Studies of the Biology of the Cyprinid Fishes of the Chub Genus Nocomis of Northeastern United States

The life histories of only a few North American Cyprinidae are well understood. Atthough their economic importanc1e as food or game fishes is of little value, many do serve as important forage fishes and others are used as bait by sportsmen seeking game fishes. Certain species exhibit interesting breeding behavior patterns and interrelationships and provide much scientific interest. The many species vary in distribution, growth, food habits, and mode of reproduction. Pertinent knowledge acquired from life history studies leads to intelligent mianagement of populations of forage fishes and their effective utilization and maintenance. This study concerns three species of Nocomis found in the waters of northeastern United States, namely the hornyhead chub, Nocomis biguttatus (Kirtland), the river chub, N. micropogon (Cope), and the eastern Piedmont chub, N. leptocephalus (Girard). The salient characters differentiating these species have been presented by Lachner (1946).