Breukelman (1940:380) recorded speckled chubs in the Kansas River Basin as Extrarius (= Hybopsis) aestivalis: sesquialis × tetranemus; however, the name sesquialis is a nomen nudum, and the status of this species in the Kansas River Basin is yet to be elucidated.
Phenacobius mirabilis (Girard), plains suckermouth minnow: Meek (1895:136); and Evermann and Cox (1896:408). Stations 2-S, 3-S, 4-S, 5-G, 6-S, 7-G, 8-S, 9-G, 11-G, 16-G, 18-G, 25-S, 26-G, 27-G, 35-M, 38-S, 39-S, 40-M, 42-S, 47-M, 50-S, 52-S, 53-S, 54-G, and 56-S.
Phenacobius mirabilis was widespread in the basin, occurring most frequently on riffles over bottoms of clean sand or gravel. Young-of-the-year were usually taken in backwaters.
Notropis percobromus (Cope), plains shiner. Stations 3-S and 4-S.
The plains shiner occurred only in the lower part of the main stream of the Big Blue River.
Notropis rubellus (Agassiz), rosyface shiner. Station 5-G.
One rosyface shiner (KU 4195) was taken. This species was previously reported from only two localities in the Kansas River Basin: in the Mill Creek Watershed, Wabaunsee County, and Blacksmith Creek, Shawnee County as Notropis rubrifrons (Cope) (Gilbert, 1886:208). Mill Creek and Blacksmith Creek are northward-flowing tributaries of the Kansas River that arise in the Flint Hills. Graham (1885:73) also recorded N. rubellus (as N. rubrifrons) from the "Kansas and Missouri Rivers"; however, I suspect that his specimens were Notropis percobromus, a species not generally recognized in Graham's time (see Hubbs, 1945:16-17). Notropis rubellus is now abundant in the Mill Creek Watershed (Wabaunsee County), but, except for my specimen No. 4195, has not been taken recently in other streams in the Kansas River Basin.
Notropis umbratilis umbratilis (Girard), redfin shiner. Station 3-S.
One specimen of N. u. umbratilis was captured near a sandbar on March 26, 1958. The absence of this species in Flint Hills streams of the Big Blue River Basin is unexplained; redfin shiners occur commonly in southern tributaries of the Kansas River both upstream and downstream from the mouth of the Big Blue River. In Kansas this species is usually associated with the larger pools of clear, upland streams.
Canfield and Wiebe (1931:6-8) may have referred to this species in recording "black-fin minnows" from the Nebraskan portion of the Big Blue River Basin.