TN00163 SPOTFIN CHUB HYBOPSIS MONACHA
Physical description: This is a small species, with a maximum 92 mm standard length. The body is elongate, the snout long, and the eye small and lateral. The mouth is inferior and the upper lip expanded anteriad. There is one pair of minute, terminal labial barbels or, occasionally the barbels are absent. The teeth number 4-4. There are 8 anal fin rays, and the scales are moderate to somewhat small in size. The lateral line has 52-62 scales, and the caudal spot is large with a distinctive shape. The posterior part of the dorsal fin with a dark area or a moderate amount of melanophores in the membranes. The body lacks blotches and speckling and there is a dark lateral stripe present at least on the urosome. The juveniles and adult females are olive above, and the sides are largely silvery, with the lower parts white. The large nuptial males have brilliant turquoise-royal blue on the dorso and mid- lateral body, and lateral head, with lesser blue in at least some fins. All the fins are tipped with satiny white in the peak development of color. The smaller mature males may not develop nuptial color, or the color may be weak. Only a small number of breeding males are known. The best key or recognition feature is the obvious and distinctly shaped caudal spot (this feature combined with mouth orientation, the presence of barbels, and scale size makes this species easy to identify). It is sexually dimorphic, and large males during the spawning season have 100-200 moderate size, antrose breeding tubercles on the head dorsum, snout tip, and snout. These males have small tubercles on the first 8 or 9 pectoral fin rays *808*. The adults are typically 55-77 mm in standard length *802*. Reproduction: Spawning probably occurs in June, possibly beginning in May, and extending to July. Reproductive behavior is unknown. It does not breed until the third or fourth year of life. This species probably spawns only one or two years before death. Fecundity is normal as for cyprinids of its size and body form, with total mature ova from 589 and 791 in females of 72 mm and 77 mm standard length, respectively *802*. It is possibly a fractional crevice spawners *784*. It is highly unlikely that the nests are constructed and the eggs guarded because none of the close relatives of this species are known to do so *808*. Behavior: This species is an insectivore, feeding diurnally presumably by both sight and taste in benthic areas of slow to swift current over various substrates with little siltation. Limiting factors: This species is limited by impoundments, cold tailwaters, channelization, siltation, and/or coal fine sedimentation, pollution (organic and/or inorganic), population renovation, localized collecting, natural cool temperatures, small stream size, turbidity, reclamation by ichthyocide and interspecific competition *810,808,822*. The Lower North Fork Holston River has had chronic long-term stress caused by industrial effluents from Saltville, Virginia. On the Upper North Fork, much of the Saltville industry was phased out in the 1970's, but this species appears to have not responded. The river is still regarded as contaminated by mercury. The Upper North Fork above Saltville, is in fairly good condition, but for unknown reasons they seem to have disappeared *808*. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: ADULTS 55-85 MM SL, LATERAL LINE SCALES 52-66, 8 ANAL FIN RAYS, NUPTIAL MALES HAVE TUBERCLES OTHER: LIFESPAN FOUR YEARS, MATURE AFTER ONE YEAR, SPAWNING MAY TO AUGUST
| Life History |
References for Life History Codes
810, 808, 802, 784, 822, 4205, 8855, TN5072, TN5101
Comments on Life History Codes
The standard length is that length of a given fish from the tip of its snout to, but not including, its caudal fin *2208*.