FISHES, LAHONTAN SYSTEM OF NEVADA AND NORTHEASTERN CALIFORNIA. 43 



gravelly shores, and shallow lake beaches attract much attention. Breeding males are brassy above 

 and on the sides, fading abruptly to dead white on the ventral surface. On the back the metallic color 

 is obscured by small spots and specks of dark olive and black. A stripe five scales wide, brilliant dark 

 vermilion in color, extends from the opercular opening to caudal, where it spreads out over the entire 

 basal portion of the fin. There is a narrow, vertically oblong spot of the same bright color behind the 

 eye and, also, a dash of it along edges of opercle. Below the stripe is a similar one of deep black, which 

 causes both the red above and the white below to stand out in strong contrast. The dorsal is yellowish 

 along the base and the paired fins have a yellowish tint. On turning in the clear water the fish's sides 

 reflect the rays of the sun in flashes of crimson, gold, and silvery light. In holding this species in the 

 hand the metallic tints are reflected from the fins and, in the most intensely colored individuals, from 

 the ventral surface as well. The tubercles on the tail and anal fin are dead white. When not in nup- 

 tial color, the lateral stripes are metallic, orange, red, and blackish olive, respectively. The colors of 

 the female are greatly subdued, the general pattern being the same, the whole body, olive above and 

 light beneath, suffused with yellow, the darker areas deep olive or blackish. The lateral stripe is 

 pinkish and not sharply defined. The fins are tinted with olive. 



The males appear first on the spawning beds and are always represented there in larger numbers, 

 each female being attended by from two to eight or more. Twenty-five males were seen attending one 

 female in a pool. Occasionally another female would enter the pool from below, when she would be 

 met and inspected by a school of males and then allowed to pass on without further notice. Several of 

 these passing females proved on examination not to be ripe. On accoimt of the presence of so many 

 males nothing definite can be observed of the spawning act, more than that the eggs are extruded and 

 shaken down in the gravel by the female while the males struggle over and under her, churning the 

 water to foam by their activities. Eggs artificially removed from a ripe female and quietly cast into 

 the water upstream from the males attracted no more attention than did so much coarse sand. However, 

 they were immediately gobbled up by numbers of Richardsonius egregius, which also attended the 

 females, plunging into the mel6e of spawning fishes for eggs at every opportunity. 



The bed, or nest, is a somewhat concave depression in the coarse sand or gravel, measuring from i% 

 to more than 3 feet in diameter. The nest is located in shallow water, usually less than 12 inches deep, 

 which often proves fatal to the young, for the falling water of the river uncovers the beds at times, and 

 the eggs quickly perish in the hot sun. The eggs are foimd in large numbers deep among the pebbles. 

 In spawning there is no opportunity for the female to make any selections among the males. Large and 

 small males appear to have an equal opportunity in fertilizing the eggs, for no fighting occurs. 



Spawning was in progress in the lower Truckee River April 22; Pyramid Lake May 20; ceased May 

 24; Eagle Lake May 25, the period about ended there; in tributaries of Lake Tahoe June 11. 



Individuals of this species are very shy, the females being more difficult to catch than the males. 

 When spawning they may be closely approached if one moves very slowly without producing any 

 crunching of the gravel underfoot or allowing a shadow to fall on the water. 



In the lakes this species attains a large size, one specimen measiuing a little over 2 feet. The 

 Indians call them "auw4-go," or "a-wuh," and occasionally catch them along with Chasmistes, but 

 reject them as being tmdesLrable for food. The flesh is sweet and palatable. 



A very small specimen and a dried head of this species from Eagle Lake were described by Rutter 

 as Chasmistes chamber lainifi An inspection of the type and its comparison with prepared skulls of 

 both Catostomus and Chasmistes leave no doubt as to its identity with the former. In fact, the describer 

 suggested no reason for identifying it with Chasmistes or for supposing that it differed from Catostomus. 

 Of the dried head the "prominent hump" of the snout, the inclined maxillary, and prominent nasal 

 spines are not particularly characteristic of either Chasmistes or Catostomus. The skull of the type 

 has a long and broad fontanel, the covering of "thin bone " mentioned in the description being merely 

 dried skin. The small specimen has broad papillose lips. 



A number of specimens were collected at Eagle Lake. They were taken from a large school 

 which was spawning in a favorable place on the northeast shore. Males were largely in the majority, 

 and the females were so wary that none could be taken in the nets even after great perseverance. The 

 water being cold and clear rendered difficult the task of getting even the males. On these the light 

 lateral stripe was orange red, with a broken outline, varying in width from five to six or seven scales. 



o Bulletin United States Fish Commission, vol. xxn, 1903, p. 147. 



