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Northern leatherside chub

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Northern leatherside chub
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Subfamily: Leuciscinae
Genus: Lepidomeda
Species:
L. copei
Binomial name
Lepidomeda copei
Synonyms
  • Squalius copei (Jordan & Gilbert, 1881)
  • Cheonda copei (Jordan & Gilbert, 1881)
  • Gila copei (Jordan & Gilbert, 1881)
  • Snyderichthys copei (Jordan & Gilbert, 1881)

The northern leatherside chub (Lepidomeda copei) is a freshwater ray finned fish in the family Cyprinidae found in the western United States.

Range

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Northern leatherside chub range from the upper Snake River system in Idaho and Wyoming to the Weber River in Utah.[2] They have also been introduced into the Colorado River system, such as Strawberry Reservoir and Price River in Utah.[3] However, it is uncertain whether these introductions are northern leatherside chub or southern leatherside chub.[4]

Taxonomy

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The northern leatherside chub is morphologically similar to the southern leatherside chub, and both species were formerly considered a single species under the name Gila copei. Both species of leatherside chubs appear to be phylogenetically close to spinedaces (genus Lepidomeda) and the spikedaces (genus Meda).[5] Currently, FishBase classifies northern and southern leatherside chub as distinct species within the genus Lepidomeda.[6] This placement was verified using mtDNA 12S rRNA sequence data.[5][7]

Description

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This species is small, reported at up to 15 cm (6 in) in length, but more typically half that size. The body is covered with very small scales over a skin with a leathery texture, inspiring the common name.[2] Overall coloration is bluish dorsally and silver ventrally; males are distinguished by patches of orange-red color on the axils of the paired fins, at the base of the anal fin, and along the lower lobe of the caudal fin, as well as golden-red specks at the upper end of the gill opening, and between eye and upper jaw. Unlike most other minnows, both dorsal and anal fins have eight rays.[2][6] This species also exhibits a fusiform body shape with forked homocercal caudal fins. Although southern and northern leatherside chub are similar, the rostrum of the southern leatherside chub comes to a more defined point than the northern leatherside chub.[8]

Habitat

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The northern leatherside chub prefer cooler creeks and rivers with moderate currents. Adults congregate in pools or riffles, while the young favor quiet areas with brush near the shore.[citation needed]

Diet

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Both northern and southern leatherside dace are invertivores, consuming both aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates. Taxa of prey include Odonata, Trichoptera, Plecoptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Isopoda, and Amphipoda.[9]

Management

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The northern leatherside chub is considered a species of greatest conservation need in Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming.[10][11][12] Across its range, the northern leatherside chub is threatened by habitat degradation caused by water abstraction for irrigation, channelization, damming, urbanization, and poor farming practices which lead to siltation.[1] Additional threats include predation from nonnative brown trout (Salmo trutta) and drought.

References

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  1. ^ a b NatureServe (2014). "Lepidomeda copei". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T202133A18232931. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T202133A18232931.en.
  2. ^ a b c Page, Lawrence M.; Burr, Brooks M., eds. (2011). Peterson field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico (2 ed.). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-547-24206-4.
  3. ^ "Lepidomeda copei (Northern Leatherside Chub)". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  4. ^ NatureServe (2013). "Lepidomeda aliciae". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T202132A18230026. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T202132A18230026.en.
  5. ^ a b Simons; Mayden (2005). "Phylogenetic Relationships of the Creek Chubs and the Spine-Fins: an Enigmatic Group of North American Cyprinid Fishes (Actinopterygii: Cyprinidae)". Cladistics. 13: 187–205. doi:10.1111/j.1096-0031.1997.tb00315.x.
  6. ^ a b Rainer Froese; Daniel Pauly, eds. (2017). "Lepidomeda copei (Jordan & Gilbert, 1881) Northern leatherside chub". Fishbase. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  7. ^ Johnson; et al. (2004). "Neglected Taxonomy of Rare Desert Fishes: Congruent Evidence for Two Species of Leatherside Chub". Systematic Biology. 53: 841–855. doi:10.1080/10635150490522557.
  8. ^ Belk, Mark (2007). "Biological Status of Leatherside Chub: A Framework for Conservation of Western Freshwater Fishes" (PDF). Fisheries.org. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  9. ^ Bell, A.; Mark, M.C. (2004). "Diet of the leatherside chub, Snyderichthys copei, in the fall". Western North American Naturalist. 64 (3): 413–416.
  10. ^ "Utah's Wildlife Action Plan". Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Species of Greatest Conservation Need". Idaho Department of Fish and Game. 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  12. ^ "Wyoming State Wildlife Action Plan". Wyoming Game and Fish Department. 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
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