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| NAS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species |
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Common Name: creek chub
Taxonomy: available through 
Identification: Becker (1983); Page and Burr (1991); Etnier and Starnes (1993); Jenkins and Burkhead (1994).
Size: 30 cm.
Native Range: Most of eastern United States and southeastern Canada in Atlantic, Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, Mississippi, and Gulf basins as far west as Manitoba, eastern Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, eastern Oklahoma, and eastern Texas, but absent from southern Georgia and peninsular Florida; isolated population in upper Pecos and Canadian River systems, New Mexico (Page and Burr 1991).
Nonindigenous Occurrences: This species has been recorded from west slope drainages of Colorado in the lower Yampa and Green rivers systems, Colorado River basin (Vanicek et al. 1970; Holden and Stalnaker 1975b; Tyus et al. 1982; Woodling 1985; Walker 1993). It was collected in Acadia National Park, Maine (Tilmant 1999). It was introduced into the Colorado River drainage in Texas (Conner and Suttkus 1986; Page and Burr 1991). The species is known from Utah in the Green River and Dinosaur National Monument (Vanicek et al. 1970; Tyus et al. 1982; Tilmant 1999). It was reported from Wyoming in the Little Snake River drainage, in Willow Creek of the Green River drainage (Baxter and Simon 1970), and in Muddy Creek in the White-Yampa drainage (C. Wheeler, personal communication).
Means of Introduction: Most introductions probably via bait bucket release. Woodling (1985) stated that the Colorado West Slope populations are the result of accidental introduction by man. Hubbs (1957) stated that western records in Texas, and a report from Lake Texoma "have undoubtedly resulted from bait release."
Status: Introduced populations are established in Colorado and Wyoming; probably established in Utah. The species has been present in the Snake River, Green River drainage, since at least the 1940s, but never in abundance (Holden and Stalnaker 1975). Status unknown in Texas.
Impact of Introduction: According to Baxter and Simon (1970), in some situations populations of this species may compete with trout, but the authors did not give details. Beckman (1974) reported that creek chub prey on trout. Magnan and Fitzgerald (1982) provided evidence that introduced creek chub are a potential competitor with brook charr Salvelinus fontinalis. In their study of a Quebec stream, they found that charr changed their diet from benthic invertebrates to zooplankton in the presence of chub. Subsequent laboratory experiments suggested that higher relative abundance of creek chub was one of several important factors in the observed niche shift of brook charr in nature (Magnan and Fitzgerald 1984).
Remarks: This species is a commonly used baitfish (Baxter and Simon 1970; Scott and Crossman 1973; Beckman 1974). Tyus et al. (1982) gave a distribution map of the this species in the upper Colorado basin.
Tilmant, J.T. 1999. Management of nonindigenous aquatic fish in the U.S. National Park System. National Park Service. 50 pp.
Other Resources:
FishBase Fact Sheet
Author: Leo Nico and Pam Fuller
Revision Date: 8/6/2004 Citation for this information:
Leo Nico and Pam Fuller. 2009. Semotilus atromaculatus. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL.
<http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=649> Revision Date: 8/6/2004
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