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A Virtual Museum on the State's Fish Biodiversity

Siphateles bicolor

No common name
NS G4
Collection Details

Specimens

Photos

There are no photos available for this taxon yet.

Records

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes) Cypriniformes (Carps and Minnows) Cyprinidae (Carps and Minnows) Siphateles Siphateles bicolor

Description

This species account was compiled from FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.) and processed using AI-assisted text extraction. It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting. When citing, please reference the original source rather than this page. Learn more about our species accounts.

Characters

Body shape: fusiform / normal. Siphateles bicolor can be distinguished by the following characters: lateral line with 41-64 scales; dorsal fin usually with 8 rays; anal fin with 7-8 rays; pharyngeal teeth 0,5-5,0; deep, compressed body; dorsal-fin origin over pelvic- fin origin; fairly deep caudal peduncle; small, rounded fins; small, terminal to slightly subterminal mouth; does not extend to eye; dusky olive to dark green above; brassy brown side, often mottled in adult; silver white to yellow below; clear to dusky olive fins; young with dusky stripe along side; large individuals may have yellow to copper fins with pink, red, or orange bases, red-orange lower side (Ref. 86798).

Distribution

North America: Columbia River drainage in Washington, Oregon and Idaho, south in Klamath and upper Pit River (Sacramento River drainage) and interior drainages of Nevada and California to Mohave River in south California, USA. Distinctive subspecies were recognized: Gila bicolor snyderi (protected) in Owens River, California; Gila bicolor mohavensis (protected) in Mojave River, California; Gila bicolor bicolor in Klamath River system in Oregon and California; Gila bicolor obesa, a stream and spring-inhabiting form; and G. bicolor pectinifer, a lake-inhabiting form, both in Lake Lahontan basin in Nevada.

Habitat Associations

Freshwater. benthopelagic. Found in: streams, lakes.

Biology

Inhabits lakes and quiet, vegetated, mud or sand-bottomed pools of headwaters, creeks and small to large rivers (Ref. 86798).
Max length: 45.0 cm TL.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2012-02-07. Resilience: Medium (K=0.19-0.33).

References

Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr (1991) A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 432 p.
Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr (2011) A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 663p.

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