Another one for Ham's list

[Quillback]

Courtesy of ODFW.

Swimming under the surface of many western Oklahoma streams is a zebra-striped fish. It may not be black and white, but the dark side bars have led to the scientific name Fundulus zebrinus, more commonly known as the plains killifish.

Plains killifish can be easily recognized. The most obvious characteristic is the dark vertical barring that contrasts with the light tan side of the fish. Males tend to have fewer but wider bars than females. During the breeding season, the fins of males (with exception of the back fin) turn bright orange. Killifish are a member of the topminnow family and are adapted to feeding on insects from the water's surface. Like other topminnows, the lower jaw of the killifish extends past the upper jaw, giving it an upturned mouth. Plains killifish seldom exceed three inches in length. They mature in their first year and rarely live longer than two years.

Native to central North America, the plains killifish can be found in sandy-bottomed streams and rivers that are less than a foot deep in the western 2/3 of Oklahoma. These fish are known for their tolerance to high water temperatures and salinity conditions. While they can be found in fast running water, they typically live in quiet, shallow pools.

Though topminnows often feed at the surface, plains killifish also forage in the water column and on the stream bottom. They have been observed "nipping and digging" debris on the bottom; averaging 30-40 nips and digs per minute during peak feeding activity. While insects, especially mayfly nymphs, are the primary target during the day, plains killifish often digest sand and insect eggs at night.

Like many small fish, plains killifish have several predators - both in and out of the water. Fish-eating birds like the great blue heron or belted kingfisher pose the greatest threat from above the waters' surface. But below the surface, plains killifish must evade predatory fish like largemouth bass, green sunfish and channel catfish. One way killifish may avoid these predators is to burrow beneath the sand with only their mouth and eyes exposed. This behavior may also be used to escape the summer heat or parasites.

Killifish spawning is strongly tied to water temperatures and varies across their geographic range. Research has shown this fish typically spawns when water temperatures exceed 79 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the fertilized eggs are deposited in the sandy substrate, they are left unattended.

The next time you see a school of small fish in a western Oklahoma stream, take a closer look. You may just see a zebra-striped plains killifish!

[Ham]

That's a pretty LITTLE fish. I havent gone all Tenkara yet.

[dtrs5kprs]

Hmmm..."nipping and digging" on the bottom. Maybe one more thing a Ned Rig looks like.

[Johnsfolly]

Crap! now it looks like I will have to start thinking about getting out to OK to catch one of these guys.

I just found out this week that the bluegill that I caught when I lived in Florida is a different subspecies, i.e., coppernose bluegill, than what we have around here. Unfortunately, I have no photos of any of those fish nor records of when or where I caught them.

when researching the coppernose, I found out about a hand-painted bluegill found in the Apalachicola river area of the Florida panhandle that is currently not a recognized subspecies, but is a pretty darn cool looking fish.

So when I go back to Florida to try for a Suwannee bass I will have to also go after the coppernose bluegill and if I make it up to the panhandle try for the hand-painted guys. I may as well head down to Miami or Homestead and try for peacock bass and clown knife fish.

[dtrs5kprs]

I will hand paint any bluegill for $5 each, up to a maximum of 50.

[Johnsfolly]

I like to pan fry them not hand paint them.