Mylopharodon
1 species
Mylopharadon conocephalus, known as the hardhead, is a freshwater ray-finned fish from the family Cyprinidae, the carps and minnows, which is endemic to California. It is the sole member of the monotypic genus Mylopharadon.
The range of the hardhead includes much of the drainage basin of the Sacramento and San Joaquin in California, and within the range it is widely distributed in the foothill streams. The Kern River, Kern County, is the southernmost part of the range and it reaches north to the Pit River drainage in Modoc County. It is absent from the Clear Lake basin and from most of the streams draining into San Francisco Bay, other than the Napa River and Russian River, where it is not common.
Hardhead habitat includes deep pools over rocky and sandy substrates in small to large rivers. It prefers relatively undisturbed conditions and normally can be found in larger streams at low and mid-elevation. It shows to preference for deep, clear pools which have substrates consisting of sand, gravel or boulders and a slow current. It occurs in some mid-elevation reservoirs but the populations in reservoirs is usually temporary as populations may grow large, then rapidly decline. It tends to be found in the lower half of the water column in rivers and streams but in slower flows or still waters, such as reservoirs, it cab be found close to surface. It is always found in association with the Sacramento pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus grandis) and normally also with the Sacramento sucker (Catostomus occidentalis occidentalis). It cannot normally be found in waters where alien species, especially sunfish, are dominant.
Mylopharadon conocephalus, known as the hardhead, is a freshwater ray-finned fish from the family Cyprinidae, the carps and minnows, which is endemic to California. It is the sole member of the monotypic genus Mylopharadon.
The range of the hardhead includes much of the drainage basin of the Sacramento and San Joaquin in California, and within the range it is widely distributed in the foothill streams. The Kern River, Kern County, is the southernmost part of the range and it reaches north to the Pit River drainage in Modoc County. It is absent from the Clear Lake basin and from most of the streams draining into San Francisco Bay, other than the Napa River and Russian River, where it is not common.
Hardhead habitat includes deep pools over rocky and sandy substrates in small to large rivers. It prefers relatively undisturbed conditions and normally can be found in larger streams at low and mid-elevation. It shows to preference for deep, clear pools which have substrates consisting of sand, gravel or boulders and a slow current. It occurs in some mid-elevation reservoirs but the populations in reservoirs is usually temporary as populations may grow large, then rapidly decline. It tends to be found in the lower half of the water column in rivers and streams but in slower flows or still waters, such as reservoirs, it cab be found close to surface. It is always found in association with the Sacramento pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus grandis) and normally also with the Sacramento sucker (Catostomus occidentalis occidentalis). It cannot normally be found in waters where alien species, especially sunfish, are dominant.
