Core OL-92 from Owens Lake, southeast California

Owens Lake core OL92 fish remains

Gerald R. Smith: Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI 48109

Only half of the fragments submitted from the core OL92 could be identified, partly because that part of the Great Basin has such a sparse fish fauna. The most common fish during the period these samples represent (also a common fish now) was the Tui chub, Gila (Siphateles) bicolor. This fish has distinctive asymmetrical-centered and round shield shaped scales, usually 2 to 4 mm in diameter as adults with strong radii in one field. Sucker (Catostomidae) scales are larger, with radii in the anterior and posterior fields of a more symmetrical scale. Two genera are possible, but I can't narrow it down from the material. A complete skull bone of a baby catostomid was found.

The surprise was the presence of what appear to be trout and whitefish scales, distinctive in the lack of radii. The trout and whitefish indicate more water and (or) lower temperatures, when they are present. The Gila bicolor are about the same size and growth rates as those in Pyramid Lake today. None of the scales bear enough information to say more about stratigraphy or paleoenvironments.

I found no otoliths. There is one tiny bird, mouse, or shrew bone.

Results

Depth	Identified and unidentified remains
184.39	Gila bicolor scale, 4.5 mm, 4+ yr old; fish = ca. 1' long
184.68	Gila bicolor scale; giant centric diatoms?
199.80	Gila bicolor scale, 4 to 5 yr old
200.96	Unidentified scale, fragment
203.10	Catostomid scale, ca. 4 mm
204.27	Gila bicolor scale; unidentified fragments
206.64	Gila bicolor, scales in good condition
221.48	Bird bone? ?Catostomid scale; Gila bicolor scale
285.74	Catostomid scales; unidentified bones; cyprinid cleithrum?
286.56	Catostomid scales; Gila bicolor tooth
286.81	? Coregonine scale, 4.5 mm, ovoid, no radii; tooth fragment?
287.19	? Salmonid scale; cyprinid vertebra; unidentified bone, scale; pyrite
287.68	Gila bicolor scales; ?Catostomid bone
288.14	Scale fragments without radii; salmonid?
288.91	Unidentified fragments
291.72	Unidentified fragment
295.50	Two 2.5 mm Gila bicolor scales
296.23	Ovoid salmonid scale without radii, 3 to 4 mm
296.86	Gila bicolor scale, 2.5 mm; unidentified fragments, catostomid tooth?
302.67	Unidentified tooth; large catostomid scale
302.90	Large catostomid scale
307.15	Unidentified fragments
308.99	Catostomid scales, 2 to 3 mm
315.62	Left frontal 3.8 X 5.2 mm of small catostomid with fontanelle

U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
URL of this page: https://pubs.usgs.gov/openfile/of93-683/6-organic/4-fish.html
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Last modified: 03.01.01 (krw)