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, Phase 2 –FY 2008 funding
Funding Amount: $15,000
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) 608-
6283, Mark_Anderson@nps.gov
Start Date: June 1, 2008
End Date: March 31 2009
Continuation of Project CPCSU-120 – J1445070009
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 Computer-
Interactive 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