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Gila atraria

(Girard, 1856)

Utah Chub

G5Secure Found in 13 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101436
Element CodeAFCJB13020
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassActinopterygii
OrderCypriniformes
FamilyLeuciscidae
GenusGila
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
Originally described as Siboma atraria. Considerable confusion has existed and the list of synonyms is long. LaRivers (1962, Fishes and Fisheries of Nevada) summarized taxonomic history (Lee et al. 1980).

Johnson (2002) examined range-wide mtDNA variation and identified two distinct clades: Bonneville Basin and upper Snake River.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2012-02-07
Change Date1996-09-13
Edition Date2012-02-07
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 80
Range Extent Comments
Range includes the ancient Lake Bonneville drainage basin in southeastern Idaho and Utah, (Andersen and Deacon 1996) and the upper Snake River system above Shoshone Falls, Wyoming and Idaho (Page and Burr 2011). The species has been introduced into eastern Nevada, upper Missouri River basin (Montana), and Colorado River drainage (Wyoming and Utah) (Page and Burr 1991).
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a large number of occurrences (subpopulations).
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This species is found in a wide variety of habitats: lakes, reservoirs, and ponds; quiet pools of headwaters, creeks, small to medium rivers, springs, and irrigation ditches; often it occurs in areas with dense aquatic vegetation over mud or sand (Lee et al. 1980, Page and Burr 2011). It is tolerant of a wide range of chemical and physical conditions (Sigler and Miller 1963). During spawning, eggs are cast over various types of substrate in shallow water (0.6 meters or less) (Simpson and Wallace 1982).

Ecology

May compete with small trout for food and space.

Reproduction

Spawns spring and summer at temperatures in 50s and 60s F. Eggs hatch in 6-9 days at temperatures in mid-60s F (Brown 1971). Males sexually mature in 2-3 years, females in 3-4+ years, depending on locality. Normal lifespan about 5-8 years.
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
MontanaSNANo
WyomingS4Yes
NevadaSNRYes
ArizonaSNANo
IdahoS4Yes
UtahS3Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
No known threats———

—

Roadless Areas (13)
Nevada (1)
AreaForestAcres
Snake - ChokecherryHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest30,845
Utah (7)
AreaForestAcres
Big Bear CreekManti-Lasal National Forest28,440
Clarkston Mtn.Caribou National Forest7,099
Fishlake MountainFishlake National Forest25,217
Lava BedsDixie National Forest14,944
North FrancisWasatch-Cache National Forest8,148
Stansbury MountainsWasatch-Cache National Forest39,696
Thousand Lake MountainFishlake National Forest27,267
Wyoming (5)
AreaForestAcres
Grayback RidgeBridger-Teton National Forest295,113
Pacific Creek - Blackrock CreekBridger-Teton National Forest24,658
Teton Corridor TrailheadsBridger-Teton National Forest286
West Slope TetonsTarghee National Forest47,448
Wilderness Study AreaTarghee National Forest51,961
References (19)
  1. Andersen, M. E., and J. E. Deacon. 1996. Status of endemic non-salmonid fishes in eastern Nevada. Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science 29:124-133.
  2. Baxter, G. T., and J. R. Simon. 1970. Wyoming fishes. Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Cheyenne, Wyoming, 168 pp.
  3. Brown, C. J. D. 1971. Fishes of Montana. Big Sky Books, the Endowment and Research Foundation, Montana State University, Bozeman. MT. 207 pp.
  4. Gipson, Rob. Jackson Regional Fisheries Supervisor, Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Personal communication, 2002.
  5. Holden, Paul B. (Bio/West, Utah). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Pilar Hernandez, ABI. November 2000.
  6. Johnson, J. B. 2002. Evolution after the flood: phylogeography of the desert fish Utah chub. Evolution 56:948-960.
  7. 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.
  8. Miller, W. H., H. M. Tyus, and C. A. Carlson. 1982. Fishes of the upper Colorado system: present and future. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland. 131 pp.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. Remmick, Ron (Regional Fisheries Supervisor, Wyoming Game and Fish Department). 2001. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Pilar Hernandez, NatureServe. December, 2001.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. Sigler, W. F., and R. R. Miller. 1963. Fishes of Utah. Utah State Department of Fish and Game, Salt Lake City, Utah, 203 pp.
  18. Simpson, J. and R. Wallace. 1982. Fishes of Idaho. The University Press of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho. 238 pp.
  19. 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.