Species: Rhinichthys umatilla
Umatilla Dace
Species
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Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Craniata
Class
Actinopterygii
Order
Cypriniformes
Family
Cyprinidae
Genus
Rhinichthys
NatureServe
Classification
Informal Taxonomy
Animals, Vertebrates - Fishes - Bony Fishes - Minnows and Carps
Formal Taxonomy
Animalia - Craniata - Actinopterygii - Cypriniformes - Cyprinidae - Rhinichthys - . However, as a result of multiple hybridizations, populations are self-perpetuating and reproductively independent of the parental species and so have been recently recognized as a distinct species (Haas 2001). Some upstream populations such as those in the Kettle River of British Columbia and Washington State are isolated from lower Columbia River populations and may represent different species (Hughes and Peden 1988; McPhail, pers. comm., 1991).
Ecology and Life History
Short General Description
A small fish (minnow).
Habitat Type Description
Freshwater
Migration
false - false - false
Non-migrant
false
Locally Migrant
false
Food Comments
Food preferences unknown, but the closely-related R. OSCULUS is a bottom feeder. Young R. OSCULUS are primarily planktivores and adults feed mainly on aquatic insects, freshwater shrimp, plant material and zooplankton (Wydoski and Whitney 1979).
Reproduction Comments
Reproductive biology has not been investigated. Breeding probably occurs in late spring and summer if similar to that of congeners R. FALCATUS, R. CATARACTAE and R. OSCULUS (Scott and Crossman 1973, Peden and Hughes 1981).
Length
8
Conservation Status
NatureServe Global Status Rank
G4
Global Status Last Reviewed
1992-01-14
Global Status Last Changed
1992-01-14
Other Status
T - Threatened - 2010-04-25
Distribution
Conservation Status Map
<img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?CA.BC=S2&US.ID=SNR&US.OR=SNR&US.WA=S2" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
Global Range
Columbia River drainage, British Columbia, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon; common (Page and Burr 1991). The species is known from the type locality of the Columbia River at Umatilla, Oregon, and from scattered localities throughout the Columbia drainage below the Arrow Lakes, Slocan Lake, and Kootenay Lake. In Canada, the species has a patchy distribution in the Columbia, Kootenay, Slocan, Kettle, and Similkameen rivers, and it is present in the lower Pend d'Oreille and Mission Creek (C. Wilhelmson, draft COSEWIC report, 2003). It may occur in rivers of northern Oregon and the Idaho portion of the Snake River, but inventories are needed to determine this (Hughes and Peden 1988, McPhail 1990).