The Alvord chub (''Siphateles alvordensis'') is a rare

cyprinid Cyprinidae is a family of freshwater fish commonly called the carp or minnow family. It includes the carps, the true minnows, and relatives like the barbs and barbels. Cyprinidae is the largest and most diverse fish family and the largest verte ...

fish

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the Alvord basin in southeastern

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

and northwestern

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, U.S., known only from a few springs, streams and marshes in the

Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge The Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge on the northern border of the U.S. state of Nevada. A very small part extends northward into Oregon. It is managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as the Ne ...

, and one location elsewhere. The Alvord chub is a small fish, with adults ranging up to in length, but with many half that size. It is generally grayish-whitish, darker on the back than below, and with a faint band passing down the sides. The dorsal fin has 7 rays, the anal fin 8 rays, and the tail 19 rays. It is similar in many ways to the

Borax Lake chub The Borax Lake chub (''Siphateles boraxobius'') is a rare cyprinid fish found only in outflows and pools around Borax Lake, a small lake of the Alvord basin, Harney County, Oregon. This species typically reaches only in length, although some ...

. Studies of the fish's diet shows it is an opportunistic feeder, consuming a variety of aquatic invertebrates, with a considerable percentage of

midge A midge is any small fly, including species in several families of non-mosquito Nematoceran Diptera. Midges are found (seasonally or otherwise) on practically every land area outside permanently arid deserts and the frigid zones. Some mid ...

larvae. It occupies a variety of habitats within its range, including waters of depths to , different bottoms including gravel and silt, and any amount of cover over the water. It can be found in warm springs, up to , but not in hot springs. Spawning season lasts from April to July. Although apparently doing well in its location, the species is considered vulnerable because of its very limited range in a fragile

environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...

. Having

evolved Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation t ...

without any competition, there is concern over the possible effects of exotic fish introduction, whether deliberate or accidental.

References

* William F. Sigler and John W. Sigler, ''Fishes of the Great Basin'' (Reno: University of Nevada Press, 1987), pp. 161–162 * {{Taxonbar, from=Q307713 Siphateles Chubs (fish) Chub, Alvord Fish described in 1972