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Gila alutacea

(Agassiz and Pickering, 1855)

Chiselmouth

G5Secure Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104857
Element CodeAFCJB01010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassActinopterygii
OrderCypriniformes
FamilyLeuciscidae
GenusGila
Synonyms
Acrocheilus alutaceusAgassiz and Pickering, 1855
Other Common Names
Bouche coupante (FR)
Concept Reference
Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.
Taxonomic Comments
Transferred from the genus Acrocheilus to Gila by Schonhuth et al. (2014); this change has been accepted by Page et al. (2023). May hybridize with Ptychocheilus oregonensis (Lee et al. 1980).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2011-10-12
Change Date1996-09-13
Edition Date2011-10-12
Edition AuthorsCannings, S. G., and G. Hammerson
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Rank Reasons
Spotty distribution in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada; found in numerous localities and a variety of water body types; no serious threats.
Range Extent Comments
Range includes the Columbia and Fraser river systems in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada; also the Harney River basin in the Malheur Lake drainage of central Oregon (Page and Burr 2011).
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a large number of occurrences (subpopulations).
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known, but "could be threatened by habitat loss or degradation in relation to impoundments for hydro-electric development" (Coffie 1998).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This fish appears to prefer warmer sections of streams and moderately fast to fast water (Wydoski and Whitney 1979). It occurs in flowing pools and runs over sand and gravel in creeks and small to medium rivers (Page and Burr 2011). It also occurs abundantly along the margins of lakes. Spawning occurs in streams. Although spawning has not been observed, eggs have been found both on the open bottom and buried among boulders (Scott and Crossman 1973). Juveniles tend to inhabit quiet waters.

Reproduction

In British Columbia, spawning occurs usually in late June-early July when water temperatures reach about 62.5 F or higher. Mean egg count for 6 females in Wolfe Lake, British Columbia, was 6200. Males probably mature at age 3, most females at 4. Individuals may live up to about 6 years.
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
OregonS4Yes
IdahoS4Yes
NevadaS2Yes
WashingtonS4Yes
CanadaN4
ProvinceRankNative
British ColumbiaS4Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
No known threats———

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Roadless Areas (2)
Oregon (2)
AreaForestAcres
Grande RondeUmatilla National Forest12,296
Grande RondeWallowa-Whitman National Forest5,650
References (19)
  1. Coffie, P. A. 1998. Status of the chiselmouth, <i>Acrocheilus alutaceus</i>, in Canada. Canadian Field-Naturalist 112(1):154-157.
  2. Lee, D. S., C. R. Gilbert, C. H. Hocutt, R. E. Jenkins, D. E. McAllister, and J. R. Stauffer, Jr. 1980. Atlas of North American freshwater fishes. North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh, North Carolina. i-x + 854 pp.
  3. Master, L. L. 1996. Synoptic national assessment of comparative risks to biological diversity and landscape types: species distributions. Summary Progress Report submitted to Environmental Protection Agency. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, Virginia. 60 pp.
  4. Master, L. L. and A. L. Stock. 1998. Synoptic national assessment of comparative risks to biological diversity and landscape types: species distributions. Summary Report submitted to Environmental Protection Agency. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA. 36 pp.
  5. McPhail, J.D. 2007. The freshwater fishes of British Columbia. The University of Alberta Press, Edmonton, Alberta.
  6. Mongillo, Paul E. (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Fish Management Program). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. March 2000.
  7. Nelson, J. S., E. J. Crossman, H. Espinosa-Perez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, and J. D. Williams. 2004. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 29, Bethesda, Maryland. 386 pp.
  8. Page, L. M., and B. M. Burr. 1991. A field guide to freshwater fishes: North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. 432 pp.
  9. Page, L. M., and B. M. Burr. 2011. Peterson field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Second edition. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston. xix + 663 pp.
  10. Page, L. M., H. Espinosa-Pérez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, R. L. Mayden, and J. S. Nelson. 2013. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Seventh edition. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 34, Bethesda, Maryland.
  11. Page, L. M., K. E. Bemis, T. E. Dowling, H.S. Espinosa-Pérez, L.T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, K. E. Hartel, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, M. A. Neigbors, J. J. Schmitter-Soto, and H. J. Walker, Jr. 2023. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Eighth edition. American Fisheries Society (AFS), Special Publication 37, Bethesda, Maryland, 439 pp.
  12. Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.
  13. Schönhuth, S., A. Perdices, L. Lozano-Vilano, F.J. García-de-León, H. Espinosa and R.L. Mayden. 2014. Phylogenetic relationships of North American western chubs of the genus <i>Gila</i> (Cyprinidae, Teleostei) with emphasis on southern species. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 70: 210-230.
  14. Scott, W. B., and E. J. Crossman. 1973. Freshwater fishes of Canada. Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Bulletin 184. 966 pp.
  15. Sigler, W. F., and J. W. Sigler. 1987. Fishes of the Great Basin: a natural history. University of Nevada Press, Reno, Nevada. xvi + 425 pp.
  16. Simpson, J. and R. Wallace. 1982. Fishes of Idaho. The University Press of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho. 238 pp.
  17. Wallace, Richard L. (Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. March 2000.
  18. Wydoski, R. S., and R. R. Whitney. 1979. Inland fishes of Washington. The University of Washington Press, Seattle. 220 pp.
  19. Wydoski, R. S., and R. R. Whitney. 2003. Inland fishes of Washington. Second edition, revised and expanded. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland, in association with University of Washington Press, Seattle. xiii + 322 pp.