Distribution of Fishes in the Red River of the North Basin on Multivariate Environmental Gradients

Cyprinidae

Creek Chub

Semotilus atromaculatus (Mitchill), the creek chub, was reported by Scudder from the Sandhill River in 1860 (UMMZ 1994) and was collected by Woolman (1896) from the Pembina, Forest, Goose, Maple, and Buffalo Rivers and Daugherty Creek; at these sites, its abundance ranged from rare to common (Figure A45). Hankinson (1928) found it in the Pembina, Park, and Sheyenne Rivers, Hubbs and Schultz found it in the Sheyenne River in 1926, and Brinley reported it from the Buffalo River in 1933 (UMMZ 1994). Other early records include that by Olson (1932), who collected it from the Buffalo, Wild Rice, Sandhill, and Red Lake Rivers in Minnesota, and Deason and Nelson, who reported the species from the Mud River (Red Lake River) in 1938 (UMMZ 1994). The creek chub has been found in the Red River and nearly all major tributaries and has been one of the most common minnows in the Red River basin, having been collected at 34% of the stream sites sampled since 1962 (Table 4). It has been extremely abundant at glacial Lake Agassiz beach ridge reaches, where it has been taken at 58% of the sites. The species has typically been one of the most abundant species found, with collections of 50-60 individuals not uncommon, and several hundred individuals have been taken at times.

Figure A45. Distribution of the creek chub in streams of the Red River of the North basin.

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