Great Basin Naturalist
Volume 44 Number 2 Article 15
4-30-1984
Distribution of the Shoshone scuplin (Cottus greenei: Cottidae) in the Hagerman Valley of south central Idaho
Richard L. Wallace University of Idaho, Moscow
J. S. Griffith .Jr Idaho State University, Pocatello
D. M. Daley Idaho State University, Pocatello
Patrick J. Connolly University of Idaho, Moscow
G. B. Beckham Idaho State University, Pocatello
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Recommended Citation Wallace, Richard L.; Griffith, J. S. .;Jr Daley, D. M.; Connolly, Patrick J.; and Beckham, G. B. (1984) "Distribution of the Shoshone scuplin (Cottus greenei: Cottidae) in the Hagerman Valley of south central Idaho," Great Basin Naturalist: Vol. 44 : No. 2 , Article 15. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn/vol44/iss2/15
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Western North American Naturalist Publications at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Basin Naturalist by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. DISTRIBUTION OF THE SHOSHONE SCULPIN (COTTUS GREENEI: COTTIDAE) IN THE HAGERMAN VALLEY OF SOUTH CENTRAL IDAHO
Ricluird L. Wallace', S. , J. Griffith, Jr. D. M. Daley', Patrick B. J. Connolly' and G. Beckhanr
.\bstract.— Cottus greenei, a potentially threatened species endemic to Idaho, was collected from 49 localities in 25 springs/streams in south central Idaho. Most localities were along the north hank of the Snake River in waters of the Thousand Springs formation, Gooding County. One population was found in a spring in the main Snake River. .Another sculpin, Cottus hairdi, was collected with C. greenei at 23 locations in 16 springs/streams. Confusion
concerning the type locality of Cottus greenei is discussed.
The Shoshone sculpin, Cottus greenei (Gil- Taxonomy and Type Locality bert and Culver 1898), has the most restrict- ed distribution of any native fish in Idaho ex- The Shoshone sculpin was named and de- cept the endemic fishes of Bear Lake. Until scribed as Uranidea greenei by Gilbert and recently, the species was known to occur Culver (1898:1965). Uranidea was later syn- only in three streams (Riley, Sand Springs, onymized with Cottus (Jordan et al. 1930). and Billingsley creeks) in the Thousand There has been some confusion concerning Springs area of the Hagerman Valley of south the location of the type locality of C. greenei. central Idaho (Simpson and Wallace 1978). The original description was based on speci- Wallace (1980) reported Cottus greenei from mens collected in 1894 (Jordan and Ever- one additional stream in the area and noted mann 1898). The type locality was listed as the possibility of its occurrence in the main "Thou-sand Springs, Snake River, Idaho, near Snake River. Tlie U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- mouth of Salmon Fall River." Salmon Fall vice initiated a status review of C. greenei in River (now referred to as Salmon Falls 1980 because of its restricted distribution and Creek) enters the Snake River from the south, impending development of waters in the nearly opposite Thousand Springs. Thus, area. By that time, the species was known to Salmon Falls Creek might be considered the occur in at least 10 streams and springs in the type locality. The expedition on which the Thousand Springs formation (Williams 1980). type of C greenei was collected was different During 1981 we made over 130 collections from that reported by Gilbert and Evermann from about 100 localities in the area to define (1894) (Robert R. Miller, pers. comm.). the distribution of the Shoshone sculpin more Therefore, the type locality of Cottus greenei clearly. This report on the distribution of is Thousand Springs, Gooding County, Idaho, Cottus greenei is a segment of a larger study and not Salmon Falls Creek, Twin Falls to determine the distribution, abundance, County. habitat preferences, and life history of this One specimen of Cottus greenei housed in potentially threatened fish species in Idaho. the fish collection of the Museum of Zoology, Specific locations of all populations of Cottus University of Michigan (UMMZ 157055) is greenei collected by us and sampling sites labeled as being collected from Salmon Falls where C. greenei were not found are on file Creek in 1948 by James Simpson of the Idaho at the University of Idaho and Idaho State Department of Fish and Game. Mr. Simpson University. told us he never found C. greenei on the
'Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow. Idaho 83843. -Department of Biology, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho 83209.
324 April 1984 Wallace et al.: Shoshone Sculpin 325
BLISS
Fig. 1. Distribution of Shoshone sculpin {Cotttts greenei) and mottled sculpin (C. haircU] in the Hagerman Valley area of south central Idaho. Not all localities are .shown. south side of the Snake River and does not re- served in 10% formalin to fulfill other objec- member ever collecting it in Salmon Falls tives of the study. All preserved specimens Creek (James Simpson, pers. comm.). This will be retained in the fish collections at the same information was transmitted to R. M. University of Idaho and Idaho State Bailey when Simpson's Idaho fish collections University. were sent to Michigan in April 1948 (Robert R. Miller, pers. comm.). We made three sepa- Results and Discussion rate collections in lower Salmon Falls Creek, one very near the place where Mr. Simpson Cottus greenei was found at 49 locations in collected in 1948, and found only Coitus 25 springs/streams in the Hagerman Valley hairdi. Therefore, we believe that the locality (Fig. 1). With two exceptions, C. greenei oc- data on that specimen, UMMZ 157055, are curred only in Gooding County. Most sites incorrect and that Cottiis greenei does not oc- were within the Thousand Springs formation cur in Salmon Falls Creek. along the north bank of the Snake River be- tween River Miles (RM) 565.8 and 590.5. We found only two localities containing C. green- Methods ei on the south side of the Snake River in We used D.C. and A.C. electrofishing gear Twin Falls County. An unnamed spring flow- and dip nets to collect sculpins from most lo- ing into the Snake River at RM 566.6 con- calities. Scuba surveys were made in deep tained a very small population of Shoshone pools of tributary streams and in areas of the sculpin. At RM 588.3, a few C. greenei were main Snake River. Divers collected sculpin found in the outflow from the private fish with hand-operated slurp guns. When pos- hatchery. Their water supply is collected sible, sculpin were identified and released at from Box Canyon Springs, immediately the place of capture. Some samples were pre- across the Snake River, and piped to the 326 Great Basin Naturalist Vol. 44, No. 2
south hank where the hatchery is located. most of the springs supporting smaller popu- Apparently, some individual sculpin have lations of C. greenei. Riley creek, a stream been transported across the Snake River with containing a fairly large population of C. the water that is diverted to this hatchery. greenei, flows through state and federal fish The most upstream collection came from cultural stations and a state wildlife manage- Briggs Springs at RM 590.5. There are many ment area. Most populations in this stream, additional springs entering the Snake River however, are located in the various springs above this site, but intensive sampling and an feeding the creek and in the hatchery race- analysis of existing collections of sculpins ways. We found no C. greenei in Riley Creek from these areas revealed only the mottled below the wildlife management area. sculpin, Cottus bairdi. The mottled sculpin was found throughout Acknowledgments the area and was the only species of sculpin foimd in the streams entering the Snake Riv- We thank the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- er from the south. C. bairdi was found sym- vice, Office of Endangered Species, and the patrically with C. greenei at 23 localities in Bureau of Land Management, Shoshone Dis- 16 streams/springs in the area. Other fish trict, for financial support provided for this species collected in the area included rain- study. Tim Cochnauer, Idaho Department of bow trout {Sabno gairdneri), brown trout Fish and Game, provided us with early col- {Sabno tnitta), longnose dace (Rbinicbtbys lections and helped with collections from the cataractae), speckled dace (fi. oscuhis), north- main Snake River. R. R. Miller loaned us ern squawfish {Ptychocheibis oregonensis), specimens from the University of Michigan, redside shiner {Ricbardsonius balteatus), chis- helped us clarify the type locality of Cottus elmouth {Acrocbeibis abitaceus), peamouth greenei, and read an earlier version of the chub {Mylocbeibis cauriniis), largescale suck- manuscript. er (Catostomus macrocheibis), largemouth bass {Micropterus sabnoides), and bluegill (Le- Literature Cited pornis macrocbirus). Rainbow trout, brown Gilbert, C. H., and B. W. Evermanx. 1984. A report trout, longnose dace, and mottled sculpin upon investigations in the Columbia River basin, were found sympatrically with the shoshone with descriptions of four new species of fishes. sculpin except at two localities. At Blue Bull. U.S. Fish. Comm., 14:169-207. Hearts Springs in the Snake River, redside Gilbert, C. H., D. S. Jordan, and B. W. Evermann, Culver. 1898. Vranidea greenei, new species. shiners, largescale suckers, and largemouth Page 1965 in D. S. Jordan and B. W. Evermann, bass were also collected. Redside shiners The fishes of North and Middle America. Bull. were collected with C. greenei in Upper Sand U.S. Nat. Mus. 47(2): 1241-2183. Springs Creek. C. greenei was not found in Jordan, D. S., B. W. Evermann, and H. W. Clark. the Malad River (four sampling locations), 1930. Check list of the fishes and fishlike verte- brates of North and Middle America north of the Salmon Falls Creek (three sites), or Deep, northern boundarv of Venezuela and Colombia. Mud, and Cedar Draw creeks. .Appendix X, Report of the U.S. Commissioner of Most locations sampled apparently contain Fisheries for 1928, part 2:LV4-670 pp. R. L. Wallace. 1978. Fishes of small populations of C. greenei, perhaps only Simpson, J. C, and Idaho. Univ. Press of Idaho, Moscow. 237 a few dozen to a few hundred individuals. At p. Wallace, R. L. 1980. Cottus greenei (Gilbert and Cul- least three sites, however, support popu- ver), Shoshone Sculpin. Page 813 in D. S. Lee et lations of thousands of Shoshone sculpin. Two al.. Atlas of North American freshwater fishes. of these sites. Box Canyon and Blue Hearts North Carolina State Mus. Nat. Hist., Raleigh. Springs, are entirely or partially on public i-x-l-854 pp. Williams, D. 1980. Endangered and threatened wild- lands administered by the Bureau of Land J. life and plants: review of the status of the Sho- Management. The third site. Sand Springs shone Sculpin. Federal Register, vol. Creek, is imder private ownership, as are 45(60): 19858.