THE AQUATIC MACROFAUNA AND WATER QUALITY OF COTTONWOOD CREEK, OKLAHOMA

electroshocker, and an Ekman dredge to collect 26 fish species and 50 macroinvertebrate taxa. The predominant fishes were gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum), plains minnow (Hybognathus placitus), emerald shiner (Notropis atherinoides), red shiner (N. lutrensis), sand shiner (N. stramineus), mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis), green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus), orangespotted sunfish (L. humilis), and longear sunfish (L. megalotis). Two relatively distinct fish communities were apparent; one associated with the lower reaches of Cottonwood Creek and Cimarron River and the other with the small stream habitat of upper Cottonwood Creek and tributaries. Dragonfly naiads, giant water bugs, whirligig beetles, and water scavenger beetles were the predominant insects; Oligochaetes and chironomids characterized the benthos. The fauna was typical of that in lotic habitats of central Oklahoma and was principally composed of forms that are tolerant of organically enriched water.