Ichthyology
Texas Master Naturalist Program
El Camino Real Chapter
Ecology of Aquatic Systems (Review?)
Lentic Systems
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Standing/non-flowing
Water is retained
Ponds, Lakes, Reservoirs
Littoral = edge, emergent veg.
Limnetic = open water
Benthic = bottom (sediment)
Turbidity = “cloudiness”
Eutrophication = >>>nutrients
Organisms suspended in water
column
• 212 Reservoirs built in Texas
Lotic Systems
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Flowing/Current (gravity)
Water flows through
Springs, Streams, Rivers
Hydrology
Gradient, Meanders
Erosion, Deposition
Mesohabitats:
– Riffles
– Runs
– Pools
• Organisms near/on/in
substrate
Food/Energy Web/Chain
Lakes (Lentic)
Streams (Lotic)
River/Fluvial Geomorphology
Stream mesohabitat types
• Riffle – water surface broken
• Run – water surface smooth (has thalweg = valley way)
• Pool/Glide – relatively deep and still
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Backwater – slow water
Snag – woody debris, structure/shelter
Bank (cutbank = erosion, point bar = deposition)
Channel – main/side, wide, narrow
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Oklahoma
Oklahoma City
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Fort
Fort Smith
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Norman
Norman
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Amarillo
Amarillo
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Little
Little Rock
Rock
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Lawton
Lawton
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Witchita
Witchita Falls
Falls
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Plano
Plano
Dallas Metro Area
Bossier
Bossier City
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Fort Worth
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Abilene
Abilene
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San
San Angelo
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Waco
Waco
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Midland
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Odessa
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Bryan
Bryan
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Austin
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Houston Metro Area
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San Antonio
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Beaumont
Beaumont
Port
Port Arthur
Arthur
Smalleye Shiner – Brazos River endemic
Fishes
• Hagfishes – 43 spp. (1 in TX, Gulf hagfish)
• Lampreys – 41 spp. (2 in TX)
• Cartilaginous fishes – 1,000 spp. (78 in TX)
– Sharks, skates, rays, etc. – mostly marine
• Ray-finned fishes – > 24,000 spp. (243 in TX)
Phylogeny of fishes
Hagfishes –
Myxinidae
Myxine glutinosa (Atlantic Hagfish)
“myx” = slime (Gk.)
“slime eel”, <=2.5 ft long
> 300 M y.o. – most primitive vert.
Marine, on continental shelves
Gulf of Mexico
Deep water, up to 5600 ft. depth
Bury in sea floor.
Partial skull, no jaw, no bones.
No vertebrae. Cartilage skeleton.
Eyes reduced. Rasping tongue.
Feeds on dead fish, from inside out.
Feeds on worms, etc. on ocean floor.
Gulf hagfish (Eptatretus springeri)
lives in brine pools on ocean floor.
Lampreys –
Petromyzontidae
Ichthyomyzon castaneus (Chestnut Lamprey) <= 15 in.
Gk. “sucker of fish”, Gk. “of chestnut color”
East Texas (Red, Sabine, Neches R. basins)
Slow water rivers and reservoirs
Juveniles are herbivorous filter feeders (diatoms, etc.)
Adults are parasitic carnivores (blood of other fish)
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Suckers – Catostomidae
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Carpoides carpio (River Carpsucker) <= 27 in.
L. “carp-like”, L. “carp”
Deep body, subterminal mouth
Suction and filter feeder, periphyton, plankton
Texas statewide, large rivers and reservoirs
Abundant in quiet, silt-bottomed pools of rivers (muddy)
Suckers – Catostomidae
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Moxostoma congestum (Gray Redhorse) <= 20 in.
Gk. “sucking mouth”, L. “swollen” (lower lip)
Terete (tapered cylinder) body, small inferior mouth
Opportunistic benthic invertivore (insects/mollusks)
Texas Edwards Plateau streams (Brazos, Colorado, etc.)
Found in rock, sand, gravel pools and deep runs, riffles
Sunfishes – Centrarchidae
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Lepomis gulosus (Warmouth) <= 11in.
Gk. “scaled gill cover”, L. “large-mouthed”
Body somewhat elongate and robust
Mouth terminal
Adults feed on insects, crayfish, insects, small fishes
Texas statewide except panhandle– ponds, streams, lakes, rivers
Prefers heavily vegetated sites with limited flow and dense cover
Habitats: Riffle, run, snag, bank, channel, pools, backwaters
Sunfishes – Centrarchidae
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Lepomis macrochirus (Bluegill) <= 15in. (breeding male above)
Gk. “scaled gill cover”, Gk. “large hand” (body shape)
Body deep, laterally compressed
Mouth terminal, oblique
Wide spectrum feeder, feeds during daylight hours
Texas statewide – ponds, streams, lakes, rivers, oxbows
Shallow, warm, slow-flowing waters with abundant aquatic
vegetation, pools, backwaters
Sunfishes – Centrarchidae
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Lepomis cyanellus (Green Sunfish) <= 10 in.
Gk. “scaled gill cover” (operculum), Gk. “blue”
Body strongly compressed laterally
Mouth terminal oblique (larger than most sunfishes)
Young feed on zooplankton
Adults feed on insects, crayfish, insects, small fishes
Texas statewide – ponds, streams, lakes, rivers
Prefers sites with low velocity
Sunfishes – Centrarchidae
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Lepomis megalotis (Longear Sunfish) <= 8in.
Gk. “scaled gill cover”, Gk. “great ear”
Deep-bodied
Mouth terminal, slightly oblique
Invertivore (aquatic & terrestrial), piscivore
Texas statewide – ponds, streams, reservoirs
Abundant in clear, small upland streams with rocky bottoms
(clear water)
Sunfishes/Black Bass – Centrarchidae
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Micropterus punctulatus (Spotted Bass) <= 24in.
Gk. “small fin”, L. “dotted” (rows of dark spots)
Body slender
Mouth terminal, slightly supraterminal, moderately large
Feeds on insects, crayfish, fishes – shad, sunfish, minnows
Eastern Texas – excluding Edwards Plateau
Streams, rivers – faster water than LMB
Sunfishes/Black Bass – Centrarchidae
• Micropterus salmoides (Largemouth Bass) <= 27in.
• Gk. “small fin”, L. “trout”
• Mouth terminal, slightly oblique, extending well beyond posterior eye
margin
• Sight feeder – midwater attack, benthic attack
• Bluegill, shad, minnows, darters, insects
• Texas statewide excluding Panhandle
• Lakes, ponds, reservoirs, backwaters, slow-water rivers, streams
• Prefers clear, quiet waters with aquatic vegetation
Sunfishes/Black Bass – Centrarchidae
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Micropterus treculii (Guadalupe Bass) <= 15 in.
Gk. “small fin”
Elongate body moderately compressed with large mouth
Insects, crayfish, hellgrammites, fishes
Endemic to the streams of the northern and eastern Edwards Plateau
A species of Special Concern (TPWD) – the official state fish
Streams and reservoirs
Small lentic environments, flowing water
Sunfishes/Black Bass – Centrarchidae
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Pomoxis annularis (White Crappie) <= 20 in.
Gk. “opercle sharp” L. “having rings” (irregular vertical bars)
Body laterally compressed
Mouth terminal, somewhat oblique
Invertivore/carnivore - shad, etc.
Eastern 2/3 of the state
Streams, lakes, ponds, reservoirs, oxbows (deeper water)
Cichlids– Ciclidae
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Cichlasoma cyanoguttatum (Rio Grande Cichlid) <= 12 in.
Gk. “body of a wrasse” Gk. “blue-spotted”
Body “general oval shape”
Mouth terminal, somewhat oblique
Omnivore - fish eggs, insects, small fishes, vegetation
Rio Grande and Pecos River basins – introduced Central TX (EP)
Ponds, springs, lagoons creeks, rivers (pools, backwaters)
Shads/Herrings – Clupeidae
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Dorosoma cepedianum (Gizzard shad) <= 20 in.
Gk. “lanceolate body ”
Deep body, laterally compressed – mouth subterminal
Most often found in large schools
Filter zooplankton, microcrustaceans, detritus
• Statewide, highly abundant in reservoirs (> 50% of fish biomass)
• Lakes, ponds, pools and backwaters
Carps & Minnows – Cyprinidae
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Campostoma anomalum (Central Stoneroller) <= 9 in.
“curved mouth”, “extraordinary”
Body terete and stout – mouth subterminal
Herbivore/grazer – filamentous algae, diatoms, insects
Found primarily in clear streams of the Edwards Plateau
Small to medium streams with gravel substrate, in pools
and riffles
Carps & Minnows – Cyprinidae
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Cyprinella lutrensis (Red Shiner) <= 3in.
L. “small carp”, “otter” (type locality = Otter Creek, AR)
Body deep and compressed
Mouth terminal to slightly subterminal
Herbivore/invertivore –algae, insects
Statewide – reservoirs, rivers, streams, creeks (pools/riffles)
Tolerant of siltation and turbidity
Carps & Minnows – Cyprinidae
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Cyprinella venusta (Blacktail Shiner) <= 7in.
L. “small carp”, “beautiful, like Venus”
Body fairly deep and compressed
Mouth terminal to slightly subterminal and oblique
Algae, seeds, insects (aquatic and terrestrial)
Statewide – small to large streams
Pools, runs, riffles with silt/gravel/bedrock
Carps & Minnows – Cyprinidae
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Macrhybopsis hyostoma (Shoal Chub) <= 3in.
Gk. “long”, “hog mouth”
Body dorsally humped and ventrally flattened
Mouth horizontal and subterminal (almost inferior)
Feeds on aquatic insects, plant materials
Sabine, Brazos and Colorado Rivers – not reservoirs
Prefers run habitats with sand/gravel
Carps & Minnows – Cyprinidae
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Notemigonus crysoleucas (Golden Shiner) <= 14in.
Gk. “angled back”, “golden white”
Body deep, strongly compressed laterally
Mouth oblique, nearly superior, opening narrow
Zooplankton, flying insects - midwater and surface
Statewide, as a result of bait releases (native to East TX)
Ponds, slow rivers and streams, oxbows
Carps & Minnows – Cyprinidae
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Pimephales promelas (Fathead Minnow) <= 4in.
Gk. “fat head”, “in front, black”
Body laterally compressed with a blunt snout
Mouth terminal, slightly upturned
Benthic feeders – algae, protozoa, diatoms (mud/silt)
Statewide, as a result of bait releases
Ponds, rivers, streams (pools, backwaters), oxbows, turbid
Carps & Minnows – Cyprinidae
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Cyrpinus carpio (Common Carp) <= 4 ft.
Described by Linneaus (1758)
Body deep and compressed
Mouth terminal on young, becoming subterminal
Invertivore/detritivore, benthic, grazer/suction feeder
Feeds in shallow water, by rooting through the substrate (benthos) –
this behavior stirs up the water and increases turbidity
• Introduced to U.S. in 1877, now found throughout Texas
• Found in large bodies of water, backwaters, rivers, reservoirs
Topminnows/Killifishes – Fundulidae
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Fundulus notatus (Blackstripe Topminnow) <= 4in.
L. “bottom” (habitat), “spotted”
Body slender
Mouth terminal, snout pointed
Terrestrial arthropods, snails, aquatic insects, microcrustaceans
East Texas, Red to San Antonio River basins
Prefers small to large, lowland, low-gradient streams and
sloughs – in water of moderate to high turbidity
North American / Bullhead Catfishes – Ictaluridae
• Ameiurus melas (Black Bullhead) <= 16 in.
• Gk. “privative curtailed” (caudal fin lacking notch), “black”
• Body moderately elongate, robust body, little compressed laterally
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Mouth terminal, slightly subterminal
Feeds on invertebrates and fish,
Statewide, except Trans-Pecos drainages
Ponds, pools in streams/rivers, swampy habitats, turbid waters
with silt bottoms
North American / Bullhead Catfishes – Ictaluridae
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Ictalurus furcatus (Blue Catfish) <= 5 ft.
Gk. “fish cat”, “forked” (caudal fin)
Body moderately robust, elongate
Mouth subterminal
Benthic – Feeds on invertebrates, fish, frogs, mollusks
Statewide, except Panhandle
Larger rivers and streams
Swift chutes and pools with current – sand/gravel/rubble
North American / Bullhead Catfishes – Ictaluridae
• Noturus gyrinus (Tadpole Madtom) <= 6 in.
• Gk. “back tail” (adipose fin and tail fin connected), “tadpole”
• Body heavy, round and potbellied anteriorly (rarely elongate), strongly
compressed posteriorly
• Mouth terminal
• Benthic – Feeds on invertebrates, insects, etc.
• Eastern Texas, Red to Nueces River basins
• Medium to large rivers, reservoirs, sloughs
• Quiet, slow-moving waters, esp. over soft, muddy bottom with veg.
North American / Bullhead Catfishes – Ictaluridae
• Pylodictis olivaris (Flathead Catfish) <= 5 ft.
• Gk. “mud fish” L. “olive-colored”
• Body slender, elongated; becoming moderately robust as adults;
head depressed
• Mouth terminal, lower jaw projects beyond upper jaw
• *Feeds primarily on live fish
• Statewide, large streams, deep holes of medium/large rivers
• Deep quiet pools of main rivers
Gars – Lepisosteidae
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Lepisosteus oculatus (Spotted Gar) <= 4 ft.
Gk. “bony scale” L. “provided with eyes” (dark spots)
Body long and cylindrical
Mouth terminal
Ambush piscivore (minnows, sunfishes), insects, shrimp
Eastern Texas (Brazos River)
Clear, quiet waters with aquatic vegetation, active at night
Walleye & Darters – Percidae
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Etheostoma spectabile (Orangethroat Darter) <= 3 in.
Gk. “to strain, mouth” “conspicuous” (breeding males)
Body cross section oval
Mouth terminal
Benthic invertivore – insect larvae, crustaceans
Edwards Plateau, San Antonio River east to Red River
Small to medium upland streams
Shallow gravel riffles, raceways, pools, springs
Walleye & Darters – Percidae
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Percina carbonaria (Texas Logperch) <= 5 in.
Gk. “a small perch”, “of or relating to charcoal” (black coloration)
Body elongate, subfusiform (tapered), compressed
Mouth – piglike snout
Benthic invertivore
Edwards Plateau, including Brazos/Bosque/Leon River watersheds
Streams, small/medium rivers
Hyperbenthic – common in rocky riffles and runs
Walleye & Darters – Percidae
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Percina sciera (Dusky Darter) <= 5 in.
Gk. “a small perch”, “dusky”
Body robust, rather compressed behind
Mouth terminal
Benthic invertivore
Edwards Plateau east to Red River
Medium/large streams not highly turbid
Livebearers– Poeciliidae
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Gambusia affinis (Western Mosquitofish) <= 3 in.
L. “related”
Body terete, back nearly straight in profile
Mouth terminal
Surface feeder – insect larvae, crustaceans, algae, fish fry,
zooplankton
• Statewide
• Common in vegetated ponds, lakes, ditches, backwaters,
oxbows
Cienega
Diamond Y Spring
Pupfishes – Cyrinodontidae
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Cyprinodon bovinus (Leon Springs Pupfish) <= 2 in.
Gk. “carp, tooth”, Gk. “belonging to a cow”
Body deep, wide
Mouth upturned
Generalist feeder – diatoms, amphipods, ostracods
Spring-fed wetland – quiet water near edges
Endangered FWS, 1980 – nearly extinct
Phantom Cave
Endangered Species (desert springs)
• Cyprinodon elegans (Comanche Springs Pupfish) <= 2 in.
• Gambusia nobilis (Pecos Gambusia) <= 2 in.
• Spring-fed wetlands/canals near Balmorhea
Carps & Minnows – Cyprinidae
• Hybognathus amarus (Rio Grande Silvery Minnow) <= 4 in.
• Once abundant in Rio Grande and Pecos basins, now
existing only in scattered RG locations in NM – reintroduced
in Texas, Big Bend reach of RG (Endangered)
• Eggs are semi-buoyant and drift downstream
• Found in shallow water over silt substrates, eddies behind
debris piles, pools, backwaters – avoid main channel runs
References
• http://www.fishesoftexas.org
• http://www.bio.txstate.edu/~tbonner/txfishes
• http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/landwater/water
/aquaticspecies/inland.phtml
Chris Harper
Private Lands Biologist
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Austin Texas Ecological Services Office
512-490-0057 x 245
[email protected]