Distribution of the Fishes of Boone County, Iowa, with Special Reference to the Minnows and Darters

Abstract

A total of 53 spp. of fishes are recorded for the county, mainly Cyprinidae. The number of spp. increased with increased stream size and watershed. Hourly and seasonal changes of habitat by minnows are discussed. In the Des Moines R., habitat preference varied among some spp. of minnows with light intensity and season. The hardiness of a sp. to withstand and survive in a limited amount of space and low O2 is considered as an important factor in limiting the number of successful spp. in small streams subject to partial drying.