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An Ichthyological Survey of the Forks of the Platte River in Western Nebraska

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An Ichthyological Survey of the Forks of the Platte River in Western Nebraska University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies Nebraska Academy of Sciences 1996 An Ichthyological Survey of the Forks of the Platte River in Western Nebraska John D. Lynch University of Nebraska-Lincoln Brian R. Roh University of Nebraska-Lincoln Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tnas Part of the Life Sciences Commons Lynch, John D. and Roh, Brian R., "An Ichthyological Survey of the Forks of the Platte River in Western Nebraska" (1996). Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies. 86. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tnas/86 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Nebraska Academy of Sciences at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societiesy b an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. 1996. Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences, 23: 65-84 AN ICHTHYOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TIlE FORKS OF TIlE PLATTE RIVER IN WESTERN NEBRASKA John D. Lynch and Brian R. Roh School of Biological Sciences University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-0118 ABSTRACT lections in the 1930s and 1940s (deposited in the Uni­ An ichthyological survey (1989-1995) of 31 sites on the versity of Michigan's Museum of Zoology, Ann Arbor), North Platte and South Platte rivers and immediately below very little in the way of vouchered collections exist. the North Platte diversion dam (junction of the North Platte Nevertheless, popular publications, aimed at informing and South Platte rivers) resulted in the captures and distri­ fishermen of the fish species, reported the distributions butional documentation of 46 species of fishes. Four other of most species in the western parts of the state (Morris species, found in the drainage, were captured in tributary et al., 1974). The most detailed inventory (Bliss and streams only. Preserved voucher records are based on 49 Schainost, 1973) focused on streams and includes few sampling visits (1989-1995) to the 32 localities (approxi­ stations in the Platte River. Furthermore, nearly all mately 55,000 specimens). An additional 42,000 nonvouchered preserved samples used by Bliss and Schainost were specimens were taken, identified, and released at 17 of the localities (1980-1995). Above Lake McConaughy, the North discarded in 1973, eliminating the possibility of revi­ Platte River is dominated by five species (Cyprinella lutrensis, sion of identifications. Public knowledge of the fishes of Hybognathus hankinsoni, H. placitus, Hybopsis dorsalis, and the upper parts of the Platte River in Nebraska re­ Notropis ludibundus), whereas below Lake McConaughy the mains based on the unpublished dissertation of Johnson fish fauna is dominated by only four species (Catostomus (1942) and L. Morris' (1960) unpublished Masters' the­ commersoni, Cyprinella lutrensis, Hybopsis dorsalis, and sis. Johnson (1942) reported records of 26 species from Notropis ludibundus). The South Platte fish fauna is domi­ the region we surveyed. He reported between one and nated by six species (Cyprinella lutrensis, Hybopsis dorsalis, eight species from six sites on the upper North Platte Notropis ludibundus, Pimephales promelas, Semotilus River (Henry, Morrill, Mitchell, Scottsbluff, Bayard, atromaculatus, and Fundulus zebrinus). The two units on the North Platte River are each divisible into eastern and and Oshkosh), 14 species from one locality on the lower western sections, based on the compositions of the fish fau­ North Platte River (3 mi N Sutherland), and three to 12 nas. The eastern and western divisions are attributed to species from three localities on the South Platte River effects of the impoundment of the North Platte River by Lake (SW Big Springs, Brule, and Ogallala). Many of those McConaughy. Recent (1995) work on the South Platte River records are mentioned by Jones (1963). The dearth of also suggests the existence of eastern and western subdivi­ ichthyological information about the fishes of the Platte sions, but those subdivisions were not evident 10-20 yr ago. River in Nebraska is partially mitigated by the avail­ Including nonvouchered records obtained by ichthyology ability of some survey data for Colorado (Woodling, classes, the twelve sites on the North Platte River above Lake 1985) and Wyoming (Baxter and Simon, 1970). The McConaughy harbor 15-29 species of fishes (39 species taken in total), whereas the eight sites on the North Platte River Wyoming data set also includes more recent surveys of below Lake McConaughy harbor 17-29 species (34 species some major tributaries (Patton and Hubert, 1993; Rahel taken in total) and the twelve sites on the South Platte River and Hubert, 1991). harbor 19-33 species (37 species taken in total). In the 1840s to 1870s, this region was known to t t t biologists and explorers as the "forks of the Platte." Although current usage reports these as "rivers," to Knowledge of the distributions of fish species in early observers, having the benefit of knowledge of western Nebraska remains very general and very few eastern drainages, these were minor streams but the published records exist. Furthermore, aside from col- forks were a clear sign of the nearby Rocky Mountains. 65 66 J. D. Lynch and B. R. Roh . i~ _ L ;. , : I r-:.....• a.COTTSBLUFF-'-;···_···_ .. ·_ ... _ ... - ... J.,._, ... _... _ ... _... _... _.. .!_: 1 ! 2 3 '\... ! MORRILL ! GARDEN I ! '.!6 7' : I--~ 8 Ii ~ Lr'-"'-"'-"'-"',"'-"'-"'-"'-"'-"I ! \ .......... j 9 ! ! i :i '-I ... _ ... _ ... _ ... _ ... -'... : '>-. 10 \I 12i :l ~ !i :... _ ... _... _... _... _... _.1 Lij '.",,-' / -"'-"'-"'KtiTA~"'-r'-" _ ... _ ... _ ... .;.. ... _ ... - i __ ....... .., ....... /" .......... / e.~ (13 14151 16 1718 19 20 ,.... ..--- .. --.... "'-"'-"'-"'-"'1 2~. l~rU~1 / I ··········• .. ····'·-b'DEUEL I \ - - _\ 0 ....!-e-e_____...ta I :: .--••••____ I I _e""-., L. .. _ .. _ .. _ .. _ .. _ .. _ .. _ .. _.. - .. _.. _.. _ .. _ .. _.. _ .. _! .. _.. _ .. -"-21.__"-',22"'-'''24 .-- \ 2526\ \ \2 1': : 28I 29 30/ 31\ \32 , ! LINCOLN I : j I I Figure 1. Map of the region discussed in this paper. Localities are numbered and county n~mes are provided for those counties including portions ofthe North and South Platte rivers. The forks extended eastward to the vicinity of modern­ The fish fauna of the North and South Platte rivers day North Platte, Nebraska. Because we have pro­ is made up of 51 species (excepting aliens restricted to duced the first comprehensive documentation of the Lake McConaughy and associated waters). However, ichthyofauna, we elect to use this seemingly anachro­ only eight species, seven minnows (Cyprinella lutrensis, nistic terminology in our title for these prairie streams. Hybognathus hankinsoni, H. placitus, Hybopsis dorsalis, Notropis ludibundus, Pimephales promelas, and The University of Nebraska-Lincoln established Semotilus atromaculatus) and one topminnow the Cedar Point Biological Station in Keith County, (Fundulus zebrinus) account for 92.6% of all fishes Nebraska, in 1975, and beginning that year and more found in these streams (Table 1). or less continually offered a class in field ichthyology there. In 1989, the first author (JDL) began to accumu­ MATERIALS AND METHODS late voucher collections for the Platte River during one class activity in ichthyology class. No schedule was Limited acquisition of museum vouchers began maintained and the dataset was viewed as inadequate when JDL initiated his surveys of the introduced West­ by early 1995, when the authors decided to complete a ern Mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis, (Lynch, 1988) and detailed survey of the North and South Platte rivers in continued during his surveys to document changes in 1995. Including the samples made 1989-1992, we vis­ the distribution of the Plains Topminnow, Fundulus ited 32 sites along these two rivers and made voucher sciadicus. Lynch's sampling methods for Fundulus collections (Fig. 1). Most of the collecting effort was sciadicus and Gambusia affinis involved primarily sam­ done in four trips in 1995 (March, April, September, pling with aquatic dipnets. However, beginning in and October) with spot collecting in June. The detailed 1989, JDL devoted limited time to the documentation survey (providing vouchers for records), when joined of distributions of all fish species in the North and with nearly 20 years of data from class activities, repre­ South Platte rivers. Two stations were sampled in sents a reasonably complete account of the fishes of the 1989, three in 1990, one in 1991, one in 1993, and 27 in Platte rivers in western Nebraska. These data are of 1995. Fifteen stations were sampled twice in 1995. In some importance in public policy debates as well as of 1995, we undertook to complete that inventory by sam­ interest in documenting part of Nebraska's biota. pling every accessible station along those two rivers Fish of the forks of the Platte River in western Nebraska 67 Table 1. Twelve most abundant species from North and South Platte Rivers. Rank Name UpperNP LowerNP SouthP Incidence Percent 1. Notropis ludibundus 3627 4090 8733 32 30.8 2. Hybopsis dorsalis 2445 3649 9175 32 28.6 3. Hybognathus hankinsoni 3669 181 3203 21 13.2 4. Hybognathus placitus 4118 o 5 8 7.7 5. Pimephales promelas 1030 193 1328 30 4.8 6. Cyprinella lutrensis 529 592 549 25 3.1 7. Semotilus atromaculatus 129 219 965 30 2.4 8. Fundulus zebrinus 183 46 842 27 2.0 9. Campostoma anomalum 1 61 597 20 1.2 10. Catostomus commersoni 198 221 135 28 1.1 11. Gambusia affinis 251 116 171 27 1.0 12. Carpiodes cyprinus 256 36 133 23 0.8 from the points where they enter Nebraska to the di­ version dam east of the city of North Platte, Lincoln SAMPLING STATIONS County. The limited early work by Johnson used seines rather than fish toxins or electrofishing and, in order to The species represented by vouchers are indicated make comparisons with those collections made more using a species number that corresponds to the list of than 50 years ago, we too used seining as our means of species given in the Accounts of Species.
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