Percina phoxocephala Slenderhead Darter
We found lots of Slenderheads
More to come
..........
Kankakee and tribs 5-10-09
Started by
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, May 12 2009 10:56 PM
30 replies to this topic
#1
Guest_Uland_*
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Posted 12 May 2009 - 10:56 PM
Mark Hylton and I sampled the Kankakee river about 8 miles as a crow flies upstream from where it meets the Des Plaines to from the Illinois River. We got up before dawn to try and catch a few White Bass on hook and line but apparently they aren't moving yet so we got the seines out pretty quickly. Water was a bit high and incredibly warm for this time of year due to the warm rain and air temps. I'm getting worried temps might be reducing my photo opportunities this year. We caught lots of fish and I'm trying to photo many fish to hold records of many specimens. I thought it would be neat to show off a bunch of photos of the same species.
Percina phoxocephala Slenderhead Darter
We found lots of Slenderheads
More to come
..........
Percina phoxocephala Slenderhead Darter
We found lots of Slenderheads
More to come
..........
#5
Guest_farmertodd_*
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Posted 13 May 2009 - 07:36 AM
You have turned your photo craft into ART, my friend. Wow!
I think you've got it on those pesky Notropis. See how the the sand shiner dorsal scales are as wide as they are tall, vs the mimic, which has a dorsal scale that's about twice as tall as it is wide? You might also notice the darker margin on the mimic scales.
With the angle you can't see the difference in the "check marks" on the lateral scales that you see in hand. That's usually what catches my attention and makes me start looking at the dorsal scales, which is the better, but less apparent diagnostic.
That gray is the real deal. You got a trademark on that yet?
Todd
I think you've got it on those pesky Notropis. See how the the sand shiner dorsal scales are as wide as they are tall, vs the mimic, which has a dorsal scale that's about twice as tall as it is wide? You might also notice the darker margin on the mimic scales.
With the angle you can't see the difference in the "check marks" on the lateral scales that you see in hand. That's usually what catches my attention and makes me start looking at the dorsal scales, which is the better, but less apparent diagnostic.
That gray is the real deal. You got a trademark on that yet?
Todd
#6
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Posted 13 May 2009 - 09:12 AM
Golly no Todd, I'm now just a machine that chucks fish in a tiny tank and pushes a button. Mark and I took over 1600 photos on Sunday and I feel comfortable in saying that we've become efficient if nothing else
I do see several subtle differences in what I'm calling mimic and sand. I hope to take many photos and a few specimens this year to clear this up in my mind. I'm not sure why I want to do everything from scratch but I suspect it's borderline OCD
The gray I'm using is Rustoleum Painters Touch Ultra Cover II Primer in color 249088 - Gray Primer. I think I'd like it just a wee bit darker but I might be pushing the bounds if I go darker.
Mark and I sampled two other sites on Sunday, I hope to get more photos up later tonight.
I do see several subtle differences in what I'm calling mimic and sand. I hope to take many photos and a few specimens this year to clear this up in my mind. I'm not sure why I want to do everything from scratch but I suspect it's borderline OCD
The gray I'm using is Rustoleum Painters Touch Ultra Cover II Primer in color 249088 - Gray Primer. I think I'd like it just a wee bit darker but I might be pushing the bounds if I go darker.
Mark and I sampled two other sites on Sunday, I hope to get more photos up later tonight.
#9
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Posted 13 May 2009 - 11:46 AM
Golly, Thanks for the kind words everyone. I'm truly humbled yet insist the fish deserve the credit and not me.
I believe Mark Hylton deserves recognition for patience more than me. He also has an incredible threshold for enduring my sick sense of humor.
Blake, I wouldn't put too much faith in my ID's on these fish yet. I hope to make a comprehensive thread later this year on volucellus vs. stramineus.
I believe Mark Hylton deserves recognition for patience more than me. He also has an incredible threshold for enduring my sick sense of humor.
Blake, I wouldn't put too much faith in my ID's on these fish yet. I hope to make a comprehensive thread later this year on volucellus vs. stramineus.
#10
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Posted 13 May 2009 - 11:00 PM
After talking with many folks at the first site about the fish we found we plotted our next stop to take photos of Orangethroat darters. After a 12 mile drive east we arrived at a headwater stream where we've sampled them prior. We quickly found the water in this creek to be much cooler that the Kankakee River and the Orangethroats were still in color.
#14
Guest_Clayton_*
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Posted 14 May 2009 - 11:09 AM
Those are certainly some excellent photos.
Are the 3rd and 7th Orangethroats within the realm of normal variation on the species? They seem to have a much more rounded head and their mouth seems to be lower as well.
I'm guessing by Todd's post he found something hiding in the mix, but with those teasing posts we may never know. Either that or he's been listening to some of Wooten's musings.
Are the 3rd and 7th Orangethroats within the realm of normal variation on the species? They seem to have a much more rounded head and their mouth seems to be lower as well.
I'm guessing by Todd's post he found something hiding in the mix, but with those teasing posts we may never know. Either that or he's been listening to some of Wooten's musings.
#15
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Posted 14 May 2009 - 11:45 AM
I'm not going to tell you that I know the deal with male #3 (or female #2 for that matter) but I can say the "bullet" head on male #7 is an accurate photo and not terribly uncommon from the E. spectabile I've found in a Des Plaines trib (same county not all that far away).
I've sampled this creek on a few occasions and have yet to find E. caeruleum by the way.
For the record, I'm not trying to offer provocative photos. I simply held as many fish as we could find from one riffle and run and took photos. They are what they are.
I've sampled this creek on a few occasions and have yet to find E. caeruleum by the way.
For the record, I'm not trying to offer provocative photos. I simply held as many fish as we could find from one riffle and run and took photos. They are what they are.
#18
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Posted 14 May 2009 - 12:59 PM
And those two are rainbows, man.
Todd
Which? Male #3 & #8? I cannot deny they are not typical and will say I believe they share characteristics the other fish don't. I'll post photos of the Rainbows we sampled the same day when I get home tonight.
#20
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Posted 14 May 2009 - 03:36 PM
Yeah, I meant to write #11 not #8.
I'll bet most would agree Male #3 and #11 appear different from the other males represented from this day on this stream and same with female #2.
I just can't ignore the fact that these fish do not really exhibit any anal fin coloration used to key E. caeruleum. I'll admit the almost turquoise body color along with dorsal fin color make me think of rainbow but the soft dorsal and anal coloration isn't rainbow at all. Perhaps posting Etheostoma caeruleum from the Kankakee the same day would help?
Are rainbows without a bi-colored anal fin found with any regularity?
I'll bet most would agree Male #3 and #11 appear different from the other males represented from this day on this stream and same with female #2.
I just can't ignore the fact that these fish do not really exhibit any anal fin coloration used to key E. caeruleum. I'll admit the almost turquoise body color along with dorsal fin color make me think of rainbow but the soft dorsal and anal coloration isn't rainbow at all. Perhaps posting Etheostoma caeruleum from the Kankakee the same day would help?
Are rainbows without a bi-colored anal fin found with any regularity?
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