183 



Biology 



P. oreas occurs in small to medium size rivers. It is present in cool to warm, rapidly to 

 slowly flowing, clear to turbid environments with sandy to rocky bottom (Starnes & Star- 

 nes 1980C; Page & Burr 1991). Fish species associated with this dace include Notropis 

 cerasinus, N. ardens (Raney 1947), Semotilus atromaculatus, Clinostomus funduloides, 

 Nocomis leptocephalus, and Rhinichthys atratulus (Maurakis & Woolcott 1992). Hybrids 

 of P. oreas x Semotilus have been reported (Hamtrick 1977, Maurakis & Woolcott 1992). 

 The diet of P. oreas is unknown, but it was thought to be similar to that of P. erythroga- 

 ster and cumberlandensis by Starnes & Starnes (1980c). 



The spawning season of P. oreas is in spring and early summer, using the nest of Noco- 

 mis. Up to 30 males might share one single nest. In most cases, more than one male fol- 

 lows one female during spawning (Raney 1947). 



Distribution 



P. oreas occurs in a belt-like area in the mountains of eastern North America. It was found 

 from Virginia in the north, to North Corolina in the south. This species is also present in 

 upper Tennessee drainage of Virginia and Tennessee (Stauffer et al. 1975, Starnes & Star- 

 nes 1980, Jowswiak et al. 1980). 



Etymology 



The epithet oreas is a Latin word meaning "of the mountains". It probably was chosen to 

 indicate the primary habitat of the species. 



Phoxinus eos (Cope, 1862) 



Synonymy 



Chrosomus eos Cope, 1862 - Cope 1862: 523 (orig desc, type locality: Meshoppen Creek, 

 Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania); Cope 1868: 233 (comparison with P. oreas); Cope 

 1869: 375, 391 (desc, dist., Pennsylvania); Jordan 1877: 71 (name); Jordan & Gilbert 

 1882: 154 (Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania); Jordan & Swain 1883: 248 (name); Jor- 

 dan et al. 1930: 113 (east of the Alleghenies, north to the Susquehanna River, Pennsyl- 

 vania); Toner 1933: 137 (name); Lindeborg 1941: 160 (Ontario, Canada); Hubbs & Lagler 

 1949: 57, 64, fig.131 (whole body) (Great Lakes region); Scott 1957: 161 (Canada); 

 Underhill 1957: 13, 25, 28, map 7 (dist., Minnesota); Bailey & Allum 1962: 41-42, 120, 

 tab. 9 (dist., South Dakota); New 1962: 147, 149, 151, tab.l, figs. 1-6 (external morpho- 

 logy); Phillips 1969a: 501, 506-509, tab.2B, 3-4, fig.2 (external morphology and varia- 

 tion, Minnesota); Legendre 1970b: 1167, 1172, 1174-1176, tab.l, figs.1-2, 4-6 (Mendelian, 

 Canada); Eddy & Underhill 1974: 239, fig.74 (key); Mahy 1975c: 618-634, tab.l, figs.l- 

 3. 6, 8-12, 14-22 (osteology); Settles & Hoyt 1978: 297 (name); Gaswoska 1979: 373, 

 381, 383, 392-393, figs.5, 19, 31, 38, 43, 49, 61, 81 (osteology); Böhlke 1984: 75 (type 

 specimens in ANSP). 



