Shorthead redhorse found in the Cheyenne River

A shorthead redhorse, Moxostoma macrolepidotum, was found in the Cheyenne River this summer during stream surveys conducted by the Prairie Stream Crew, part of the Wyoming Game & Fish Department’s Aquatic Assessment Crew.

The shorthead redhorse has an elongate body, short head, large eye, and thick lips.  Typically coloration is greenish above, yellow to white below, and golden or silvery laterally, with an orange/red dorsal fin and red/purple caudal fin.  Adults can reach up to 20 inches and weigh several pounds. 

The shorthead redhorse is native to most drainges east of the Continental Divide in Wyoming, although prior to this occurrence, no records of shorthead redhorse existed for the Cheyenne River drainage  Although shorthead redhorse are considered native to the Cheyenne River in South Dakota, the species status in the Cheyenne River in Wyoming is still uncertain.