PROJECT ABSTRACT
Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit
(Cooperative Agreement # H1200-004-0002)
Park: Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Project Title: Co-sponsorship of a Guide to Cyprinid Larvae and Early Juveniles of the
Upper Colorado River Basin with Computer-Interactive Key
Funding Amount: $30,000($15,000 in Fy 2008 and $15,000 in Fy 2009)
CPCESU Partner Institution: Colorado State University
Principal Investigator (name, title, address, telephone, FAX, email):
Darrel E. Snyder, Research Scientist and Curator, Larval Fish Laboratory,
Colorado State University, 1474 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, Colorado
80523-1474. Tel. (970) 491-5295, Fax (970) 491-5091,
DESnyder@WarnerCNR.ColoState.edu
Co-Investigator (name, title, address, telephone, FAX, email): NA
NPS Key Official (name, title, address, telephone, FAX, email):
Mark Anderson, Aquatic Resources Branch Chief, Glen Canyon National Recreation
Area, P.O. Box 1507, Page, AZ 86040-1507. Tel. (928) 608-6266, Fax (928) 6086283, Mark_Anderson@nps.gov
Start Date: Jun 2007
End Date: Sep 2008
Abstract: Fifteen species of Cyprinidae (minnows) are known to occur in the Upper
Colorado River Basin (UCRB), five of which are native–the endangered Colorado
pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius), endangered humpback chub (Gila cypha),
endangered bonytail (Gila elegans), roundtail chub (Gila robusta), and speckled dace
(Rhinichthys osculus). Most of these fish are found in Lake Powell and the rivers and
tributaries of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (GLCA), as well as other
National Park Service (NPS) Units on the Colorado Plateau. Many, including the
endangered species, are also found in the Lower Colorado River Basin (LCRB) and
its NPS Units.
Collections of early life stages of fish are essential for research on, and
monitoring of, fish spawning sites and seasons; larval production, transport,
distribution, nursery habitat, and survival; and other aspects of fish life history.
Such information is critical to management and recovery of fish populations in
the Colorado River Basin, but requires accurate identification of at least the target
species among collected specimens.
Morphological identification of fish larvae requires knowledge of the appearance
of not only the target species but also all similar species in the waters sampled and the
diagnostic criteria for distinguishing them. For many species, including the
catostomids (suckers) and cyprinids (minnows) of the UCRB, morphological criteria
for identification change dramatically as the fish grow and develop, making diagnosis
especially difficult and complicated.
To improve the ability of UCRB researchers to identify cyprinid larvae, including
the endangered species, a four-year project to prepare a “Guide to the Cyprinid
Larvae and Early Juveniles of the Upper Colorado River Basin with ComputerInteractive Key” is proposed. This project represents an NPS co-sponsorship of a
portion of the guide, which will facilitate research on and management of fishes in
GLCA and other NPS units on the Colorado Plateau.
Keywords: Animals: Protocols/Reference Materials, Fish, Endemic Species