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Biology 



The biology of Phoxinus neogaeus is poorly known. Scott & Crossman (1973) summari- 

 zed the general biology of the species in Canada. Stasiak (1978) studied reproductive bio- 

 logy in Minnesota. Other data are reported by Hoffman (1967) (parasites), Tyler (1966) 

 (temperature tolerance), and Constantinescu et al. (1984) (behavior). 

 This minnow prefers cool bog ponds, streams, and small boggy creeks and lakes. Fish 

 species associated include Phoxinus eos, Pimephales prometas, Umbra limi, Culaea 

 inconstans in Minnesota (Stasiak 1978); Phoxinus eos, Margariscus margarita, and Culaea 

 inconstans in Canada (Scott & Crossman 1973). Hybrids, P. neogaeus x eos, are frequently 

 found at some localities (Hubbs & Brown 1929, New 1962, Legendre 1970b, Stasiak 1978, 

 Joswiak et al. 1982, Joswiak et al. 1985, Das & Nelson 1989. Goddard & Dawley 1990). 

 Few data about food of this species are available. Scott & Crossman (1973) examined a 

 few specimens and found that the summer diet of this species was composed mainly of 

 insects, though some crustaceans and plankton were present. Protozoan parasites were ob- 

 served in the species' diet, such as Myxosoma parellipticoides (Hoffman 1967). 

 The spawning season begins in late April, reaches its peak in early May, and concludes 

 by end of May in Minnesota (Stasiak 1978). It is later in Canada. Spawning probably oc- 

 curs in June in northern Ontario (Scott & Crossman 1973). Breeding behavior of Phoxinus 

 neogaeus seems complicated: females and males leave a large school, then males stimu- 

 late females with pectoral fin placed under belly of females, and with tubercles rubbing 

 against ventral side of the female. Fecundity of this minnow was estimated from 784 to 

 3060 eggs (Stasiak 1978). 



Growth pattern (relationship between length and age) of both sexes was similar when fish 

 were young (< 1 year). Females grow faster than males thereafter and have longer life 

 spine. Six-year-old females and five-year-old males have been found (Stasiak 1978). 



Distribution 



This is one of the northernmost distributed species of Phoxinus in North America. It oc- 

 curs widely in bog ponds, streams and lakes from the Arctic circle in Mackenzie River 

 drainage (Canada) in northwest to St. Lawrence and Atlantic drainage (including New 

 Brunswick, Maine, and New Hampshire) in the east, and Southern Quebec, northern New 

 York State, north of lower Great Lakes to Michigan in the south (Scott & Crossman 1973, 

 Stasiak 1980b). Isolated populations were found in South Dakota (Evermann & Cox 1896, 

 Churchill & Over 1933), Nebraska, Colorado & Wyoming (Bailey & Allum 1962). Scott & 

 Crossman (1973) and Stasiak (1980b) provided maps of the geographic distribution of this 

 species in Canada and North America, respectively. 



Comments 



The genus name used for this species has had an interesting cycle history. It was originally 

 described by Cope (in Günther 1868) as Phoxinus neogaeus. Fowler (1918) called it to 

 Leuciscus neogaeus. Jordan (1924) proposed a new genus, Pfrilles with Phoxinus neogae- 

 us as the type species. No ichthyologists considered it as a species of the Chrosomus to 

 which P. erythrogaster belonged until Bailey (1951). Although Hubbs and Brown (1929) 



