelargesuckermouth.Theireyesarepositionedontopoftheheadwithadepressionbetweenthem.hogsuckersareamottledreddishbrownwithfourtosixdarksaddlesorbandsacrosstheirback.

HABITAT & HABITS Relatively clear streamswithcleansubstrates freeofsiltarethepre-ferred habitat. hog suckers prefer fast rifflesduringmostoftheyear,butarefoundinpoolsduringthecoldermonths.Likemostsuckers,theyoftenmigratelongdistancestospawninsmallerstreamsinspring.Northernhogsuck-ersarenativethroughoutOhioandareacom-monspecies.

REPRODUCTION hogsuckersspawninAprilorearlyMay.Afemaleandoftenseveralmalesstirupthebottomsedimentstoformaslightdepression where the eggs are deposited.Spawningcanlastforanextendedperiodwiththe female laying eggs at irregular intervals.Young are often found at the edge of poolsoverasandysubstrate.

noRTHERn Hog SUcKER H y p e n t e l i u m n i g r i c a n s • H i - p e n - t e l - e e - u m n y - g r i h - k a n s

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 10-15” (Max. 24”) WEIGHT Avg. <1 lbs (Max. 4 lbs) FOOD Use their mouth to over turn rocks and stir up sediment as they seek aquatic insects and other inver tebrates


34

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION Commonwhitesuckershavealongslenderbodywithlightbrownsidesandawhitebelly.Themouthissmallandsubtermi-nal,andthisspecieshassmallerscales(55-85alonglateralline)thanallotherOhiosuckersexceptthelongnosesucker.Thedorsalfinandtailfinareaslate-graycolor.Allotherfinsarewhite, yellow,or light brown.Breedingmaleshave a rosyor pinkish stripe along their up-persidesandadarkback.Youngwhitesuckershavedarkblotchesovertheirbackandsides.Whitesuckersdiffer fromtheclosely-relatedlongnosesuckerbyhavingashortersnoutand

fewerlateral linescales. it isalsomuchmorecommonandwidelydistributedinOhiothanisthelongnose.HABITAT & HABITS Commonwhite suckersare not habitat-specific and can be found innearly every lake, reservoir, river, and streaminOhio.ThelargestOhiopopulationisfoundinLakeErie,andinearlyspringlargenumbersofwhitesuckersmigrateuptributarystreamstospawn.Whitesuckersalsoareverytolerantofpollution,turbidity,andlowoxygenlevels.

REPRODUCTION Common white suckersspawnfromApriltoearlyMaywhentheyrunupstream,usuallyatnight.Theyseekareaswithswiftwaterandgravellysubstrates,uponwhichtheyrandomlyspreadtheireggs.Femalescanlaybetween20,000to50,000eggs.Theyounghatch and remain in the gravel for one totwo weeks before migrating downstream atnight.Larvalwhitesuckers feedonprotozoa,diatoms, and small crustaceans.As the younggrow,themouthmigratestotheundersideofthe fish, thus allowing the sucker to feedonthebottom.

coMMon WHITE SUcKER C a t o s t o m u s c o m m e r s o n i i • K a - t o s - t o - m u s k a - m e r - s o - n e e - e y e

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 10-20” (Max. 25”) WEIGHT Avg. <1 lbs (Max. 5 lbs) FOOD Consumes a wide variety of items including, but not limited to mollusks, insects, diatoms, crustaceans, protozoa, and some plant material


35

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION Quillback carpsuckers haveasmall subterminalmouth.Theback ismod-erately arched and the lateral line is nearlystraight.They are silveryon the sideswith awhitebelly,andthelowerfinscanbeorangeoryellow.Thetailanddorsalfinsaregraytosilverincolor.Thefirstseveralraysofthedorsalfinforma longquill.Unliketheriverandhighfincarpsuckers,theyhavenofleshyknobonthefrontedgeofthelowerlip.Therearetwosub-speciesofquillbackcarpsuckersfoundinOhio:central quillback carpsucker (Carpiodes cypri-

nus hinei) andNorthernquillback carpsucker(C.c.cyprinus).Northenquillbackcarpsuckersaredeeper-bodiedandhavesmallereyesthanthecentralquillbackcarpsuckers.HABITAT & HABITS Northernquillbackcarp-suckers are found only in Lake Erie and thefirstmileor twoof someof its larger tribu-taries.Theycanbefoundthroughoutthelake,but are most common in depths of 15-25feet.Thecentralquillbackcarpsuckerisfoundthroughout inlandOhio inmoststreamsand

rivers.Theyaremostcommoninlow-gradientstreams of northwestern and southeasternOhio.They can also be common in some ofOhio’slargerreservoirs.Bothadultsandyoungoftenfeedinlargeschools,movingslowlyoverasandorgravelbottom.REPRODUCTION Quillback carpsuckersspawnbetween earlyApril and lateMay.Theeggs are randomly depositedover a sandormudbottomand left in quietwater. Femaleslaybetween15,000to60,000eggs.

QUIllBAcK cARPSUcKERC a r p i o d e s c y p r i n u s • K a r - p e - o h - d e e s s i h - p r i h - n u s

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 15-20” (Max. 26”) WEIGHT Avg. 1-4 lbs (Max. 10 lbs) FOOD Small crustaceans and other aquatic inver tebrates, protozoa, and filamentous algae


36

DISTRIBUTION

© PHOTO CREDIT: (profile) Tim Danial • (mouth) Brian Zimmerman

DESCRIPTION The golden redhorse has anolive-colored back and white belly with goldtobronzesidesandaslate-graytail.Theirdor-salfinisslightlyconcave.Therearedgeofthelipsformsaslight“V”shape.Thereare39-42scalesalongthelateralline.Theblackredhorseismoreslender inappearance,withthebackedgeofthelipsformingastraight line,andithas 44-47 scales along the lateral line. Silverredhorseareverydeep-bodied,therearedgeofthelowerlipsformadeep“V”andtheyhave

aconvexdorsalfin.Ohio’sotherfourspeciesofredhorsehaveredtails.HABITAT & HABITS The golden redhorse isfoundthroughoutOhioandoccurs inallbutthesmalleststreamsandrivers.Theyalsoarefound inLakeErie and larger reservoirs thathaveastreamorriver feedingthem.it isthemostcommonandleastsensitivetopooren-vironmentalconditionsofOhio’ssevenspeciesofredhorse.

REPRODUCTION Golden redhorse spawn inApril and May when the water temperaturereaches50degreesF.Theymakelargemigra-tions from rivers and reservoirs to smallerstreams where they spawn at night in shal-lowriffles.Twomaleswillpressasinglefemalebetween them while all three fish vibrate aseggsandspermarereleased.Theyprovidenoparentalcare.Theyoungcanoftenbeseeninlarge schools, often in a mix of various red-horsespecies,feedingalongsandybottomsinpools.

goldEn REdHoRSE M o x o s t o m a e r y t h r u r u m • M o x - o h - s t o - m a e r - i t h - r u r - u m

ALIAS Redhorse, sucker STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 12-18” (Max. 26”) WEIGHT Avg. 1-2 lbs (Max. 4.5 lbs) FOOD Larval insects, snails, small mollusks, and other aquatic inver tebrates


37

DISTRIBUTION

© PHOTO CREDIT: (profile) Uland Thomas • (mouth) Brian Zimmerman

DESCRIPTION Theriver redhorsehas a rel-atively large head and eyes, and a bright redtail.The rear edgeof the dorsal fin is nearlystraight to slightly concave. River redhorseoccur in both the Lake Erie and Ohio Riverdrainage basins.The similar greater redhorsehas a more rounded head, smaller eye, anda slightly convex rear edge to the dorsal fin.Shorthead and smallmouth redhorse havesmallerheads,moreslenderbodies,andcon-

cavedorsal fins.Ohio’sother threeredhorsespecieshaveslate-graytails.HABITAT & HABITS RiverredhorsearefoundinonlythelargestriversoftheOhioandLakeErie drainage systems. They frequent deeppoolswithmoderatecurrentoverbedrockorgravelsubstrate.Riverredhorseareintolerantofpollutionandturbidwaterandareanindi-catorofgoodwaterquality.

REPRODUCTION Spawning occurs in AprilandMay.Theymigrateintosmallerstreamsandspawnatnightneartheendsofshallowriffles.Twomaleswillpressasinglefemalebetweenthem while all three fish vibrate as eggs andspermarereleased.Theyburytheireggsinfinegravelwiththeirtails.Nofurtherparentalcareisgiven.

RIvER REdHoRSEM o x o s t o m a c a r i n a t u m • M o x - o h - s t o - m a k a r - i n - a t e - u m

ALIAS Redhorse, sucker STATUS Species of concern LENGTH Avg. 18-26” (Max. 32”) WEIGHT Avg. 3-7 lbs (Max. 12 lbs) FOOD Larval insects, snails, small mollusks, and other aquatic inver tebrates


38

DISTRIBUTION

© PHOTO CREDIT: (profile) Uland Thomas • (mouth) Nate Tessler

DESCRIPTION Thisspecieswasrecentlygivenspecific recognition. itwas longconsideredasubspeciesoftheshortheadredhorse(M.mac-rolepidotum).Smallmouthredhorsehaveasmallhead,longslenderbody,deeplyconcavedorsalfin and a bright red tail.The body is gold tosilveronthesideswithadarkerolive-brownback.They differ from the similar shortheadredhorseinhavingashorterandmoredeeplyconcavedorsalfin.ThesmallmouthredhorseisonlyfoundintheOhioRiveranditstributar-

ies.ShortheadredhorseoccurinLakeErieanditstributaries.Greaterandriverredhorsehavelargerheads,deeperbodies,andnearlystraightdorsal fins.Ohio’sotherthreeredhorsehaveslate-graytails.HABITAT & HABITS Smallmouth redhorsearefoundintheOhioRiverandinotherlargestreamsandriversintheOhioRiverdrainagebasin.Theypreferrelativelyshallowwaterandswift currents in areas with a clean sand orgravelsubstratefreeofclayorsilt.Smallmouth

redhorse are intolerant of pollution and tur-bidwaterandareanindicatorofgoodwaterquality.REPRODUCTION Spawning occurs in AprilandMay.Theymigrateintosmallerstreamsandspawn at night at the ends of shallow riffles.Twomaleswillpressasinglefemalebetweenthem while all three fish vibrate as eggs andspermarereleased.Theyburytheireggsinfinegravelwiththeirtails.Nofurtherparentalcareisgiven.

SMAllMoUTH REdHoRSEM o x o s t o m a b r e v i c e p s • M o x - o h - s t o - m a b r e h - v i h - s e p s

ALIAS Redhorse, sucker STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 12-16” (Max. 20”) WEIGHT Avg. 1-2 lbs (Max. 3 lbs) FOOD Larval insects, snails, small mollusks, and other aquatic inver tebrates


39

DISTRIBUTION

© PHOTO CREDIT: (profile) Uland Thomas • (mouth) Uland Thomas

DESCRIPTIONThechannelcatfish, likeothercatfish, has no scales, a single bony spine ineachpectoralfinandthedorsalfin,andeightbarbelsaroundthemouth.Theyhaveadeeplyforked tail and the upper jaw is longer thanthelowerjaw.Thedorsalandpectoralspinesare sharp and deeply serrated, and the analfiniscurvedandhasbetween24and30rays.Thebodycanbeblue,gray,silver,orblackish.Thebellyisusuallywhiteorcream.Smallindi-

vidualsareusuallysilveryandoftenhavemanyblackspotsontheirsides.Someanglersmis-takenlycalllargechannelcatfishwithfewornospotsbluecatfish,butthatspecieshasananalfinwithastraightedgeandmorethan30rays.HABITAT & HABITS ChannelcatfisharenativetoOhioandoccurstatewideinlargestreams,rivers,andlakes.Theyarealsostockedinmanyfarm ponds where they do well, but rarelyreproduce. Channel catfish prefer areas with

deepwater,cleangravelorbouldersubstratesand lowtomoderatecurrent.however, theyaretolerantofawiderangeofconditions.REPRODUCTION Channel catfish beginspawningwhenwater temperatures reach70degreesF. Theyusenaturalcavities,undercutbanks and muskrat burrows as nests.The fe-malelaysagelatinousmasscontainingbetween8,000to15,000eggsandtheparentsremaintofantheeggsandguardtheyoungafterhatching.

cHAnnEl cATFISH I c t a l u r u s p u n c t a t u s • I k - t a l - u r - u s p u n k - t a t e - u s

ALIAS Spotted cat, silver cat, squeaker cat STATUS Sportfish LENGTH Avg. 15-25” (Max. 40”) WEIGHT Avg. 2-10 lbs (Max. 37 lbs) FOOD Omnivorous and will eat a wide variety of items including insect larvae, crayfish, mollusks, fish (dead or alive), and even fruits and berr ies

FAMILY Ictaluridae (North American Catfishes)

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DISTRIBUTION

© PHOTO CREDIT: (adult) Uland Thomas • (juvenile) Uland Thomas

adult

juvenile


DESCRIPTIONTheflatheadcatfishistheonlyNorthAmericancatfishspecieswhose lowerjaw is longer than the upper jaw.Their headis flattened between the eyes and they haveaverylargemouth.Thisisalsotheonlylargecatfish with a square tail. Body color is usu-allyyellow-oliveorabrownwithdarkbrownblotches,andthebellyisyelloworyellowish-white.

HABITAT & HABITS Adultspreferdeepslug-gishpoolswithcoversuchassubmergedlogsandbrushpiles.TheyarefoundinlargeriversinOhioandaremostabundantintheMaumee,Muskingum,Scioto,andOhiorivers.Flatheadsalsooccurinmostofthelargerreservoirsinthestate.

REPRODUCTION Flatheadcatfishspawnwhenwatertemperaturesreach70degreesF.Theybuildnests indark secluded shelters such asnaturalcavities,undercutbanks,ornearlargesubmerged objects. The eggs are laid in acompact golden-yellow mass which the malefans continuously.The egg mass may containas many as 100,000 eggs.After hatching, theyoungremainnearthenestforseveraldaysinalargecompactschool.

FlATHEAd cATFISH P l y o d i c t u s o l i v a r i s • P l y - o h - d i k - t u s o l - i h - v a r - i s

ALIAS Mudcat, shovelhead, yellow catfish STATUS Sportfish LENGTH Avg. 20-40” (Max. 60”) WEIGHT Avg. 10-40 lbs (Max. 60-80 lbs) FOOD Feeds almost entirely on live fish


41

DISTRIBUTION

DESCRIPTION The stonecat madtom canbevarious shadesofbrown,with awhiteorcreambelly.Theadiposefinisattachedtothetailwithnofreerearedge.Finsarepalerthanthebodyand stonecats sometimeshave twoorthreelighterbrownoryellowishsaddle-likemarkingsacrosstheback.Theedgesofthefinsareoftenoutlinedwith lighterbrown,yellow,orwhite.Thebodyislongandslender,andtheupper jaw protrudes beyond the lower jaw.Therearedgeofthepectoralspinesisstraight,notdeeplyserrated.

HABITAT & HABITS Stonecat madtoms areprimarily a riffle-dwelling species. They aremost abundant in medium to large rivers inareaswithmoderately fast current and largebouldersandslabs.TheyarealsofoundinLakeEriearoundtheislandsandreefsoftheWest-ernBasin, and along rocky shorelines. Stone-catsspendthedayhidingunderlargeflatrocksandcomeoutatnighttofeed.ThisspeciesisfoundthroughoutOhioandisthemostcom-monofOhio’ssixspeciesofmadtoms.

REPRODUCTION Stonecat madtoms beginspawning when water temperatures reachabout80degreesF. The female laysagelati-nousroundmasscontainingabout500eggsontheundersideof flat stones.Oneof thepar-entsguardstheeggsuntilhatching.Youngston-ecatsareoftenfoundinshallowerandswifterwaterthantheadults.

STonEcAT MAdToMN o t u r u s f l a v u s • N o - t u r - u s f l a - v u s

ALIAS Madtom, beetle-eye STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 4-8” (Max. 12”) FOOD Insect larvae, crayfish and other crustaceans, and small fish


42

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION The tadpole madtom can bevarious shades of brown or yellow-brown.There are no dark markings on their body.Theyaredarkestontheback,becominglighteronthesidesandfadingintoawhiteoryellowbelly.Theadiposefiniscompletelyconnectedtothetail,whichislargeandrounded,creatingatadpole-likeappearance.Therearedgeofthepectoralspinesisstraight,notdeeplyserrated.

HABITAT & HABITS Tadpolemadtomsoccurinareaswithlittleornocurrent.Theyprefersluggishstreamsorrivers,swamps,marshesornatural lakes,andoftenhide inthickvegeta-tioninareaswithasoftmudormuckbottom.The tadpole madtom is one of three rathercommonmadtomspeciesfoundinOhio.Theyarecommoninthenorthwesternpartofthestate,butisolatedpopulationsoccurstatewide.

REPRODUCTION Tadpolemadtomsspawninearly summer when water temperatures ap-proach 80 degrees F.The sticky eggs are at-tachedtotheundersideofarock,logorsub-merged root.Themale then guards the eggsuntiltheyhatch.

TAdPolE MAdToMN o t u r u s g y r i n u s • N o - t u r - u s j y - r i n - u s



43

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION The brindled madtom is asmallcatfishwitharoundedtail.Theadiposefinhasadarksaddlethatgoesuptoandacrossthetopedgeofthefin.Thereisalsoablack-ishblotchon the topof thedorsal fin.Bodycoloration is light brown with several darkstronglycontrastingsaddlesorblotchesdowntheback.Thesidesarespeckledwithlightanddark brown dots and the belly is cream orwhite.Therearedgeofthepectoralspinesaredeeplyserrated.Brindledmadtomsdifferfrom

mountain and Northern madtoms by havingdarkpigmentonthetopedgeofthedorsalfin.HABITAT & HABITS Brindled madtoms arefound throughout Ohio, and are common inareaswith suitable habitat.They prefer areaswithacleansandorgravelbottomandavoidsites with a soft mud, muck, or silt-coveredbottom.They aremost common inmedium-sizedstreamsandoftenfrequenttheedgeofpoolsinroots,leaflitter,brushpilesorother

debris. Brindled madtoms are not typicallyfoundinfastcurrentlikesomeothermadtomspecies.Theyareoneofthreerelativelycom-monspeciesofmadtomsinOhio.REPRODUCTION The brindled madtomspawnsinearlysummerwhenwatertempera-tures approach 80 degrees F. Females attachtheir sticky eggs to the underside of a rock,log,orsubmergedroot.Themalethenguardstheeggsuntiltheyhatch.

BRIndlEd MAdToMN o t u r u s m i u r u s • N o - t u r - u s m y - u r - u s



44

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION The mountain madtom is asmallcatfishwithanalmostsquare tail.Theiradipose fin is not attached to the tail.Thereis somepigmenton the adipose fin, but it isrelativelyclearwithnodistinctdarksaddle-likemarkingontopofthefin.Theydifferfromthevery similarNorthernmadtom innothavingadistinctdarkverticalbarorcrescentinthecenterof the tail.Mountains areoftenmoreuniformlycoloredwithlessdistinctdarksad-dlesoverthebackthanNorthernorbrindled

madtoms.Thisspecieshassomedarkpigmentin the dorsal fin, but it does not extend tothetopedgeofthefinasitdoesonbrindledmadtoms.Bodycolorcanbevariousshadesofbrownortan,oftenwithsomedarkerbrownspeckling on the sides.The belly is white orcream-colored,andtherearedgeofthepec-toralspinesisdeeplyserrated.HABITAT AND HABITS The mountain mad-tomoccursindeepswiftrifflesoflargerivers,usuallyinandaroundcobblesandboulders.in

Ohiothisspecieshadbeenreducedtoafewremnantpopulations,butimprovementsinwa-terqualityappear tobeallowingpopulationsto expand. Relatively large populations nowoccurinpartsoftheLittleMiami,Muskingum,Walhonding,andTuscarawasrivers.REPRODUCTION The mountain madtomspawns in early summer under large rocksin riffles.Themaleguards theeggsuntil theyhatch.

MoUnTAIn MAdToMN o t u r u s e l e u t h e r u s • N o - t u r - u s e l - e e - o o - t h e r - u s

ALIAS None STATUS Threatened LENGTH Avg. 2-3” (Max. 5”) FOOD Various aquatic inver tebrates


45

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION The yellow bullhead has amoderatelyserratedrearedgetothepectoralspinesandaroundedtail.Theyhaveaunicol-ored body that ranges from dark brown togolden-yellow,withawhiteoryellowbelly.Theanalfin(25-28rays)issignificantlylongerthantheblackorbrownbullhead.Thebaseofthefourchinbarbelsareoftenentirelywhite,butcanbeyellow.

HABITAT & HABITS The yellow bullhead ismost common in small streams or shallowponds and lakes with clear water and denseaquaticvegetation.TheyaremostcommoninthewesternpartofOhio,butoccurstatewide.Yellowbullheadscanhybridizewithblackandbrownbullheads,butrarelydoso.

REPRODUCTION Bullheads build nests innatural cavities or make saucer-shaped de-pressionsnearsubmergedcoversuchastreerootsorsunkenlogs.Femalesusuallydepositbetween 300 to 10,000 eggs in the nest.Atleast one of the parents remains to fan andguardthenest.Afterhatching,theyoungswimaroundinadenseclusterandareguardedbythemaleforseveralweeks.

yElloW BUllHEAd A m e i u r u s n a t a l i s • A m - e e - u r - u s n a - t a l - i s s

ALIAS Bullhead, mudcat, yellow cat STATUS Sportfish LENGTH Avg. 6-15” (Max. 18”) WEIGHT Avg. .5-1.5 lbs (Max. 3.5 lbs) FOOD Will eat a wide variety of items including fish, crayfish, and aquatic insects. They often scavenge for dead fish and other animals


46

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTIONTheblackstripe topminnow isa small fish that is often seen swimming justunderthewater’ssurface.Theycanbeidenti-fiedfromadistancebythebrightgoldspotonthetopoftheratherflathead.Thereisadarkstripestartingon the lipswhichruns thoughtheeyeandallthewaytothetail.Thisstripeisstraightonfemales,buthasjaggededgesonmales,whichoftenmakesitappeartobecom-

prised of many small thin vertical bars.Theyhavesmalldarkspotsontheirdorsal,anal,andtailfinswhicharemoredistinctonmales.Also,thedorsalandanalfinsareshortandroundedonfemalesandlongandpointedonmales.HABITAT & HABITS Blackstripe topminnowsarefoundinsluggishsectionsofstreams,oftennearaquaticvegetation.Theycanalsobefoundinpermanentwetlands and lakes.The sizeof

the stream or water body is less importantthan thepresenceof shallow slackwater ar-easwithsomevegetation.Theyareabundantinthewesternhalfofthestate.REPRODUCTION Blackstripetopminnowslaytheiradhesiveeggsonvegetationthroughoutthesummermonths.Theywillspawnmultipletimesanddonotprovideanycarefortheeggsoryoung.

BlAcKSTRIPE ToPMInnoWF u n d u l u s n o t a t u s • F u n - d o - l u s n o - t a t e - u s

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 2-2.5” (Max. 3.5”) FOOD Mosquito and midge fly larvae

FAMILY Fundulidae (Topminnows)

47

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION The grass pickerel, like otherpikespecies,hasalongtubularbody.Thereisadarkteardropundertheeyeandapalestripeagainstadarkerbackgrounddownthecenteroftheback,andapatternofblotchesorverti-cal lines on the sides. Grass pickerel can bedistinguished fromNorthernpikeormuskel-lungebythelackofspotsordarkmarkingsonthefins.Chainpickereldifferbyhavingachain-likepatternoflargeoblongspotsonthesides,amoredeeplyforkedtail,andalongersnout.

HABITAT & HABITS Grasspickerelaremostcommoninclearwaterswithanabundanceofdense aquatic vegetation.They can be foundin sluggish streams, permanent wetlands, andnatural lakes.Grasspickerelare intolerantofturbidityandareasthathavebeenextensivelychannelizedorditchedfordrainagepurposes.

REPRODUCTION Grasspickerelspawninthespring when water temperatures range from43 to 53 degrees F.They migrate upstream,sometimes for long distances, in search ofshallowbackwaterswithdensevegetation.Fe-males scatter their eggs over vegetation andneithersexprovidesanyparentalcarefortheyoung.The young feed on insect larvae andotheraquaticinvertebratesuntiltheyarelargeenoughtoswitchovertofeedingonsmallfish.This usually occurs in early June when theyreachalengthofabouttwoinches.

gRASS PIcKEREl E s o x a m e r i c a n u s v e r m i c u l a t u s • E - s o x a h - m e r - i h - c a n - u s v e r - m i k - u - l a t e - u s

ALIAS Redfin pickerel, mud pickerel, grass pike STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 6-10” (Max. 12”) FOOD Pr imarily eats fish, but will eat crayfish, frogs, and larger types of aquatic insect larvae

FAMILY Esocidae (Pikes)

48

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION The central mudminnow is asmallfishwitharoundedtail.Thedorsal,anal,and pelvic fins are all positioned toward therearofthebody,whichismottledwithvariousshadesofbrown.There isadarkverticalbarjustinfrontofthebaseofthetail,andthebellyisdirty cream, lightbrown,or yellow.Breed-ingmaleshaveavividwhiteorbluesheentotheanalandpelvicfins.Centralmudminnowshavenospinesinanyoftheirfinsandtheyhavenolateralline.Additionallytheyhavescalesontheirheadandgillcovers.Theclosestrelatives

tothemudminnowsarethepikes;asaresultmudminnows are sometimes referred to as“pygmypike”.HABITAT & HABITS Centralmudminnowsarefoundinswamps,marshes,bogs,andslowmov-ing streams.These areas must have an abun-danceofaquaticvegetationandasoftbottomcomposed of dark organic muck and debrisfreeofyellowclayandsilt.intheseareascen-tralmudminnowsburrowintothebottomtailfirst.Theylieinwaitwatchingforinsectlarvaeorothersmall aquatic invertebrates toswim

past,whichtheyambushandcapture.Centralmudminnowsareoften found inareaswherenootherfishcansurvivebecauseoftheirabil-itytobreatheairandburrowintothemudtosurvivedryspells.TheyareprimarilyfoundinthenorthernpartofOhio,butsomeisolatedpopulationsdoexistinsouthernOhio.REPRODUCTION Central mudminnowsspawnfromlateMarchtoearlyApril.Detailsofspawningareunclear,butsomesourcessug-gestthatbothparentsguardanestsiteinornearvegetation.

cEnTRAl MUdMInnoWU m b r a l i m i • U m - b r a l e e - m e

ALIAS Pygmy pike STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 2-3” (Max. 5”) FOOD Various aquatic inver tebrates

FAMILY Umbridae (Mudminnows)

49

DISTRIBUTION

© PHOTO CREDIT: (male) Uland Thomas • (female) Uland Thomas

DESCRIPTION Brook trout have a typicaltrout-shaped body with an adipose fin be-tween thedorsal and tail fin.Adistinguishingcharacteristicisthewhiteleadingedgeonthepectoral, pelvic, andanal fins.The restof thefinsareyellowishorreddish.Additionally, thebackisheavilycoveredwithvermiculationor‘wormy’marks.Therearenoblackorbrownspotsonthehead,backorcaudalfin.

HABITAT & HABITSThe brook trout is theonlytroutnativetotheinlandwatersofOhio.inthemid-1800sitwasfoundinthenortheast-ernportionofthestateintheChagrinRiverandinasmallcreekinAshtabulaCounty.itwasthought that thenative populations haddiedout,butin1972theywerefoundintwosmallstreams. These two populations were thenproventobenativestockbygenetictestingin1993.Thenin1997areintroductionprogrambeganwhichresulted in theestablishmentof10reproducingpopulationsinnortheastOhio.

Brooktroutrequireverycold,clearwatertobecomesuccessfullyestablished. inOhio, thishabitatisonlyavailableinverysmallspring-fedstreamsthatarecompletelybufferedbyforest.REPRODUCTION Brook trout usually spawnbetween September and December. Femaleslayseveralthousandeggsinthegravelofcoldwater streams. After hatching, brook troutfeedoninsectlarvaeandotheraquaticinver-tebrates.Brooktroutbecomesexuallymatureatageoneandgenerallydonot livepastagefour.

BRooK TRoUT S a l v e l i n u s f o n t i n a l i s • S a l - v e l - i n - u s f o n - t i n - a l - i s s

ALIAS Brook char, speckled trout STATUS Threatened LENGTH Avg. 6-8” (Max. 12”) FOOD Insects, other aquatic inver tebrates, and some small fish

FAMILY Salmonidae (Char, Salmon, Trout, and Whitefish)

50

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION Trout-perch,asthenamesug-gests,exhibitcharacteristicsofbothtroutandperch.it istheonlyOhiospeciesoffishwithan adipose fin like a trout and rough scaleslikeaperch.Thereisarowofspotsdownthecenterofthebackandarowalongeachside.There are additional spots scattered on theuppersidesbetweenthesetworows.Theup-

persidesandbackarestraw-yellow,andthereisnormallyasilverystreakdownthesides.Thebellyiswhiteorcream-colored.HABITAT AND HABITS Trout-perch are al-mostalwaysfoundinareaswithasandybot-tom.They are common in Lake Erie and thelower sections of its larger tributaries.Theycan also be found in large sluggish pools ofstreamsandriverselsewhereinthestate.They

aremostcommoninsoutheastOhioandareabsent fromthenorthwestpartof the state,except in lower reaches of Lake Erie tribu-tariessuchastheMaumeeRiver.Trout-perchtend to stay in deeper water during the dayandmoveintoshallowsatnighttofeed.REPRODUCTION Spawning occurs betweenMayandAugustoversandandfinegravelsub-strates.

TRoUT-PERcH P e r c o p s i s o m i s c o m a y c u s • P e r - k o p - s i s o - m i h - s k o - m a y - k u s

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 2-4” (Max. 5”) FOOD Insect larvae, crustaceans, and other inver tebrates

FAMILY Percopsidae (Trout-perches)

51

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION Brook silversides are long,slender,andtranslucent.Theheadis longandflattened above with an elongate snout thatforms a pointed beak.These features makethem well-adapted to feeding just under thesurface.There are twodorsal fins positionedabove a long anal fin,which is unique amongOhio fishes.Their overall coloration is palegreen, sometimes olive, with a transparentbodyandasilverylateralstripealongthesides.

HABITAT & HABITS Thebrooksilversidecanbefoundacrossthestate.itprefersclear,veg-etatedlakeswithbottomscomprisedofcleansand, gravelororganicmuck. Streampopula-tions are usually found in slow-moving clearstreams that have some aquatic vegetation.Theyarenottolerantofturbidwaters.

REPRODUCTION Brooksilversidespawndur-ingthespringandearlysummerinandaroundvegetation,or instreamsovercleangravel inmoderate current. Each egg has an adhesivefilamentthatfunctionsasananchoringdevice.Young silversides grow rapidly, attaining theirmaximumlengthinthefirstyear.

BRooK SIlvERSIdE L a b i d e s t h e s s i c c u l u s • L a b - i h - d e s - t h e e s s i k - u - l u s

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 2-3” (Max. 4.5”) FOOD Tiny crustaceans, insect larvae (especially midges), and small flying insects

FAMILY Atherinopsidae (New World Silversides)

52

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTIONThisspeciesiseasilyidentifiedby four to six completely separated dorsalspines.ThisistheonlyfishinOhiowithsepa-rateddorsalspines.Eachpectoralfinalsohasasharpstoutspine.inaddition,itisasmallfishandhasnoscales.

HABITAT & HABITS ThebrooksticklebackisfoundinsmallstreamsinnortheastOhioandtheMadRiversystem.Theyprefercoldclearwaterwithsubmergedvegetation.Thisspeciesis tolerantof high alkalinity and acidicwater,butisveryintolerantofturbidwater.

REPRODUCTION Brook stickleback spawnfromlateApriltomid-Junewhenwatertem-peraturesrange from40to70F°.Themalesselectanddefendterritoriesinwhichtobuildtheirnests,whichareconstructedofpiecesofdeadvegetationandleaflitter.Femalesthenlayup to 250 adhesive eggs. Sticklebacks usuallybecomesexuallymatureatoneyear,andmostdonotlivepasttheirsecondyear.

BRooK STIcKlEBAcK C u l a e a i n c o n s t a n s • K o o - l e e - a h i n - k o n - s t a n s

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 1.5 - 2.5” (Max. 3”) FOOD Insect larvae, crustaceans, snails, and other aquatic inver tebrates

FAMILY Gasterosteidae (Sticklebacks)

53

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTIONThemottledsculpinandothersculpinspecieshavenoscales.Theireyesarepositionedontopoftheratherlargehead,andtheyhavearelativelylargemouth.Theseconddorsalfinandanalfinareratherlong,andthepectoral fins are large and fanlike. Mottledsculpinshavethreetofourdarksaddlesstrad-dlingthebackandextendingdownthesides.Theyhaveasinglestraightspine just in frontofthegillopeningoneithersideofthehead,and an incomplete lateral line.As the namesuggests, this species has a mottled patternofbrown,gray,andblack,withalightercreambelly. There isalsoadarkverticalbaratthe

baseofthetail.Breedingmalesusuallyhaveabrightorangebandontheouteredgeoftheirsmall rounded first dorsal fin.There are twosubspecies of mottled sculpin in Ohio: theNorthern (Cottus b. bairdii) and Great Lakes(C.b.kumlieni).TheGreatLakessubspecieshaslessdistinctmarkingsandashorterlateralline,andisonlyfoundinthedeepereasternwatersofLakeErie.Mottledsculpinsdiffer fromthecloselyrelatedspoonheadsculpinbyhavinganincomplete lateral lineandstraight spinesonthesidesofthehead.HABITAT & HABITS Mottled sculpins arefound in small cool streams and also have a

preference for relatively clear waters. Theydonotrequirewaterascoldastroutdo,butdon’ttoleratethewarmertemperaturesfoundin largerstreamsinOhio.Thisspecies iswelldistributed throughout the state, but areun-commoninthenorthwestpartofOhio.REPRODUCTION Mottled sculpins spawn inearly spring. Females deposit a mass of ap-proximately 200 eggs on the underside of aflatrock.Malesguardthespawningsiteforthethree to fourweeks it takes for the eggs tohatch.Soonafterhatchingtheyoungdisperseandnofurtherparentalcareisgiven.

MoTTlEd ScUlPInC o t t u s b a i r d i i • K o t - u s b a i r d - e e - e y e

ALIAS Great Lakes Mottled Sculpin, Nor thern Mottled Sculpin STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 2-4” (Max. 5”) FOOD Crustaceans, small fish such as dar ters, and various aquatic inver tebrates

FAMILY Cottidae (Sculpins)

54

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION Rock bass are not as deep-bodiedasbluegillorredearsunfishes,butaredeeper-bodiedthanlargemouthorsmallmouthbass.Thisspeciescanchangeitsoverallcolor-ationfromlighttodarkveryquicklytoblendin with their surroundings. They can rangefromlightsilverwithrowsofdarkspotsalongtheirbodytoverydarkwithlargedarkblotch-es.Rockbassalsohaveaverylargemouthandredeyes.Theyaremostsimilartowarmouthsunfish, which have three anal spines – rockbasshavesix.Rockbasshaveadarkteardropundertheeyeandablackmargintothefins.Warmouthlacktheteardropandhavealight

margin to the fins that canbewhite,orange,yelloworred.HABITAT & HABITS Rock bass prefer clearstreamsandriverswitharockybottom.Theyoftenhidenear largeboulders, rockpiles,ortree roots. Also look for them near steepdrop-offsattheedgeofdeeppools.TheyarerarelyfoundinOhioreservoirs,andwhentheyarepresentonly small populations are foundalong steep rocky shorelines in some of thelargest reservoirs.Thewarmouth sunfish canbe found more frequently in smaller lakesand reservoirs, usually associated with brush

pilesordenserootedaquaticvegetation.RockbassarealsocommoninLakeErie,especiallyaround the islands and other rocky areas oftheWesternBasin.REPRODUCTION Male rockbass build nestsover gravel substrate in a slight current, fre-quentlynexttoalargeboulder.Femalesthendepositupto10,000eggsinanest,oftenwithmore than one female using the same nest.Malesremainoverthenesttofantheeggsandmaintainwater flowover the eggs until theyhatchinthreetofourdays.Rockbasstypicallyreachmaturityinthreeyears.

RocK BASS A m b l o p l i t e s r u p e s t r i s • A m - b l o - p l y - t e e s r o o - p e s - t r i s s

ALIAS Goggle-eye, red-eye STATUS Sportfish LENGTH Avg. 7-10” (Max. 15”) WEIGHT Avg. <1 lbs (Max. 2 lbs) FOOD Pr imarily aquatic insects, but larger individuals will prey on crayfish and minnows

FAMILY Centrarchidae (Sunfishes)

55

DISTRIBUTION

© PHOTO CREDIT: (adult) Brian Zimmerman • (juvenile) Uland Thomas

adult

juvenile

DESCRIPTION Smallmouth bass have a fairlylargemouththatextendstotheeye,butnotbeyonditwhenthemouthisclosed.Thischar-acteristicdistinguishesitfromthelargemouthbass, in which the back of the mouth doesextend past the eye.Young smallmouth andspottedbasshaveorangeinthecenterofthetail;juvenilelargemouthbassdonot.Thesmall-mouthbasshasdarkverticalbarsalongitssidewithabrownorbronzebackground.HABITAT & HABITS Smallmouth bass thrivein streamswithgravelor rockbottomswithavisiblecurrent.Theyoutnumberlargemouth

bass in most streams and rivers in Ohio. insouthernOhio, smallmouth are less frequentthanspottedbass in someof the largest riv-erssuchastheMuskingum,Scioto,andOhio.Smallmouth bass are common in Lake Erie,especiallyaroundthe islandsandreefsoftheWesternBasinandalongrockyshorelines. intheOhioRiver,theyaremostcommonintailwatersofthe locksanddamswherethere isswiftflowandrockyshorelines.Theycanalsobe found insomeofOhio’s reservoirs,espe-cially those with steep drop-offs and rockyshorelines. Smallmouth bass do poorly in

smaller lakes and reservoirs that are shallowwithsoftsubstrates,andabundantaquaticveg-etation.REPRODUCTION SpawningoccursinMayandearly June when water temperatures rangefrom55to65°F.Nestsarebuiltingravellyorrockysubstratesin2to20feetofwater.Thefemalelaysbetween2,000to15,000eggs.Themaleguards thenestand the fry fora shorttime.Young smallmouth feedon zooplanktonandmidgelarvae.

SMAllMoUTH BASS M i c r o p t e r u s d o l o m i e u • M y - k r o p - t e r - i s s d o l - o - m e w

ALIAS Bronzeback, brown bass, brownie, smallie, black bass STATUS Sportfish LENGTH Avg. 12-15” (Max. 24”) WEIGHT Avg. 1-2 lbs (Max. 10 lbs) FOOD Feed primarily on crayfish and other large aquatic inver tebrates. Will also feed on small fish and flying insects that fall on the water’s surface


56

DISTRIBUTION

© PHOTO CREDIT: (adult) Brian Zimmerman • (juvenile) Brian Zimmerman

adult

juvenile

DESCRIPTIONSpottedbasshaveafairlylargemouththatextendstotheeye,butnotbeyondits rearedgewhen themouth is closed.Thischaracteristic distinguishes it from the large-mouthbass, inwhich thebackof themouthdoes extend past the eye. Spotted bass alsohavearoughpatchofsmallteethonthecen-teroftheirtongue; largemouthbass lackthisfeature.Young spotted and smallmouth basshaveanorangepatchinthecenteroftheirtail;juvenilelargemouthbassdonot.Spottedbassare similar in coloration to largemouths, andbothhaveablackstripethatextendslaterallydownthesideofthebodyratherthanthever-tical bars of a smallmouth bass. Spotted and

largemouthbassarealsolighterincolorthansmallmouthbasswithmoreofagreenorsil-verybackgroundcolorratherthanbronzeorbrown.Therearerowsofspotsonthelowersidesbelow thedark lateral stripe; thesearefaintorabsentonlargemouthbass.HABITAT & HABITS Spotted bass are nativetotheOhioRiverdrainage,butnottheLakeEriedrainageinOhio.Theirpreferredhabitatislongdeeppoolsofmediumtolargestreamsandrivers.Theyavoidtheshallow,heavilyvege-tatedsluggishwaterspreferredbylargemouthbass,andtheswiftrockywaterspreferredbysmallmouth bass.They are most common intheOhioRiverandsomeofitslargertributar-

iessuchastheScioto,Muskingum,andhock-ingrivers.TheyarealsofoundinsomeofthelargersouthernOhioreservoirssuchasEastForkandCaesarCreek.inreservoirsspottedbass are typically found near steep drop-offsalongshorelines.REPRODUCTION Spotted bass spawn be-tweenmid-Aprilandmid-June.Themalescon-struct nestsover rockyor gravelly substratenear cover.They will spawn in deeper waterthan largemouthandsmallmouthbass, some-timesatdepthsofup to40 feet.Females laybetween 1,100 and 47,000 eggs.Males guardthe eggs and fry for a short time after theyhatch.

SPoTTEd BASS M i c r o p t e r u s p u n c t u l a t u s • M y - k r o p - t e r - i s s p u n k - t u - l a y - t i s s

ALIAS Kentucky bass, spot, black bass STATUS Sportfish LENGTH Avg. 10-15” (Max. 21”) WEIGHT Avg. <1 lbs (Max. 5 lbs) FOOD Feeds primarily on crayfish and other large aquatic inver tebrates. They also feed on small fish and flying insects that fall on the water’s surface


57

DISTRIBUTION

© PHOTO CREDIT: (adult) Danny Brooks • (juvenile) Brian Zimmerman • (mouth) Jim McCormac

adult

juvenile

DESCRIPTIONThe orangespotted sunfish isa small fish, rarely caught on hook and line.They have an intermediate-sized mouth thatextendstothefrontedgeoftheeye,butnotmuch beyond that point.The short roundedpectoralfinsandblackopercles(earflap)areoutlinedinwhite.Themalehasorangedorsal,analandpelvicfinsandtheanalandpelvicsareusually outlined in black. Males have metallicbluesideswithorangespotsscatteredacrossthe sides and cheeks.They also often havethree to six silveryverticalbars,usuallywithapurplesheen.Maleshaveanorangebellyand

red-orange eyes. Female orangespotted sun-fisharemuchduller.Theirbellyandpelvicfinsarewhiteorcreamcolored.Therearedgeofthesoftpartofthedorsalfinusuallyhasafewsmalldarkspots.Therestofthedorsalandallotherfinsareclear,andtheirsidesaresilvery,oftenwith a purple sheen. insteadof orangespots theyhave rusty brown spots scatteredacrossthesidesandcheeks.HABITAT & HABITS Therangeoftheorang-espottedsunfishhasbeengraduallyexpandingeastward since the early 1900s when it wasfirst foundinOhio.Sincethattimetheyhave

expanded from the western edge of Ohioacross the entire state. The orangespottedsunfishhasapreferenceforturbidwaterandis most abundant in large muddy rivers andreservoirs.Streamsandriversthatcontainor-angespotted sunfish populations typically areverysluggish(lowgradient)systems.REPRODUCTION Like most species of sun-fish,maleorangespotsbuildanest inshallowwater.SpawningtakesplacefromearlyJunetoearlyAugustandthemaleguardstheeggsandyounguntiltheyleavethenest.Orangespottedsunfishoftenmatureinoneyear.

oRAngESPoTTEd SUnFISHL e p o m i s h u m i l i s • L e h - p o - m i s s h o o - m i l - i s s

ALIAS Orangespot STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 2-3” (Max. 4”) FOOD Insect larvae and other aquatic inver tebrates


58

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTIONLongearsunfisharedeep,slab-sided fishwith a smallmouth.They get theirname from their long ear flap, or opercle,which is mostly black with a white margin.Therearetwosubspecies found inOhio,theNorthern longear sunfish and the Centrallongear sunfish. The opercle of the Centrallongearusually runsparallel to thebodyandmayhaveseveralsmallredspotsinthewhitemargin.Theopercleof theNorthern longearissmallerandoftenpointsbackwardatanup-wardanglerather thanbeingparallel.North-ernlongearsalsohavealargeredspotatthebackedgeoftheopercle.Longearsunfishhavebluewavylinesrunningfromthemouthtotherearedgeof thegill cover.Theback isolive-greenwithblue-greenspecksontheside,and

the belly is orange, red or yellow. Breedingmalesarebrilliantlycoloredwiththeredandbluecolorationontheirfaceandbodybecom-ing more intense during this period. Femalesarelessintenselycoloredanddonothaveaslongofanopercleasmales.Thepumpkinseedsunfishhasasimilarbodyshapeandcoloration,butneverhasa longopercle flapand is typi-callyfoundinlakesratherthanstreamslikethelongearsunfish.HABITAT & HABITS Longears favor slow tomoderatestreamsofmediumsizewithcleangravel substrate. They spend most of theirtimeinpoolsnearbedsofaquaticvegetation,orotherformsofcoversuchasroots,brushpiles,andcutbanks.Centrallongeararefoundprimarilyinthesouthwestportionofthestate

and are common in the Scioto, Little Miami,and Great Miami river systems. NorthernlongearareonlyfoundintheLakeEriedrain-age, in parts of the Maumee, Sandusky, andGrandriversystems.REPRODUCTION Longear sunfish spawn ingroups, but do not form large colonies likebluegill. Males select a spawning site in shal-lowwaterandbuildanestongravelsubstrate,usuallynearcover.Theyspawnmultipletimesoncethewatertemperaturereachesthelow70s, between mid-May and mid-August. Asingle large female can lay over 22,000 eggs.Malesaggressivelyguardthenestandeggsun-tilshortlyafterhatching.Longearsunfishtaketowtothreeyearstomature.

longEAR SUnFISH L e p o m i s m e g a l o t i s • L e h - p o - m i s s m e g - a h - l o - t i s s

ALIAS Sunfish, central longear, nor thern longear STATUS Sportfish LENGTH Central: Avg. 4-7” (Max. 9”) / Nor thern: Avg. 2.5-4.5” (Max. 5.5”) FOOD Terrestr ial and aquatic insects, crustaceans, and other small inver tebrates


59

DISTRIBUTIONNORTHERN & CENTRAL

Northern

Central

Northern

Central

© PHOTO CREDIT: (Northern female) Uland Thomas • (Central female /

Northern male / Central male) Brian Zimmerman

DESCRIPTION Green sunfish have a moder-ately compressedbody, but arenot asdeep-bodied as bluegill and other sunfish species.Theyhavealargemouthandtheupperjawex-tendsbacktothemiddleoftheeye.Thepec-toralfinsareshortandrounded.Greensunfishhave a darkolive-green bodywith iridescentbluelinesonthecheek.Theyalsohaverowsofsmalliridescentbluespecklesonthebody.Allofthefins,exceptthepectoralfins,haveanor-ange,yellow,orwhiteoutline.Theyoftenhaveablackspotnear thebackof thedorsalandanal finswhere they attach to the body.The

opercle(earflap)isblackandsometimeshasathinwhitetoyellow-orangemargin.HABITAT & HABITS GreensunfisharenativetoOhioandare found throughout thestate.Theyareverytolerantofpoorwaterqualityandareoftentheonlysunfishfoundinmuddywaters.Theydohaveastrongpreferenceforstructure such as rocks, logs, or brush piles.Theyareoftentheonlysunfishfoundinverysmallstreams.Bothgreensunfishandbluegillreadilyhybridizewithotherspeciesofsunfish,mostofteneachother.hybridsbetweenothersunfishspeciesarerelativelyrare.

REPRODUCTION Greensunfisharecommu-nalspawnerswithmalesconstructingnestsinshallowwaterfrommid-MaytoAugust.Thefe-malelaysbetween2,000to26,000eggs.Malesdefend the nest for the three to five days ittakestheeggstohatch,andthenwilltrytoen-ticeanotherfemaletodepositanewbatchofeggsinthenest.Greensunfishtendtospawninshallowerwater,anddigdeeperneststhanbluegill.Malegreensunfishcansometimesbefoundtrappedintheirnestifthereisasuddendrop inwater level, as theyoftenbuild theirnestsveryclosetoshore.

gREEn SUnFISH L e p o m i s c y a n e l l u s • L e h - p o - m i s s s y - a n - e l - u s

ALIAS Sunfish, green ball STATUS Sportfish LENGTH Avg. 3-7” (Max. 10”) WEIGHT Avg. <.5 lbs (Max. 1 lbs) FOOD Aquatic insect larvae, insects that fall on the water’s surface, snails, crayfish, and some small fish


60

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTIONThe Eastern sand darter is alongnarrow fish.Theyhaveadistinct rowof12-16 dusky spots down the center of theback, which split into two rows along thedorsalfins.Thereisalsoarowof9-14oblongduskyspotsalongthesides.Sanddartersarelight yellow or tan on the back with lighterwhiteorsilverysidesandbelly.Theyhavenoscalesonthelowerhalfoftheirsidesandbelly.Thisspecieshasanoveralltranslucentappear-ance,andtherearenoobviousdifferences incolorationbetweenmales,females,andyoung.

HABITAT & HABITS TheEasternsanddarterisfoundinsluggishsectionsofstreamsandriv-erswhere the bottom is composedof cleansand.They are intolerantof siltormudcov-ering thesubstrateandoftendisappear fromstreamswhereexcessivesiltationisaproblem.Sanddarters spendmuch timeburied in thesandwithonly the tipof thesnoutandeyesexposed.Fromhiding, theywatch forpassingpreyandquicklydartout,grabthe food,andthenburrowback into thesand.This species

isfoundinboththeLakeErieandOhioRiverdrainage.Theyaremostabundant inmediumto largestreamsthatstayrelativelyclearandhaveanabundanceofcleansilt-freesand.REPRODUCTION Easternsanddartersspawnlater in the year than many darter species.GravidfemalescansometimebefoundaslateasAugust. Spawning more typically occurs inJuneor early July.The fish bury their eggs insandandnofurtherparentalcareisgiven.

EASTERn SAnd dARTERA m m o c r y p t a p e l l u c i d a • A m - o h - c r i p - t a p e l - o o - s i d - a h

ALIAS None STATUS Species of concern LENGTH Avg. 2-3” (Max. 3.5”) FOOD Midge larvae and other aquatic inver tebrates

FAMILY Percidae (Perches and darters)

61

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION Johnny darters can be identi-fiedby theseriesofblack“w”or“x”shapesscattered across their sides. Some of thesemarks forma line,givingtheappearanceofabroken lateral stripe.Another key feature isthe lackofbrightcoloration.Theyhavemanydarkspecklesonbothdorsalfinsandthetail,and the snout does not project beyond theupper jaw. Breeding males can have a black-ishhead,fins,andseveralblackbarsalongthesides.Johnnydartersaresimilarinappearance

to greenside and channel darters. Greensidedarters typically have bright green on theirsides, a red band on the first dorsal fin, andtheirsnoutoverhangstheupperjaw.Thechan-nel darter is only found in very large riversandhasadashedstripealongthe lateral lineformedbyoblong-shapedmarkings.HABITAT & HABITS Johnny darters inhabitstreams and rivers of all sizes, and frequentpoolsandotherslackwaterhabitatsoversandand gravel substrates.They are also one of

twodarterspeciesoftenfoundinOhio’sres-ervoirs - theother is the logperchdarter. inreservoirstheyareusuallyfoundinproximitytosandybeaches.REPRODUCTION Johnny darters spawn ontheundersideofflatrocksinthespring.Malesprepareanestsiteandfemaleslay30-100eggs.Severalfemalesmayspawninthenestofasin-glemale.Themalethenstaystoguardtheeggsuntiltheyhatch.

joHnny dARTER E t h e o s t o m a n i g r u m • E - t h e e - o s - t o - m a n y - g r u m

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 1.5-2.5” (Max. 3”) FOOD Chironomid (midge larvae) and other aquatic insect larvae


62

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION Fantail darters are long andslender-bodiedwitharoundedtail.Themouthisterminalandthesnoutispointed.Therearenobrightcolorson thebody,only shadesofbrown. Fantails have10-15dark vertical barsalongtheirsideswhichusuallyextendupovertheback.Theyalsohavemanysmalldarkspotsontheirseconddorsalandtailfinsthatformwavylines,andafaintteardropundertheeye.Breeding males develop light-colored roundknobs on the tips of the spines of the first

dorsalfin.itisthoughtthattheseknobsmimiceggs, to make it appear that a male alreadyhaseggs inhisnest toencourage females tolay more eggs.The vertical bars on breedingmalesareoftenverydarkanddistinct.Breed-ingmalesoftendevelopaverydarkhead.HABITAT & HABITS Fantail darters are welldistributed throughout Ohio.They are mostabundantinsmalltomediumstreamsapproxi-mately20-40feetwide.Fantailspreferslowerrifflesorpools,wheretheylurkunderflatslabs

ofrock.Thisspeciesisrathertolerantofpol-lutionandturbidwaters,andisusuallythelastdarter species to disappear from badly pol-lutedstreams.REPRODUCTION Fantaildartersspawnontheundersideofflatrocksinthespring.Malespre-pareanestsiteandfemaleslaytheireggsontheroofofthesmallcaveundertherockthemalehasselected.Severalfemalesmayspawninthenestsiteofasinglemale.Themalethenguardstheeggsuntiltheyhatch.

FAnTAIl dARTERE t h e o s t o m a f l a b e l l a r e • E - t h e e - o s - t o - m a f l a b - e l - a r - e e

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 2-3” (Max. 3.5”) FOOD Insect larvae, crustaceans, and other aquatic inver tebrates


63

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTIONThe banded darter is rathershortandstubby.Thesimilargreensidedarterhasalonger,moreslenderbodyshape.Bandeddartershavea rusty redbandat thebaseofthefirstdorsal fin,andmanysmallspotsthatoftenformrowsontheseconddorsalfinandtail. There are four to seven darker saddlemarkings straddling the back and a distinctdarkteardropmarkingundertheeye.Breed-ingmaleshave8-13brightgreennarrowverti-calbandsrunning fromthehead to thebaseofthetail.Malegreensideshavefourtosevensimilarbandsthataremuchthicker,andtypi-

cally more distinct on the rear half of theirbody.Therustybandonthefirstdorsalfinofbreedingmale bandeddarters is bright brickred.Femalebandedsalsohavegreenbands,buttheyarefaintcomparedtothoseofamale.Theyounglackgreenbands,butthefourtosevensaddlesontheirbackandteardropundertheeyearedistinctive.HABITAT & HABITS Banded darters are di-verse in habitat choices, occupying smallcreekstolargerivers.Theyaremostabundantinswiftrifflesofmedium-sizedstreamswheretherocksarecoveredwithfilamentousalgae.

Bandeddartersareoneofthemostcommondarter species found in Ohio. however, theyareonlyfoundintheOhioRiverdrainageandareabsent fromstreamsthatdrain intoLakeErie.REPRODUCTION Bandeddartersspawnfrommid-Apriltomid-May.Theadhesiveeggsareat-tachedtofilamentousalgaeandaquaticmoss-esthatgrowonthesurfaceofrocks.Oncetheeggs are laid the male guards the area for ashort time, but provides no further parentalcarefortheyoung.

BAndEd dARTERE t h e o s t o m a z o n a l e • E - t h e e - o s - t o - m a z o - n a l - e e

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 1.5-2.5” (Max. 3”) FOOD Insect larvae, crustaceans, and other aquatic inver tebrates


64

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTIONGreensidedartershaveabluntroundedsnoutthatsometimesprotrudesbe-yondthetipoftheupperlip.Themouthisverysmall and subterminal.This species is ratherlongandslender,withlargeroundedpectoralfins.Females,juveniles,andnon-breedingmaleshave4-10“v”or“w”shapedmarksalongtheirsides.Onbreedingmales,thesemarksbecomedarkgreenbands.Thefinsandheadcanalsobebrightgreenandthereisaredbandalongthebaseofthefirstdorsal fin.Greensidedartersclosely resemble banded and Johnny darters.Banded darters have a similar color pattern,

butarenotas longandslender,onlyreachamaximumof three inches,anddonothaveabluntlyroundedsnoutthatoverhangstheup-perjaw.Johnnydarters,evenwheninbreedingcondition,havenobrightcolorsonthebodyandaresmallerthangreensides.HABITAT & HABITS Greenside darters arefoundthroughoutOhio,inboththeLakeErieand Ohio River drainages.They are found inmedium to large streams andwere commonaroundtheLakeErie islandsbeforethe inva-sion of round gobies.When breeding, green-side darters use fast deep riffles.The rest of

theyeartheypreferslowerwater,evenpools,especially near emergent vegetation such aswater-willoworlizard’s-tail.REPRODUCTION Adults spawn in deep fastriffles inApril when water temperatures arebetween 55 and 65 degrees F.The eggs areattached to strands of filamentous algae andaquaticmoss.Themalethendefendstheareawheretheeggswerelaid,butdoesnotprovideany care for the young after hatching.Younggreensidedartersspendmuchoftheirtimeinshallowwaterwithasandysubstrate,ofteninoraroundemergentvegetation.

gREEnSIdE dARTER E t h e o s t o m a b l e n n i o i d e s • E - t h e e - o s - t o - m a b l e n - e e - o h - e y e - d e e s

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 3-4” (Max. 5”) FOOD Aquatic inver tebrates including various fly larvae and snails


65

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION Thevariegatedarterisarela-tively large darter species. Markings includea red-orangebandon theouter edgeof thefirstdorsalfin.Thisisfollowedbyaclearspace,then a blue-green band, another clear space,andlastlyarustyred-brownbandatthebaseofthefin.Therearescatteredredspotsontheseconddorsal fin,pectoral finsandtailwhichoften formrows.Thevery largepectoral finsareusedtopropthefishinplaceonthebot-tomofthestreaminfastriffles.Variegatedart-ershavefourtosixdarksaddlesthatstraddle

theback.Typicallythreeorfourofthesesad-dles are very dark and clearly visible. Breed-ingmaleshavealargebrightred-orangepatchontheirsides.Therearealsoalternatingwideblue-greenandthinblotchyred-orangeverti-calbarsbetweenthered-orangepatchandthetail.Malevariegateshaveablue-greenanalfin.Femalesarelessbrightlycolored,butdohavefaint blue-green and red-orange alternatingbarsonthebackhalfofthebody.HABITAT & HABITS Variegate darters oc-cur in medium to large streams and rivers.They occupy swift riffles with gravel, cobble,

orbouldersonthestreambottom.Thisspe-cies typically inhabits the fastest sectionof ariffle.Variegates are found in the Ohio Riverbasinonlyandarewelldistributedinmostofthemajorriversystemsinthatdrainage.Thisfish isan indicatorofgoodwaterqualityandismostabundantinhighqualitystreamssuchastheKokosingandLittleMiamirivers,andBigDarbyCreek.REPRODUCTION Spawningoccursfrommid-April to mid-May. Females lay eggs in riffles,burying them in sandorgravel.Theyprovidenofurtherparentalcarefortheeggsoryoung.

vARIEgATE dARTERE t h e o s t o m a v a r i a t u m • E - t h e e - o s - t o - m a v a r - e e - a t e - u m

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 2.5-3.5” (Max. 4.5”) FOOD Insect larvae, crustaceans, and other aquatic inver tebrates


66

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION Tippecanoe darters are tiny;adultsneverreachalengthofmorethantwoinches,andareusually1.5inchesorless.Thisspecieshastwodistinctive lightspotsonthebaseofthetailthatareclosetogether,creat-inganhour-glassshapedmarking.Justinfrontoftheselightspotsisadarkverticalbarthatisalsooftenbrokenintotwospots,theloweronebeing larger than theoneabove it.MaleTippecanoes are a golden-brown body over-all, andoftenhavemultipledarkverticalbarsalongthesideswhicharemostvisiblenearthetail.Thelowersidesandthroatarebrightor-ange, and the breast is blueor black.All finsareoutlinedwithawidegolden-orangemargin.Thewebbingbetween the first two to threespines of their first dorsal fin is darkly pig-mentednearthebaseofthefin,formingadarkblotch.Thecenterportionofthepelvicfinsisblue-black.FemaleTippecanoedartershavean

overall brown coloration with a light creambelly.Femalesalsohavedarkverticalbarsontheirsidesthataremostvisiblenearthetail,buttheyareusuallylessdistinctthanthoseonamale. Females have fins that are clearwithmanydarkspotsthatoftenformrows.HABITAT & HABITS TheTippecanoe darteris found inmediumto largestreamsandriv-ersintheOhioRiverdrainage.Theyoccurinrifflesofmoderatecurrentwithasubstrateofgravel and small cobble-sized rocks. Most oftheirtimeisspentincrevicesbetweenrocks,and because of their small sizeTippecanoesareoftendifficult to find.TippecanoedartershistoricallyoccupiedtheWalhondingRiverandthelowerMuskingumRiveroftheMuskingumdrainage,andtheOlentangyRiver,BigWalnutCreek,BigDarbyCreek, andDeerCreekoftheSciotoRiverdrainage.Sincetheearly1980sthisspecieshasmadeanimpressiveexpansion

intheSciotoRiverdrainage.Theycannowbefound in nearly every major tributary of theSciotoRiver,andthemainstemoftheSciotoRiverfromColumbustotheOhioRiver.Un-fortunately,Tippecanoesappear tohavebeenextirpated from the Muskingum River drain-age,withtheexceptionofasmallpopulationinthelowerreachesoftheMuskingumRiver.Numerousdamsprobablypreventfurtherup-streamexpansionintheMuskingumRiver.REPRODUCTIONTippecanoe darters spawnlaterinthesummerthanmostspeciesofdart-ers.itisnotuncommontofindgravidfemalesintoAugust. Most spawning probably occursfrom late June through early August. Malesguardsmallterritories,usuallyin6-12inchesofwater,neartheendsofriffles.Eggsareguardedbythemaleuntiltheyhatch.Nofurtherparen-talcareisgivenaftertheeggshatch.

TIPPEcAnoE dARTERE t h e o s t o m a t i p p e c a n o e • E - t h e e - o s - t o - m a t i p - e h - c a n - o o

ALIAS None STATUS Threatened LENGTH Avg. 1-1.5” (Max. 2”) FOOD Insect larvae, crustaceans, and other aquatic inver tebrates


67

DISTRIBUTION

© PHOTO CREDIT: (male) Uland Thomas • (female)Uland Thomas

DESCRIPTION The bluebreast darter has ablunt snout and 7-10 dark saddles straddlingthe back.The narrow spaces between thesesaddlesaremuch lighterthantherestofthefish.Thereare8-12vagueverticalbars alongtheirside,whicharemostvisiblenearthetail.Bluebreasts also have many thin horizontalstripesalongthesides.Theouteredgeofthefinsisdark-margined,followedbyathinwhitelinejustinsidethismargin.Thefirstdorsalfinismarkedwithadarkblotchnearthebaseofthefin,onthewebbingbetweenthefirsttwoto three spines.The closely related spotteddarterlacksthedarkfinmargins,hasapoint-

ed snout, and smaller eyes. Male bluebreastshave numerous small round red spots scat-teredalongthesides.Theyalsohaveanorangepatchonthelowersidesandabluethroatandbreast.Femaleslackredspotsandanorangepatch.Thebluethroatandbreastarealsoab-sentormuchlessvividlycolored.Additionally,females have dark spots along the sides thatare lessnumerousanduniform in shape,andlargerthantheredspotsofthemales.HABITAT & HABITS Bluebreast darters oc-cur in medium to large streams and rivers,but only in the Ohio River drainage.At onetimetheyhadbecomequiterareinthestate

andwereonlyfoundinlimitedportionsoftheMuskingumandSciotoriverdrainages.Fortu-nately,asaresultofimprovedwaterquality,thebluebreastdarterhasmadeanimpressivere-covery.Theycannowbefoundineverymajortributaryof theSciotoRiver fromColumbustotheOhioRiver.Theyhavealsomadeasimi-larexpansionintheMuskingumRiverdrainage.REPRODUCTION Bluebreast darters spawnin June and July. Females bury their eggs ingravel in fast riffles. Males guard a small ter-ritoryaroundthespawningsiteuntiltheeggshatch,afterwhichno furtherparentalcare isprovided.

BlUEBREAST dARTERE t h e o s t o m a c a m u r u m • E - t h e e - o s - t o - m a c a m - u r - u m

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 2-3” (Max. 3.5”) FOOD Insect larvae, crustaceans, and other aquatic inver tebrates


68

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION The spotted darter has asharplypointedsnoutandaroundedtail.Theyaretypicallydarkbrownwithaseriesof7-10dark saddles crossing the back.The narrowspacesbetweenthesesaddlesaremuchlighterthantherestofthefish.Therearemanynar-row dark stripes running horizontally alongthesideswhicharemostvisiblenearthetail.Theouteredgeofallfinsislight-coloredwithnodarkmargins.Thecloselyrelatedbluebreastdarterhasdistinctdarkoutermarginsonallfins, a largereye, andablunt, roundedsnout.Male spotteddartershavemany small roundbrightredspotsonthesidesofthebodythatareuniforminsizeandshape.Bothdorsalfinsandthetailareduskyatthebaseandfadetolight yellow on the outer edges.The pecto-ral,pelvic, andanal finsarealsoduskyat the

base, fadingtogreenwithwhiteouteredges.Females are verydifferent in coloration thanmales.Theyhavedarkspotsonthesidesthatarelessnumerousandusuallylargerthantheredspotsonamale,andnotasuniforminsizeor shape.All of their fins are light yelloworbrown,withdarkspotsonbothdorsal,tail,andanal fins. Female spotted darters often havefaintduskyverticalbandsonthebackhalfofthesidesandateardropundertheeye.HABITAT & HABITS Spotteddartersoccurinmedium-sizedriversandstreams.Theytypical-lyoccupyareasofswiftcurrentattheendofarifflewheretherearemanyverylargeboul-dersorflatslabsofrock.Mostoftheirtimeisspenthidingundertheupstreamedgeoflargerocks,watchingforprey.inOhio,thespotteddarter was historically found in parts of the

Mahoning,Muskingum,andSciotoriverdrain-ages.Today theyare still found in sectionsofBigDarbyCreek,PaintCreek,andLittleWal-nutCreekof theSciotoRiverdrainage.Theyarealso found in limitedareasof theKokos-ing andWalhonding riversof theMuskingumRiverdrainage.NospotteddartershavebeenfoundintheMahoningRiverdrainagesincethe1850s.Thisspeciesisanindicatorofveryhighqualitystreams.REPRODUCTION Spotted darters spawn inJune and July. Males guard territories under-neath the upstream edge of large rocks. Fe-males lay adhesive eggs on the underside oftheserocks.Maleswilloftenmatewithmulti-plefemales,andguardtheeggsuntiltheyhatch.Aftertheeggshatchnofurtherparentalcareisgiven.

SPoTTEd dARTERE t h e o s t o m a m a c u l a t u m • E - t h e e - o s - t o - m a m a k - u - l a t e - u m

ALIAS None STATUS Endangered LENGTH Avg. 2-3” (Max. 4”) FOOD Insect larvae, crustaceans, and other aquatic inver tebrates


69

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTIONOrangethroatdartershavefivetosevenverticalbarsontherearhalfoftheirsides.Thesebarsdonotgoallthewayupandovertheirback likethoseoftheverysimilarrainbow darter.The bars are blue on malesanddarkbrownonfemales.Additionally,oran-gethroats have blotchy horizontal lines alongthesides, justbehindthegills.Theselinesaremore prominent on females.There is also adistinctteardropmarkingundertheeyewhich

isblueandsometimesblurredonmales, anddarkbrown toblackon females.Theanal finhasnoredororangelikethatoftherainbowdarter.instead,itisclearonfemalesandblueonmales.Maleorangethroatshaveanorangethroatandbelly,thespacesbetweentheverti-cal bars are flushed with red or orange, andthereisredandblueonthetwodorsalfins.HABITAT & HABITS Thisisaspeciesofsmallheadwater streams that are usually less than

10 feetwide. Orangethroat darters are typi-cally found in slow riffles with fine gravel orcoarsesandsubstrates.Thedistributionofthisspecieshaschangedlittleovertime.Theyarefoundprimarilyinthewesternhalfofthestate.REPRODUCTION Orangethroat dartersbreedinshallowrifflesfrommid-Apriltomid-May.Femalesdepositthreetoseveneggsinthesubstrateandmalesfertilizethem.Thiscanberepeatedmanytimesoverseveraldays.

oRAngETHRoAT dARTERE t h e o s t o m a s p e c t a b i l e • E - t h e e - o s - t o - m a s p e k - t a b - i l - e e

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 1.5 - 2.5” (Max. 3”) FOOD Insect larvae, crustaceans, and other aquatic inver tebrates


70

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION Rainbow Darters have 8-13verticalbandsalongthesideofthebody.Thesebandsareblueonmalesandbrownonfemalesandyoung.Maleslackateardrop-shapedmark-ingundertheeye; femalesmayhaveapoorlydefined teardrop.The anal fin of males hassomeredororangeinthecentersurroundedby blue.The blue on the body intensifies onbreedingmales,andsomeindividualscanlookalmostblack.Rainbowdartersaremostsimilartoorangethroatdarters.Bothmaleandfemale

orangethroats have a well-defined teardropundertheeye,andmaleshaveasolidblueanalfinwith no redororange as in the rainbowdarter.HABITAT & HABITS This species prefersriffles of moderate gradients composed pri-marily of gravel and small cobble.They aremostabundant in small tomedium(20-60 ft.wide) streams.Rainbowdartersarenotusu-allyfoundinverysmallheadwaterstreams,and

smallnumbersdooccurineventhelargestriv-ers.Thisisoneofthemostwidespreaddarterspeciesandcanbefoundstatewide.REPRODUCTION Breeding takes place inriffles from mid-April to mid-May. Femalesdepositthreetoseveneggs inthegravelandthemale fertilizes them.Thismaybe repeat-ed many times over several days during thebreedingseason.Asinglefemalecanlayabout800eggsinoneseason.

RAInBoW dARTER E t h e o s t o m a c a e r u l e u m • E - t h e e - o s - t o - m a s e e - r o o - l e e - u m

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 1.5 - 2.5” (Max. 3”) FOOD Feeds on a variety of aquatic insect larvae


71

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTIONBlacksidedartershaveaseriesof black blotches down the sides that oftenformalateralstripe.Theirblotchesarenevertaller than they arewide.This species differsfromtheverysimilarduskyandlongheaddart-ersinhavingadarkblotchonthefrontlowerportionofthefirstdorsalfin.Blacksidedartershaveaprominentteardropmarkingunderthe

eyeandadarkblotchinthecenteratthebaseofthetail.Blacksidesalwayslackbrightcolorsontheirbody.HABITAT & HABITS Blackside darters arefoundthroughoutOhio,andoccurinalldrain-ages.Theyaretypicallyfoundinmedium-sizedstreams,andpreferareaswithsluggishcurrentand an abundance of brush, roots or other

woody debris. Blacksides prefer slightly shal-lowerandslowermovingwaterthantheduskydarter.REPRODUCTION Blackside darters spawninspring.Theylaytheireggsinriffles,buryingtheminsandorgravel.Theyprovidenofurtherparentalcarefortheeggsoryoung.

BlAcKSIdE dARTERP e r c i n a m a c u l a t a • P e r - s y - n a m a k - u - l a t e - a h

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 2-3” (Max. 4”) FOOD Insect larvae, crustaceans, and other aquatic inver tebrates


72

DISTRIBUTION



dUSKy dARTERP e r c i n a s c i e r a • P e r - s y - n a s c l e r - a h

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTION The dusky darter is one ofOhio’s larger species of darters.A series ofdark blotches down the sides often forms aline in femalesor young. Largemales can beverydark,andtheblotchesontheirsidesformdark vertical bars that are taller than theirwidth. This species never has bright colorsonthebody.Theydifferfromtheverysimilarblacksidedarterinhavingthreedarkblotchesatthebaseofthetailplacedverticallyaboveoneanother.Thebottomtwoblotchesareof-tenfusedtogether.Theyalsodifferfromboth

blackside and longhead darters by lacking awell developed tear dropmarking under theeye.Theduskydarterhasonlysmalldotsontheirfirstdorsalandotherfins.Theblacksidedarter has a large dark blotch on the frontlowerportionofthefirstdorsalfin.HABITAT & HABITS The dusky darter oc-cursinmediumtolargestreamsandrivers.Atonetimetheirpopulationhadbeenreducedto threestreams in theSciotoRiversystem.TodaytheyarefoundthroughoutmuchoftheOhioRiverdrainageincludingsuchriversys-

tems as the Muskingum, Scioto,Walhonding,hocking, and Raccoon Creek.They are alsofound in theMaumeedrainageofnorthwestOhio,primarilyintheTiffinandSt.Josephriv-ers. Dusky darters are found in areas withmoderate to swift current near submergedbrush,rootsorotherwoodydebris,typicallyintwotofourfeetofwater.REPRODUCTION Theduskydarterspawnsinspring.Theyburytheireggsincoarsesandorgravel in riffles and no further parental careisgiven.

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 3-4” (Max. 5”) FOOD Insect larvae, crustaceans, and other aquatic inver tebrates 73

DESCRIPTIONThelogperchdarterispaleyel-low to olive with numerous, narrow brownvertical bars on the sides.There is usually aduskybarbeneath theeye and a small blackspotatthebaseofthetailfin.Theyhaveasmallmouthandaverypointedsnout.Thesnoutisusedtoflipoverrockstosearchforfood.HABITAT & HABITS Logperch frequent siteswithconsiderablesand,gravelorrockyareas

inlakesormediumtolargestreamsandrivers.They areoneof twodarter species that arecommoninOhio’sreservoirs;theotheristheJohnnydarter.LogpercharefoundthroughoutthestateinboththeLakeErieandOhioRiverdrainages.REPRODUCTION Logperch spawn in latespring. Males gather in large schools nearsandy substrates while females remain out-

sidetheschooluntiltheyarereadytospawn.When ready, the females swim through theschoolandatleastonemalewillfollow.Bothfishwill thenpartiallyburythemselves inthesandandextrudeandfertilizetheeggs.About10 to20eggsarereleasedateachspawning,and a female will spawn multiple times.Theyarecapableoflaying1,000to3,000eggs.

logPERcH dARTER P e r c i n a c a p r o d e s • P e r - s y - n a k a p - r o - d e e s

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 3-5” (Max. 7”) FOOD Feed on a wide variety of inver tebrates including mayfly, stonefly, and midge larva


74

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTIONThe slenderheaddarter has apointed snout and long narrow body.Thereare 14-22dark blotches down the centeroftheback.Thereisalsoarowof11-16blotchesalong the sides that are taller thanwide andconnected by a thin lateral stripe.The firstdorsal fin has a dark brown band near thebaseandanorangebandneartheouteredge.Theseconddorsalfinandtailhavemanysmallspots,oftenformingrows.Therestofthefins

aretransparent.Overallbodycolorislighttanwithacream-coloredbelly.Onbreedingmalesthe orange band on the dorsal fin is moreintensely colored and thicker. Males also candevelopadarkduskycolorationtotheirbodywhich often hides many of the blotches ontheirbackandsides.HABITAT & HABITS Slenderheaddartersarefoundinareasofmoderatecurrentoversand

and gravel bottoms.Theyoccur in the largerriversof southernOhio including theScioto,Muskingum, hocking, Little Miami, and GreatMiamirivers.REPRODUCTION Slenderheaddartersspawnbetween late April and early June.They laytheir eggs in riffles, burying them in sand orgravel.Theyprovideno furtherparental carefortheeggsoryoung.

SlEndERHEAd dARTERP e r c i n a p h o x o c e p h a l a • P e r - s y - n a f o x - o h - s e f - a h - l a

ALIAS None STATUS Common LENGTH Avg. 2.5-3.5” (Max. 4”) FOOD Insect larvae, crustaceans, and other aquatic inver tebrates


75

DISTRIBUTION


DESCRIPTIONThesaugerissimilarinappear-ancetowalleyeorthehybridbetweenthetwo,thesaugeye.Thisspecieshasmanydarkspotsonthedorsalfin,oftenformingrows.Thefirstdorsalfinisusuallyrelativelyclearanditlacksalargeduskyareaattherearbaseofthefinasinwalleye.Overallbodycoloration isbronzeorbrown,comparedtotheusualgrayorsil-ver color of a walleye.The sauger has largedarkoblongblotchesonthesidesofthebodywhicharemorevisiblewhenthefisharesitting

still.Saugerlacklargewhiteedgestothelowerpartoftheirtailandanalfinlikeawalleye;atbest they have a very thin light edge that isoftenyellowish.HABITAT & HABITS SaugerwerehistoricallyabundantinLakeErie,theOhioRiverandtheirlargertributaries.Todaythesaugerisstillcom-monintheOhioRiveranditslargertributariesupstreamtothefirstdam.inLakeErieanditstributariestheyhavebecomeratherrare,butsmallnumbersarestillpresent.Saugersprefer

murkyriversorlargeshallowlakes.Theytendto favor more turbid water than walleye, aswellasshallowerdepths.REPRODUCTION Saugerspawn inthespringwhen water temperatures reach the upper40s. Females lay between 10,000 to 50,000eggs.Theeggsareadhesiveandsticktovegeta-tion,sticks,andstones,andhatchinabout10days.Saugersaremigratoryandlargeupstreamspawningrunsoccurinearlyspring.Noparen-talcareisgiventotheyoung.

SAUgER S a n d e r c a n a d e n s e • S a n - d e r c a n - a h - d e n s - e e

ALIAS Jack salmon STATUS Sportfish LENGTH Avg. 9-15” (Max. 24”) WEIGHT Avg. <1 lbs (Max. 7 lbs) FOOD Pr imarily small fish, but will also eat crayfish and large insect larvae such as mayflies


76

DISTRIBUTION


10a. Amount from line 10 on page 1 ................................................................................................. 10a.

11. Joint filing credit (only for married filing jointly filers; see page 16 in the instructions andenclose documentation) % times line 10a (limit $650) .................................................. 11.

12. Ohio tax less joint filing credit (line 10a minus line 11; if line 11 is more than line 10a,enter -0-) ..................................................................................................................................... 12.

13. Total credits from line 69 on page 4 of Ohio form IT 1040 (enclose page 4) ...................... 13.

14. Ohio income tax before manufacturing equipment grant (line 12 minus line 13; if line 13 ismore than line 12, enter -0-) ...................................................................................................... 14.

15. Manufacturing equipment grant. You must include the grant request form ................. 15.

16. Ohio income tax (line 14 minus line 15; if line 15 is more than line 14, enter -0-) .................. 16.

17. Interest penalty on underpayment of estimated tax. Check if Ohio form IT/SD 2210is included (may be required; see instructions on page 17) ............ INTEREST PENALTY 17.

18. Unpaid Ohio use tax (see worksheet on page 29 of instructions) ................... USE TAX 18.

19. Total Ohio tax (add lines 16, 17 and 18) ........................................................ TOTAL TAX 19.

20. Ohio Tax Withheld (box 17 on your W-2). Place W-2(s) on top of this return ................................................................................................................................... AMOUNT WITHHELD 20.

21. 2007 overpayment credited to 2008, 2008 estimated tax payments and 2008 IT 40P extension payment(s) .. 21.

22. a. Refundable business jobs credit; b. Refundable pass-through entity credit;you must include certificate(s) you must include K-1(s)

c. Historical building rehabilitation credit; 22. Add lines 22a, 22b and 22c ..................... 22.you must include certificate(s)

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............................ TOTAL PAYMENTS 23.

24. If line 23 is GREATER than line 19, subtract line 19 from line 23 .... AMOUNT OVERPAID 24.

25. Amount of line 24 to be credited to 2009 estimated income tax liability ................CREDIT 25.

26. Amount of line 24 that you wish to donate to the Military Injury Relief Fund ........................ 26.

27. Amount of line 24 that you wish to donate for Ohio’s wildlife species and conservationof endangered wildlife ............................................................................................................... 27.

28. Amount of line 24 that you wish to donate for nature preserves, scenic rivers and pro-tection of endangered species .................................................................................................. 28.

29. Amount of line 24 to be refunded (subtract amounts onlines 25, 26, 27 and 28 from line 24) .... YOUR REFUND 29.

30. Amount You Owe (if line 23 is less than line 19, subtract line 23 from line 19). If pay-ment is enclosed, make check payable to Ohio Treasurer of State and include Ohio formIT 40P (see pages 5 or 43 of the instructions) .................................. AMOUNT YOU OWE 30.

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PUBlIcATIon FUndIngSTREAMFiShESOFOhiO

Fundingforthispublicationwasprovidedbydonationstothestateincometaxcheckoffprogram,salesoftheCardinallicenseplateandtheOhioWildlifeLegacyStamp.

To make a donation:go to the second page of the

1040 income tax form for the tax checkoff program

FormoreinformationaboutOhio’snativewildlife,pleasecontact

theDivisionofWildlifeat:1-800-wILDLIFE

(1-800-750-0750OhioRelayTTYonly)w w w . w i l d o h i o . c o m

To purchase a license plate: visit your local registrar’s

office or call BMV at 1-888-PLATES3

To purchase a Legacy Stamp,call the Division of Wildlife at:1-800-WILDLIFE or visit the web at wildohiostamp.com

To mail a donation, send to: Wildlife Diversity Fund2045 Morse Road Bldg G.Columbus, OH 43229-6693

REFEREncESA Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes1991.LawrencePageandBrooksBurr.

PetersonFieldGuides,houghtonMifflin,NewYork.

The Fishes of Ohio1981.MiltonB.Trautman.

TheOhioStateUniversityPress,Columbus,Ohio.

A Guide to Ohio Streams2000.RandallE.Sanders(Ed.).

OhioChapteroftheAmericanFisheriesSociety,Columbus,Ohio.

77

78

ADIPOSE FIN :Fleshyandsoftfinontheback,betweenthedorsalandcaudalfins

AIR BLADDER:Aninternalorganthatholdsairandhelpsregulatebuoyancy.

AMMOCOETE :Thelarvalstageofalamprey.

ANAL FIN :Stifffinonundersideoffish,justfor-wardofthetail.

BARBEL : A whisker-like projection near themouth,notableincatfish.

BARS:Vertical line(s) of pigmenton the sidesoffish.

CARTILAGE :Rigidconnectivetissuethatformsskeletalandothersupportingstructures.

CAUDAL FIN :Thetailfin,ortail.

CHANNELIzE : The process of dredging andditching free-flowing streams into linearwater-ways.

COBBLE :Aclassofrocks,largerthangravelandtypicallyrounded.

CONCAVE :Dish-shaped,orcurvinginward.

CONVEx :Dome-shaped,orcurvingoutward.

DEEP-BODIED : Refers to fishes that are tallfrom top to bottom, and typically narrow inwidth.

DETRITUS : Decaying organic matter, such asleaves,onastreambottom.

gloSSARyTotal Length

Snout

Eye

OpercleDorsal

Surface

LateralLine

Mouth

Barbel(if present)

CheekBreast

PectoralFin

PelvicFin

Belly(ventral surface) Anal Fin

Rays

Dorsal Fin

Spines

Scale

Caudal Fin(tail)

Adipose Fin(if present)

Body Depth

DORSAL :Uppersurfaceofafish.

DORSAL FIN :Thefinthatistopandcenter.Of-tenthelargestandmostconspicuousfin.Canbebothasoftandspinyportionoreven2separatefinsonsomespeciessuchassunfishordarters.

ExTIRPATED :Locallyextinct;gonefromapar-ticularregion,butstillpresentelsewhere.

FALCATE :Sickle-shaped.

GILL :Respiratoryorganthatextractsdissolvedoxygenfromwater.Typicallylocatedjustbehindtheheadoneithersideofthebody.

GRADIENT :Referstothedropinelevationofastream,whichaffectsthestream’sflowrate.

GRAVID :Pregnantanddistendedwitheggsoryoung.

HEADWATER STREAM :Theuppermostreach-esofastream,orsmallestsizeclassofstream.

INVERTEBRATE :Animals such as insects thatlackabackbone.

LATERAL LINE : Series of sensory pores usedtodetectmovement,vibrationorevenelectricalimpulses inthesurroundingwater.Lateral linesare usually visible as faint lines running length-wise down each side, from the vicinity of justbehindthegillstothebaseofthetail.

LATERALLY COMPRESSED : Thin-bodied orflattenedfromsidetoside.

MYOMERE :Zigzag-shapedmusclefibersorseg-ments.

OPERCLE :Aflapofhardbonytissuethatcov-ers and protects the gills. Appears ear-like insunfishes.

PARASITE :Anorganism,suchassomelampreyspecies, that preys on a host organism fromwhichitderivesnecessarynutrients.

PELVIC FIN :Pairedfinsneartheundersideofthebody,forwardoftheanalfinandbehindpec-toralfins.Canbealmostdirectlybelowpectoralfinsonsomespeciessuchassunfishanddarters.

PELVIC FIN :Pairedfinsneartheundersideofthe body, forward of the anal find and behindpectoralfins.

POOL :Areasofdeeperslackwaterinastream,typicallylyingbetweenriffles.

RAY :Bonyrod-likesupports thatbrace fin tis-sue.

RIFFLE : Shallow areas of rapid flow, typicallywithgravellyorrockybottoms.

SADDLE :Darkmarkingsthatcrossafish’sbackfrom side to side, and suggest the appearanceofasaddle.

SCALE :Smallbuthighlyvariableoftenroundishplatesarrangedinoverlappingrowsandservingto protect a fish’s skin.Absent in some fishes;greatlyenlargedintoarmoredplatesinothers.

SERRATE :Sharp-toothedorspiny,asinmarginsofsomefins.

SILT :Finesedimentsorsoilparticles.

SLAB-SIDED :Referstoafish’ssideswhentheyareflatandtallfromtoptobottom.

SNOUT :Foremostnose-likestructureofa fishthatcontainsthemouth.

SPAWNING : The act of depositing eggs oryoung;fisheggsarespawnorroe.

STRIPE : horizontal line(s) of pigment oftenrunningfromjustbehindthegillstothebaseofthetail.

SUBSTRATE :The composition of a stream orlakebottom.

SUBTERMINAL MOUTH : A mouth in whichthetipofthesnoutprojectsaboveandbeyondthemouth.

TERMINAL MOUTH :Amouthwhichislocatedattheextremetipofthesnout.

TUBERCLE : Small warty bumps; often formingonchubs,minnowsandsomeotherfishes,espe-ciallymales,whentheyenterbreedingcondition.

TURBIDITY : A condition in which water iscloudedbysuspendedsolidsorsilts.

VENTRAL :Thebottomsurfaceofafish.

VERMICULATION : Squiggly lines of pigment,oftenwormyinappearance.

zOOPLANKTON :Tinyanimalsofgreatdiversi-tythatfloatfreelyinwater,andareofteninvisibletothenakedeye.

DIVISION OF WILDLIFEO H I O D E P A R T M E N T O F N A T U R A L R E S O U R C E S

HUNTING, FISHING, TRAPPING, BIRDWATCHING - THE LOVE OF NATURE ... PASS IT ON!

W I L D O H I O . C O M • 1 - 8 0 0 - W I L D L I F E

LITTLE BEAVER CREEKJim McCormac

OHIO SPORTFISH RECORDS SPECIES WEIGHT LENGTH PAGE

Longnose Gar 25 lbs 49” 13

Channel Catfish 37.65 lbs 41 1/2” 40

Flathead Catfish 76 lbs 58 5/8” 41

Yellow Bullhead 4.25 lbs 18 1/2” 46

Rock Bass 1.97 lbs 14 3/4” 55

Smallmouth Bass 9.5 lbs 23 3/4” 56

Spotted Bass 5.25 lbs 21” 57

Green Sunfish 0.99 lbs 10 5/8” 60

Longear Sunfish 0.2 lbs 6 1/2” 73

Sauger 7.31 lbs 24 1/2” 76

LittleBeaverCreekinColumbianaCountyisoneofonlytwoOhioriversdesignatedaswild.Extensiveforestsbufferthestreamandkeepwaterqualityhigh.

To conserve and improve fish and wildlife resources and their habitats for sustainable use and appreciation by all.

The ODNR, Division of Wildlife is the state agency responsible for managing Ohio’s fish and wildlife resources. The primary source of funding for the Division comes from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses, federal excise tax-es on hunting, fishing, and shooting equipment, and donations from the public. We care about all wildlife and maintaining stable, healthy wild-life populations. Our challenge is to balance the needs of wildlife, habitat, and people.

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PUBLICATION 5127 (R612)Total Quantities Printed: XX,000 Unit cost: $.XXXX Publication date: X/12

stream fishes of ohio field guide

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