Discrimination and Avoidance Reactions towards Predatory and Nonpredatory Fish by Blacknose Dace, Rhinichthys atratulus (Pisces: Cyprinidae)

Abstract and Summary The hypothesis that blacknose dace Rhinichthys atratulus discriminate between piscivorous creek chub Semotilus atromaculatus and nonpiscivorous common suckers Catostomus commersoni was tested in a seminatural, artificial stream. Dace avoided the nonpredatory suckers less than they did the predatory chub, which they avoided during both day and night. However, dace significantly avoided the nonpredator at night. Further, experienced and inexperienced dace avoided the nonpredator similarly, suggesting that they had not learned to discriminate predator from nonpredator in their natural habitat. These results are consistent with two hypotheses (1) that individuals varied in ability to discriminate predatory from nonpredatory fishes, and (2) that the predator was more active than the nonpredator, thereby “frightening” the dace more. At temperatures of < 6°C the nonpredator was inactive and dace no longer avoided it at night, but continued to avoid the active chub, suggesting that movement constituted part of the avoidance‐releasing stimulus. Because dace avoided nonpredators, they may waste time in natural streams avoiding harmless fish. It is suggested that the dace cannot afford the risk of a mistaken identity, which may be high in the stream environment, and selection favors those that avoid all large, moving fish.