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Bonytail Chub
(Gila elegans)
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| Class: |
Actinopterygii |
| Order: |
Cypriniformes |
| Family: |
Cyprinidae |
| Genus: |
Gila |
| Species: |
elegans |
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| Length: |
over 2 feet |
| Lifespan: |
30+ years |
| Feed: |
little known, probably
insects, fishes, and plant matter
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| Habitat: |
main-stems of the Colorado River system |
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Official Status: |
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Endangered |
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Life History: |
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A bonytail chub can grow to over 2 feet long. Like many other desert fishes, its coloring tends to be darker above and lighter below, serving as a camouflage. Breeding males have red fin bases. They have a streamlined body and a terminal mouth. Bonytail Chubs have bodies that sometimes arch into a smooth, predorsal hump (in adults). While their skull is quite concave, their caudal peduncle (tailside) is thin, and almost looks like a pencil (hence, “bony tail”). The coloration of Bonytail Chubs is usually dark dorsally and lighter ventrally, however, in very clear waters, they looks almost black all over. During breeding season, males and females have distinct coloration as well. Mature males have bright red-orange lateral bands between their paired fins; while females have a more subdued coloration that is described with the males. |
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Distribution and Habitat: |
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The bonytail chub was once found in many states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. This fish species experienced the most abrupt decline of any of the long-lived fishes native to the main-stems of the Colorado River system and, because no young individuals have been found in recent years, has been called functionally extinct. Bonytail chubs were one of the first fish species to reflect the changes that occurred in the Colorado River basin after the construction of Hoover Dam; the fish was extirpated from the lower basin between 1926 and 1950.They may still be found in the Green River of Utah and perhaps in the larger Colorado River water bodies. Gila elegans was added to the US list of endangered species on April 23, 1980.
Bonytail chub prefer backwaters with rocky or muddy bottoms and flowing pools, although they have been reported in swiftly moving water. They are mostly restricted to rocky canyons today, but were historically abundant in the wide downstream sections of rivers. |
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Threats: |
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habitat alterations caused by dams, and predation and competition with nonnative fishes |
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Actions / Current Information: |
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