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Rosyside
Dace
Submitted by Martin McAllister
Saturday, 23 April 2005
 Rosyside
Dace
(Clinostomus funduloides)
A pool species limited to the Blue Grass Region of southern,
unglaciated Ohio, the Rosyside Dace inhabits the smaller first
and second order tributaries of Sunfish Creek, Scioto Brush
Creek, and the Little Scioto River in Jackson, Pike, Scioto, and
Adams counties. They also occur in several of the smaller
tributaries which flow directly into the Ohio River in this
region.
Ohio populations of this species tend to be restricted to areas
600 feet above sea level where the stream substrates are
composed entirely of gravel, boulders, and bedrock.
Rosysides are extremely intolerant of turbid waters and are
found only in those streams which are characterized by clear
waters and clean substrates lacking silt depositions. As the
streams they inhabit frequently go intermittent during the
summer, their populations can fluctuate widely depending on
annual rainfall conditions.
Factors which act to limit populations include gravel removal
from streams resulting in loss of pool habitats and increased
siltation, development of adjacent riparian zones for home
sites, removal of riparian cover for agriculture and home sites
resulting in elevated water temperatures and increases siltation
rates.
This species exhibits rose-colored lateral sections of the body
with a dusky colored lateral band, hence the name Rosyside Dace. |
