Nocomis asper Lachner & Jenkins 1971

Inhabits rocky, usually clear, runs and pools of creeks and small to medium rivers (Ref. 86798).

Nocomis asper

Redspot chub

Hybopsis biguttatus.—Branson 1962:535, fig. 9; 1967:133.— Hall 1952:57.—Linder 1955:175 [Red drainage].—Reno 1969:739 [in part, Arkansas drainage].

Hybopsis (Nocomis) biguttata.—Davis and Miller 1967:5 [in part].

Hybopsis kentuckiensis.—Meek 1891:126; 1894:85 [Neosho system].—Evermann and Kendall 1895:471 [in part].

Nocomis biguttatus.—Hubbs and Ortenburger 1929:65 [Arkansas drainage].

Nocomis sp.—Lachner and Jenkins 1967:577 [evolution].

SPECIMENS STUDIED.—HOLOTYPE: USNM 204851: Arkansas drainage, Oklahoma, Mayes County, Big Spring Creek at Camp Gailand, 5 mi S. Locust Grove, 7 May 1949, G. A. Moore and class, male, 178.5 mm.

PARATYPES: ARKANSAS DRAINAGE. USNM 204852: Same data as for holotype. (15 specimens) 30 to 90 mm SL.

OSUMZ 5159: Oklahoma, Cherokee County, Barren Fork River, Muskogee, Boy Scout Camp, (3) 131–165.

OSUMZ 5722: Oklahoma, Cherokee County, Barren Fork Creek, tributary to Illinois River at Camp Egan. 2 May 1959, G. A. Moore, M. R. Curd, (2) 136–145.

OSUMZ 5106: Oklahoma, Delaware County, Spavinaw Creek, 5.2 mi N. Colcord. 25 June 1955, Linder, Branson, Greer, and Sutton, (4) 41–143.

TU 48547: Arkansas, Benton County, Spavinaw Creek, (Hole #3). 10 June 1966, graduate students, University of Arkansas, (9) 49–175.

TU 48613: Arkansas, Benton County, Spavinaw Creek, (Hole #2). 10 June 1966, graduate students, University of Arkansas, (28) 39–182.

TU 48658: Arkansas, Benton County, Spavinaw Creek (Hole #4). 10 June 1967, graduate students, University of Arkansas, (14) 43–177.

USNM 193358: Arkansas, Washington County, Clear Creek, tributary to upper Illinois River. 5 June 1962, K. Strawn and others, (9) 72–176.

OTHER COLLECTIONS (listed by states) : ARKANSAS DRAINAGE. Arkansas: TU 48645 (7), 59138 (2), UMMZ 80913 (2), 97774 (3), 103176 (3), 108906–7 (2), 122948 (1), 123465 (1), 123712 (1), 128351 (4), 170912 (1), 175440 (2), USNM 163278 (5).

Missouri: UMMZ 103208 (19), 119995 (1), 151498 (1), 151569 (1), USNM 42855 (1), 63229 (1).

Oklahoma: OSUMZ 103 (2), 132 (1), 428 (2), 528 (1), 2388 (1), 2409 (6), 2410 (2), 2412 (6), 2418 (1), 4828 (1), TU 16585 (5), UMMZ 80915 (2), 116770 (7), 116796 (16), UOMZ 7584 (4),15473 (2), 29504 (1), 29665 (1), USNM 62055 (7), 204854 (8).

RED DRAINAGE. Oklahoma: Johnston County, Blue River. CU 52267 (12), near Connerville, July 1966. CU 52401 (15), Connerville, 4 June 1967. NCSM 4733 (3), 1 mi E. Connerville, May 1967. OSUMZ 1499 (2), 10 mi W. Wapanuka, 3 mi S. Route 7 at Hughes Crossing, 6 April 1947. OSUMZ 2091 (1), at bridge on Route 99, 5 April 1947. UOMZ 30442 (2), Connerville, 29 July 1960. UOMZ 31134 (16), Connerville, Route 99 bridge, 1 July 1959.

DIAGNOSIS.—A species of the biguttatus group, most closely related to Nocomis effusus, but differing from it in having two rows of pharyngeal teeth, tuberculate lateral body scales often having two or three tubercles, pinkish-yellow pectoral and pelvic fins, and a well-developed red postocular spot present in both sexes of subadults and adults.

DESCRIPTION: MORPHOMETRY.—The body proportions of Nocomis asper, general shape and contour, are close to those described for N. effusus (Lachner and Jenkins 1967:563). Proportional measurements for five large males (including the holotype) and five large females are given in Table 1. In N. asper, as is true for all species of Nocomis, characters involving allometric growth have values for males exceeding those of females (except orbit), because the males attain an average larger size than the females. The relative increase of two characters—head length and snout length— with increase in body length for N. asper is shown in Figures 3 and 4.

MERISTIC CHARACTERS.—Nocomis asper is a comparatively coarse-scaled member of the species group, the circumferential scales average about 34 (Table 2), caudal peduncle scales about 18, and the lateral line scales about 41.

Vertebrae, counting the hypural plate as one and the vertebrae included in the Weberian apparatus as four, average 40.1 (Table 2) from the Red and Arkansas drainages and range from 39 to 41.

TUBERCULATION.—The discussion of tubercles concerns the nuptial males, on which the tubercles become enlarged. The tubercle numbers and distribution are similar in individuals of similar sizes of both sexes, except that the tubercles in the females appear as light spots, not readily discernible.

The head tubercles are distributed from about the midportion of the snout to the occiput (Figures 1 and 2). There is no hiatus in the tubercle distribution on the snout. A row of several tubercles occurs just below the nares in the larger nuptial males. The head tubercles of Nocomis asper compare closely with those of N. biguttatus and N. effusus in number, size, and distribution (Tables 3, 4, and 5). The tubercles are larger posteriorly on the head and smaller on the forehead and snout. The tubercles are mainly antrorse posteriorly on the head; those on the snout may be antrorse or erect. A few tubercles near the side of the head are directed laterally.

The tubercles on the nape and body are located centrally or subcentrally on the exposed portion of the scales. The body tubercles are considerably smaller than those on the head. The tuberculation of the nape is variable. In some specimens the nape is profusely tuberculate from the head to the origin of the dorsal fin, some specimens have the nape only moderately tuberculate, and in others there are only a few nape tubercles anteriorly, just posterior to the head. Usually more tubercles are on the nape near the occiput.

The first and second scale rows above the lateral line bear the greatest number of tubercles on the body, laterally; well over one half of the scales are tuberculate. Tubercles occur on scales of the third row above the lateral line and on the lateral line row, but the frequency of occurrence is about one half that of rows one and two above the lateral line. Some tubercles are on the first scale row below the lateral line, but the number varies from none to twenty nine tuberculate scales in seventeen nuptial males. In some specimens a few scales with tubercles are present on the fourth row above the lateral line and to a lesser extent on the second row below the lateral line. The tubercle-bearing scales are mainly on the anterior half of the body. Scales at the end of the caudal peduncle are free of tubercles.

Tubercle-bearing scales often have more than one tubercle; in our sample of seventeen nuptial males, 74.9 percent of tuberculate scales had one tubercle, 22.8 percent had two tubercles, and 2.3 percent had three tubercles per scale (Tables 6, 7, 8, and 9). The larger nuptial males averaged more tuberculated scales than the smaller specimens, when the sample of seventeen males was divided into five 10-mm-size groups (Table 7).

The head tubercles develop before the body tubercles, appearing first within the area between the posterior internasal line and the midinterorbital line in juvenile specimens about 50–79 mm SL. There is a progressive tubercle development posteriorly on the head with increase in body size. The full head tubercle pattern is attained in juvenile sizes. As in Nocomis biguttatus and N. effusus, the tubercles on the snout and on the subnasal area are the last of the head tubercles to develop. After the complete pattern of tubercles on the head appears, there is a progressive increase in tubercle numbers with increase in body length (Table 3) through maturity and, apparently, through successive reproductive seasons. Some males and females in the group 50–59-mm-size SL had tubercle spots appearing on the head. The largest nuptial male examined, 182 mm SL, had about 145 head tubercles.

Almost all specimens under 100 mm SL had no body tubercle spots, although head tuberculation was well developed. A few males in the size group 90 to 99 mm SL had a few body tubercles. Gravid females, 120 to 129 mm SL, showed development of some body tubercle spots. Well-developed tubercles are present on the dorsal portion of pectoral fin rays 2 to 5 or 6 and sometimes on ray 7.

NUPTIAL CREST OR SWELLING.—No specimen of Nocomis asper shows evidence of the small swellings observed in some specimens of N. effusus (Lachner and Jenkins 1967:562). In all nuptial males of N. asper and N. biguttatus, as well as almost all N. effusus observed, the head is free of any development of a crest; the typical nuptial crests are restricted to the species of the N. micropogon and N. leptocephalus species groups (Lachner and Jenkins 1971).

PHARYNGEAL TEETH.—The pharnygeal tooth count is 1,4–4,1 in 22 pairs of arches from the Arkansas and Red drainages, 0,4–4–, 1 in one specimen and 1,4–4,2 in one. The tooth count is similar to that of Nocomis biguttatus. In a sample of 52 N. biguttatus from the Great Lakes, Ohio, Mississippi, and Missouri drainages 47 pairs of arches had a pharyngeal tooth count of 1,4–4,1, five had 1,4–4,0 or 0,4–4,1, and one specimen was questionably 4–4. In size and shape the arch is similar to that described for N. effusus. (Lachner and Jenkins 1967:564). The stout teeth and arches of the three members of the biguttatus group are probably indistinguishable.

COLORATION.—The following observations were taken from the holotype by George A. Moore on 7 May 1949 at the time of capture: a red postocular spot; pectorals and pelvics pink on outer two thirds, yellow on inner one third, the fin rays darkened with melanin on the distal one fourth; anal fin pale; belly slightly washed with pink; caudal fin with some pink; dorsal fin rays outlined in black, the interradial membranes clear.

Other life colors of nuptial males and females observed over the nests and spawning were recorded by the authors on 7 and 12 June 1967, in Spavinaw and Flint Creeks, Delaware County, Oklahoma. The nuptial males have a faint dark midlateral band on body. The body is olivaceous, laterally. The belly, chin, and branchiostegals are light rosy to pinkish. The postocular spot is red or reddish orange, prominent, sharply outlined, almost circular, and seen on subadults and adults, and also on mature females at 100 mm SL; some smaller juveniles have a pale, brassy postocular spot. The tuberculated area of the head is smoky blue; the tubercles are whitish. The pectoral fin is olive to pinkish on the outer half, and light orange to pinkish yellow basally. The dorsal fin is olive, the rays dark. The pelvics and anal fins are somewhat dark basally, the first ray milky orange, and the distal half light pinkish orange. The lobes of the caudal fin are light pinkish orange, the color becoming light olive basally on the fin. The caudal fin is noticeably pale in life compared with the brilliant orange-red caudal fin of Nocomis effusus. The middorsal light stripe was faint in adults of both sexes.

The large females are colored pale olive to greenish olive dorsolaterally. The outer portion of the caudal fin is very light orange, the basal portion pale. The other fins are pale with a light orange tinge.

In preservation, the nuptial males lack the dark lateral band on the body as well as the basicaudal spot, or they are very faint. Some of the adult females and larger juveniles of bom sexes have a moderately developed dark, lateral body band and a conspicuous round basicaudal spot. The color pattern of Nocomis asper in preservation in respect to size and sex of specimens is similar to the pattern of N. biguttatus (Lachner 1952; Lachner and Jenkins 1967).

ETYMOLOGY.—The specific name, asper, refers to the rough head and body of the nuptial male caused by the development of many tubercles; the common name, redspot chub, is in reference to the bright red, postocular spot present on the adults and subadults of both sexes.

REPRODUCTION AND GROWTH.—Nocomis asper, as in all other species of Nocomis, is a nest builder. Nest construction, spawning, reproductive and other behavior were observed by the authors on 7 and 12 June, 1967. These studies will appear in a separate paper on reproductive behavior in the genus Nocomis.

The largest male examined was 182 mm SL. Seventeen nuptial males ranging from 143 to 182 mm in length averaged 167.2 mm. The largest female asper examined was 168 mm SL. Also, as in other species of Nocomis, the males of N. asper attain the larger size. Some females are mature, having enlarged ovaries, at 100 to 110 mm SL.

Nocomis asper és una espècie de peix de la família dels ciprínids i de l'ordre dels cipriniformes.

The redspot chub (Nocomis asper) is a species of freshwater fish found primarily in the Ozark uplands of the Arkansas River drainage in northwestern Arkansas, southwestern Missouri, southeastern Kansas, and northeastern Oklahoma. It can grow to 22 cm (8.7 in) total length

Nocomis asper es una especie de peces de la familia de los Cyprinidae en el orden de los Cypriniformes.

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Nocomis asper Nocomis generoko animalia da. Arrainen barruko Actinopterygii klasean sailkatzen da, Cyprinidae familian.