Iowa Fish Atlas

Native: Yes

State Rank: S4

ITIS Code: 166016          

National Rank: N5           

Global Rank: G5

Modeled By: Anna Loan-Wilsey

State Range:

The brook silverside is found almost exclusively in the Eastern Broadleaf Forest Subregion.  It is found throughout the Mississippi River, though is most abundant in Pools 9-14.  The brook silverside has also been collected in the Cedar and Maquoketa River drainages.  Despite pre-1900 reports, recent collections have failed to document this fish species in central Iowa streams (Harlan et al. 1987).

Habitat Affinities:

The brook silverside prefers clear, warm backwaters of streams, lakes, bayous, oxbows and borrow bits with bottoms composed of clean sand, gravel or organic muck (Becker 1983; Cross and Collins 1995; Douglas 1974; Pflieger 1997;Trautman 1981). It is occasionally associated with sparse but never dense vegetation (Becker 1983; Phillips et al. 1982).  In the Ozarks and Eastern Broadleaf Forest Aquatic Subregions, the brook silverside is most often found warm, permanent pools of small headwater creeks and overflow pools of larger streams with little current (Harlan et al. 1987; Pflieger 1971 and 1997). However several investigators report that the brook silverside inhabits small streams with considerable current (Becker 1983; Clay 1975; Cross and Collins 1995).  In the clear waters of lakes and newly constructed reservoirs it prefers coves or shorelines (Pflieger 1997; Trautman 1981) where it quickly becomes abundant (Smith 1979). The brook silverside is sensitive to high turbidity (Clay 1975; Trautman 1981) and siltation (Pflieger 1971; Smith 1979).

Predictive Model(s):

Statewide Model: by 8-digit HU [Decision Tree Analysis n=28]

The distribution is based upon existing collection records.

("TEMP_CODE" = 2 AND

   (("SDISCR_5C" <= 0 AND "STRAHLER" <= 3 AND "MAXELEVR" <= 1) OR

   ("SDISCR_5C" <= 0 AND "STRAHLER" > 3) OR

    "SDISCR_5C" > 1))

Mississippi River Model:

The distribution is based upon existing collection records and professional review.

("pool" >= 'S08' AND "pool" <= 'S20')

Missouri River Model

The distribution is based upon existing collection records and professional review.

("pool" = 'O19')

Overall Prediction:

("TEMP_CODE" = 2 AND

(( "SDISCR_5C" <= 0 AND "STRAHLER" <= 3 AND "MAXELEVR" <= 1) OR

( "SDISCR_5C" <= 0 AND "STRAHLER" > 3) OR

 "SDISCR_5C" > 1)) OR ("pool" >= 'S08' AND "pool" <= 'S20') OR ("pool" = 'O19')

Literature Cited:

Becker, G.C.  1983.  Fishes of Wisconsin.  University of Wisconsin Press, Madison. 1052 pp.

Clay, W.M.  1975.  The fishes of Kentucky.  Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Frankfort, Kentucky.  416 pp.

Cross, F.B., and J.T. Collins.  1995.  Fishes in Kansas.  University of Kansas Natural History Museum, Public Education Series No. 14, Lawrence, Kansas.   315 pp.

Douglas, N.H.  1974.  Freshwater fishes of Louisiana.  Claitor’s Publishing Division, Sponsored by Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  443 pp.

Harlan, J.R., E.B. Speaker, and J. Mayhew.  1987.  Iowa fish and fishing. Iowa Conservation Commission, Des Moines, Iowa. 323pp.

Pflieger, W.L.  1971.  A distributional study of Missouri fishes.  University of Kansas Publications, Museum of Natural History  20(3):225-570.

Pflieger, W.L.  1997.  The fishes of Missouri.  Missouri Department of Conservation, Jefferson City, Missouri.  372 pp.

Phillips, G.L., W.D. Schmid, and J.C. Underhill.  1982.  Fishes of the Minnesota region.  University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota.  248 pp.

Smith, P.W.  1979.  The fishes of Illinois.  University of Illinois Press, Urbana, Illinois.  314 pp.

Trautman, M.B.  1981.  The fishes of Ohio.  Revised Edition.  Ohio State University Press in collaboration with the Ohio Sea Grant Program Center for Lake Erie Area Research,  Columbus, Ohio.  782 pp.

Data Sources:

Berry, C.R., D.L. Galat, and M.L. Wildhaber.  2004.  Fish distribution and abundance. 

Volume 3.  Population structure and habitat use of benthic fishes along the Missouri and lower Yellowstone rivers.  U.S. Geological Survey, Cooperative Units, South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota.

Call, R.E.  1890.  The fishes of the Des Moines basin. Iowa Academy of Sciences 1 pt.2

(1890, 1891):43-56.

Dowell, V.  1981.  Collections in Cedar River Basin, 1956-1981.  University of Northern

Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Ecological Analysts, Inc.  1983.  Operational ecological study in the Cedar River near

Duane Arnold Energy Center, January through December 1983.  EA Report IEL21.  Iowa Electrical Light and Power Company, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Ecological Analysts, Inc.  1984.  Operational ecological study in the Cedar River near

Duane Arnold Energy Center, January through December 1983.  EA Report IEL31.  Iowa Electrical Light and Power Company, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Fairport Fish Management and Hatchery.  2003.  Field notes and unpublished reports.

Southeast Management District, Fisheries Bureau, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Fairport, Iowa.

Gelwicks, G., J. Heitke, and G. Simmons.  2002.  Contemporary fish survey. Iowa

Department of Natural Resources, Manchester, Iowa.

Gritters. S.A, and L.M. Mauldin.  1993.  The status of the weed shiner (Notropis texanus)

in Pool 13 of the Upper Mississippi River System.  EMTC 93- S007.  Environmental Management Technical Center, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Onalaska, Wisconsin.

Guttenberg Fish Management.  2002.  Field notes and unpublished reports.  Northeast

Management District, Fisheries Bureau, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Guttenberg, Iowa.

Iowa State University Museum.  1985.  Collection of fishes catalog, 1878-1985.   Iowa

State University, Ames, Iowa.

Lake MacBride Fish Management.  2002.  Field notes and unpublished reports. 

Southeast Management District, Fisheries Bureau, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Solon, Iowa.

Long Term Resource Monitoring Program.  2002.   Pool 13 database, 1990-2001.  Upper

Midwest Environmental Science Center, Bellevue, Iowa.

Manchester Fish Management.  2002.  Field notes and unpublished reports.  Northeast

Management District, Fisheries Bureau, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Manchester, Iowa.

McDonald, D.B.  1983.  Duane Arnold Energy Center, Cedar River operational

ecological study.  Annual Report, January 1982 through December 1982. D.B. McDonald Research Inc, Iowa City, Iowa.

Meek, S.E.  1892.  Report upon the fishes of Iowa, based upon observations and

collections mad during 1889, 1890, 1891.  Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission. 10(1890):217-248.

Menzel, B.W.  1984.  Field notes: Iowa-Cedar.  Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Museum of Zoology.  2002.  Division of Fishes collection database.  University of

Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. http://www.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/. (May 2002)

Nord, R.C.  1967.  A compendium of fishery information on the Upper Mississippi River.

Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee, Rock Island, Illinois. 238 pp. 

Page, L.M.  1982.  Field notes attached to letter addressed to Bruce Menzel, dated June

28, 1982.  State Natural History Survey Division, Section of Fauntistic Surveys and Insect Identification, Champaign, Illinois.

Paragamian, V.L.  1978.  Population dynamics of smallmouth bass in the Maquoketa

River and other Iowa streams: effects of habitat variation on the stream biota.  Project F-89-R-2, Study No. 602-1, Job No. 2.  Annual Performance Report.  Iowa Conservation Commission, Des Moines, Iowa.

Paragamian, V.L.  1979.  Population dynamics of smallmouth bass in the Maquoketa

River and other Iowa streams: effects of habitat variation on the stream biota.  Project F-89-R-2, Study No. 602-2, Job No. 2.  Annual Performance Report.  Iowa Conservation Commission, Des Moines, Iowa.

Smith, P.W,. and A.C. Lopinot.  1966.  The 1966 survey of fishes from the mouths of

Mississippi River tributaries, Appendix B, pp.226-233, Illinois State Natural History Survey, Champaign, Illinois.

Sullivan, D.J.  2000.  Fish communities and their relation to environmental factors in the

Eastern Iowa Basins in Iowa and Minnesota, 1996.  Water-Resources Investigations Report 00-4194, United States Geological Survey, Iowa City, Iowa.

UMRCC.  1953.  Revised species list- northern section of the river.  Pages 19-32 in

Proceedings of the Ninth Annual Meeting, Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee, Rock Island, Illinois.

UMRCC.  1964.  Proceedings of the twentieth annual meeting, January 7, 1964.  Upper

Mississippi River Conservation Committee, Rock Island, Illinois.

Van Vooren, A.  1981.  Relative utilization of Mississippi River habitats as fish nursery

areas.  Project 81-III-C-11.  Job Completion Reports.  Iowa Conservation Commission, Des Moines, Iowa.

Wenke, T.L.  1965.  Some ecological relationships of mayflies, caddisflies, and fish in

the Mississippi River near Keokuk, Iowa.  Ph.D. dissertation.  Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Wilton, T., K. Krier, and J. Mootz.  2003.  Stream Biological Assessment Database.

Environmental Services Division, Water Quality Bureau, TMDL and Water Quality Assessment Section, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Des Moines, Iowa.

Additioanl References:

Burkhead, N.M., and R.E. Jenkins. 1991.  Fishes.  Pages 321-409 in K. Terwilliger, coordinator.  Virginia's endangered species: proceedings of a symposium.  McDonald and Woodward Publishing Company, Blacksburg, Virginia.

Cahn, A.R.  1927.  An ecological study of southern Wisconsin fishes.  Illinois Biological Monographs, Urbana, Illinois 11(1):1-151.

Cross, F.B.  1967.  Handbook of fishes of Kansas.  University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Miscellaneous Publication  No. 45, Lawrence, Kansas.  357 pp.

Dewey, M.R., and C.A. Jennings.  1994.  Factors limiting the distribution of larval and juvenile fishes in vegetated habitats of the upper Mississippi River.  National Biological Survey, National Fisheries Research Center, La Crosse, Wisconsin for the National Biological Survey, Environmental Management Technical Center, Onalaska, Wisconsin.  EMTC 94-S005. Part I, 61 pp. Part II, 19 pp.

Echelle, A.A., and G.D. Schnell.  1976.  Factor analysis of species associations among fishes of the Kiamichi River, Oklahoma.  Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 105(1):17-31.

Eddy, S., and J.C. Underhill.  1974.  Northern fishes; with special reference to the upper Mississippi Valley.  University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota.  414 pp.

Etnier, D.A., and W.E. Starnes.  1993.  The fishes of Tennessee.  University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee.  681 pp.

Goodchild, C.D.  1990.  Status of the brook silverside, Labidesthes sicculus, in Canada.  Canadian Field-Naturalist 104:36-44.

Hubbs, C.L.  1921.  An ecological study of the life history of the freshwater atherine fish, Labidesthes sicculus.  Ecology 2:262-276.

Kelly, G., editor.  1986.  Animal habitat relations handbook.  Missouri Department of Conservation and U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Jefferson City, Missouri.  293 pp.

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.  867 pp.

Nelson, J.S.  1968.  Life history of the brook silverside, Labidesthes sicculus, in Crooked Lake, Indiana.  Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 97(3):293-296.

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.

Pflieger, W.L.  1989a.  Aquatic community classification system for Missouri.  Missouri Department of Conservation.  Jefferson City, Missouri.  Aquatic Series No. 19. 70 pp. plus Supplement.

Pflieger, W.L.  1989b.  The stream resources of Missouri.  D-J Project - F-1-R-28.  Study S-20.  Missouri Department of Conservation, Columbia, Missouri.  

Pratt, K.E., C.W. Hargrave, and K.B. Gido.  2002.  Rediscovery of Labidesthes sicculus (Atherinidae) in Lake Texoma (Oklahome-Texas).  Southwestern Naturalist 47:142-147.

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, Bethesda, Maryland. 183 pp.

Robison, H.W., and T.M. Buchanan. 1988.  Fishes of Arkansas.  University of Arkansas Press, Fayetteville, Arkansas.  536 pp.

Scott, W.B., and E. J. Crossman.  1973.  Freshwater fishes of Canada.  Fisheries Research Board of Canada Bulletin No. 184, Ottawa, Canada.  966 pp.

Smale, M.A., and C. F. Rabeni.  1995.  Hypoxia and hyperthermia tolerances of headwater stream fishes. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society  124:698-710.

Thom, R.H., and J.H. Wilson.  1980.  The natural divisions of Missouri.  Transactions of the Missouri Academy of Science  14:9-24.

Tibbs, J.E.  1995.  Habitat use by small fishes in the lower Mississippi River related to foraging by least terns, Sterna altillarum.  Master’s thesis, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri.  184 pp.

Photo Credits:

Upper Left:       Photo courtesy of Konrad P. Schmidt, copyright Konrad P. Schmidt.

Upper Right:     Photo courtesy of the Native Fish Conservancy.  http://www.nativefish.org