BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Rhinichthys umatilla
Umatilla Dace
| Scientific Name: | Rhinichthys umatilla (Gilbert and Evermann, 1894) | ||||||||||
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| English Name: | Umatilla Dace | ||||||||||
| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - Concept Reference: | Nelson, J. S., E. J. Crossman, H. Espinosa-Perez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, and J. D. Williams. 2004. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 29, Bethesda, Maryland. 386 pp. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Species | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Vertebrate Animal | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | F-RHUM | ||||||||||
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| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G3G4 (Jan 2025) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S2 (Mar 2019) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Red | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | Threatened (Apr 2010) | ||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | 3 (Mar 2005) | ||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | 2 - May be at risk (2005) | ||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | |||||||||||
| Subspecies Comments: | The Otter Creek population is isolated and morphologically distinct from other R. umatilla populations (D. McPhail, pers. comm.; A. peden, pers. comm.). Although the Similkameen populations are similar morphologically to Columbia River populations, those in the Kettle may be isolated and divergent (Peden and Hughes 1998; D. McPhail, pers. comm.). | ||||||||||
| Identification Comments: | Dark upper head and back; creamy flanks with large, irregular dark spots; caudal peduncle moderately narrow (2.3-2.7 into head length); dorsal and anal fins strongly curved; pointed caudal fin lobes; deep caudal fork (about 10% of total length); 9-10 dorsal rays; 56-72 scales along lateral line; snout overhangs the mouth; upper lip is free from the snout; horizontal mouth with small barbells; dorsal "hump" posterior to the head; adults rarely larger than 120 mm (fork length); females tend to be larger than males (Wilhelmson 2003). | ||||||||||
| Global Reproduction Comments: | Fecundity ranges from 300-2,000 eggs per female (COSEWIC 2010). Breeding probably occurs in late spring and summer if similar to that of congeners R. falcatus, R. cataractae, and R. osculus (Scott and Crossman 1973, Peden and Hughes 1981, COSEWIC 2010). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Reproduction Comments: | Spawning occurs in mid-summer in the Columbia River (Baxter et al. 2003). Males mature at the end of their 2nd summer, but don't spawn until the next season, whereas, females mature 1 year later than males (Wilhelmson 2003). Fecundity ranged from 300 to 2,000 eggs in a sample of 5 females (Wilhelmson 2003). In the laboratory, eggs hatched in 6 days and emerged from gravel 1 week later (Wilhelmson 2003). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Ecology Comments: | Where R. umatilla is sympatric with R. falcatus in British Columbia, it is more numerous and prefers stronger current. Other dominant, potential competitors are R. Cataractae and Cottus spp. Lower densities are observed in the Columbia River below HLK Dam compared to other times of the year (Wilhelmson 2003). | ||||||||||
| Migration Characteristics: (Global / Provincial) | |||||||||||
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Nonmigrant: Local Migrant: Distant Migrant: Within Borders Migrant: |
N / N N / N N / N na / N |
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| Provincial Mobility & Migration Comments: | Little is known about movements and dispersal, however post-hatch pelagic and early juvenile stages exhibit limited swimming abilities, which would indicate a restricted capacity to disperse during these life stages (Wilhelmson 2003). | ||||||||||
| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
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| Global Habitat Comments: | A riverine species that seems to prefer the cover provided by cobbles and larger stones where the current is fast enough to prevent siltation. Most often captured along river banks at depths less than 1 m (Hughes and Peden 1988). Occurs in rivers that are relatively warm and productive; the species is absent from cold tributaries in the mountains. Has been also found in reservoirs where there is a rocky bottom and a noticeable current (Hughes and Peden 1988). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Habitat Comments: | Endemic to the Columbia River. Patchily distributed in the Kootenay, Alocan, Kettle, Similkameen, Slocan, Lower Pend d'Oreille rivers and in Mission Creek (Wilhelmson 2003). Found in productive, low elevation waters (Peden and Hughes 1988); with temperatures between 18-20 degrees Celsius; has been reported near bank slopes with 6-15% gradient; have been found at depths between 10 and 169 cm; prefers riverine habitat with large gravel or cobbles and large boulders with enough space to provide refuge; prefer habitat where water flow is strong enough to prevent siltation from forming (Wilhelmson 2003). | ||||||||||
| Food Habits: |
Herbivore: Adult, Immature
Invertivore: Adult, Immature |
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| Global Food Habits Comments: | Benthic macroinvertebrates, periphyton, and detritus are commonly found gut items (COSEWIC 2010, Mettler et al. 2015). | ||||||||||
| Provincial Food Habits Comments: | Low diversity in food items observed and these vary by season and prey availability (Wilhelmson 2003). General food items include mayflies, midges, periphyton and detritus; in the winter months feeding on mostly periphyton and detritus (Wilhelmson 2003). Diets of young-of-the-year and juveniles are similar (Wilhelmson 2003). | ||||||||||
| Global Phenology: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
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| Colonial Breeder: | N | ||||||||||
| Length(cm)/width(cm)/Weight(g): | 8/ / | ||||||||||
| Elevation (m) (min / max): |
Global:
Provincial: |
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| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | This species is endemic to the upper and middle Columbia River basin from below the Arrow Lakes, Slocan Lake, and Kootenay Lake in British Columbia, Canada south into the United States in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho (Page and Burr 1991, COSEWIC 2010). Using Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) (2025) records, range extent is estimated to be 249,867 kmē. | ||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | Cannings, S. G., and G. Hammerson (1993); rev. R. L. Gundy (2025) | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Jan 29, 2025 | ||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | L. M. Porto and S.G. Cannings | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Feb 26, 2005 | ||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
AMEC. 2014. Lower Columbia River sculpin and dace life history assessment (CLFMON-43) Year 5 Technical Report. Report prepared for BC Hydro, Burnaby, BC. Prepared by AMEC Environment and Infrastructure Ltd. 117pp + 8 App. |
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B.C. Ministry of Environment. Recovery Planning in BC. B.C. Minist. Environ. Victoria, BC. |
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COSEWIC. 2010. COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Umatilla Dace Rhinichthys umatilla in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. xii + 37 pp. |
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Haas, G. Personal communication. Dep. of Zool., Univ. of B.C. |
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Hughes, G.W., and A.E. Peden. 1988. Report on the Canadian status of the Umatilla dace Rhinichthys umatilla. Unpubl. rep., B.C. Prov. Mus., Victoria. |
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Hughes, G.W., and A.E. Peden. 1988. Report on the Canadian status of the Umatilla dace Rhinichthys umatilla. Unpubl. rep., B.C. Prov. Mus., Victoria. |
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McPhail, D. 1991. Personal communication. |
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Mettler, A. J., B. T. Witte, and A. T. Scholz. 2015. Biological characteristic of Umatilla dace (Rhinichthys umatilla) in the Colville River, Washington. Northwestern Naturalist 96: 230-233. |
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Page, L. M., and B. M. Burr. 1991. A field guide to freshwater fishes: North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. 432 pp. |
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Peden, A. Personal communication. |
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Peden, A.E., and G.W. Hughes. 1981. Life history notes relevant to the Canadian status of the speckled dace (Rhinichthys osculus). Syesis 14:21-31. |
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Peden, A.E., and G.W. Hughes. 1988. Sympatry in four species of Rhinichthys (Pisces), including the first documented occurrences of Rhinichthys umatilla in the Canadian drainages of the Columbia River. Can. J. Zool. 66:1846-1856. |
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Porto, L. and Lawrence, C. 2016. Morphology and timing of spawning of Umatilla dace (Rhinichthys Umatilla) in the Slocan River, British Columbia. Canadian Field Naturalist 130: 224-230 |
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Scott, W. B., and E. J. Crossman. 1973. Freshwater fishes of Canada. Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Bulletin 184. 966 pp. |
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Troffe, P. 1999. Freshwater Fishes of the Columbia Basin. Royal B.C. Mus. 102pp. |
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Wilhelmson, C. 2003. Update COSEWIC status report on Umatilla dace Rhinichthys umatilla prepared for Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. 22pp. |
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Wydoski, R. S., and R. R. Whitney. 1979. Inland fishes of Washington. The University of Washington Press, Seattle. 220 pp. |
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2025. Species Summary: Rhinichthys umatilla. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 13, 2026).