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always for the community VOL 24 NO 4
April 2019
www.valleysentinel.com
SPOTLIGHT
Downtown Danville’s Eddy House Receives Commemorative Plaque
On March 22, members of the community came out to honor another of the Town of Danville’s historic buildings with a new commemorative plaque. M e m b e rs o f t h e H e r i t a g e Re s o u rc e Commission, Danville Mayor Robert Storer, Town Council, and Town staff were in attendance to unveil the plaque commemorating the history
ECRWSS
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See EDDY HOUSE page 5
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Danville Oaks Rugby Teams once again win in the NorCal Middle School championships. Front row (left to right) Ethan Younger, Talan Jones, Nabi Wahab, Gregory Leitch, Ofa Hingano, Parker Glynn, Jonas Ritigstein, Teimana Tuioti, Andre Palu-Moeinimanesh, Head Coach Kevin Barth. Back row (left to right) - Coach Cam Younger, Coach Dale Postin, Coach Sean Gann, Nate Comiskey, Sawyer French, Liam Walsh, James Carney, JT Rhodes, Riley Gann, Tucker Barth, Brody Bartusch, Nico Jimenez, Coach Andy Bordalo, Caleb Padrid, Teitum Tuioti, Tommy Rainsford, Eddie Molina, Mitch Bruno, Coach Nick Rainsford, Coach Chris Leitch. Missing from photo Diesel Pribble and coaches Erich Friess, Mike Ryan, Brett Chromy. Please see story on page 15.
The California Roach (Hesperoluecus symmetricus) By James M. Hale
The California Roach (Hesperoluecus symmetricus) is a native California fish that is fairly common to abundant in intermittent streams of central California. I have found them widely distributed throughout the Walnut Creek watershed during my biological stream surveys. The California Roach was once considered to be the only member of the genus Hesperoluecus, however, recent taxonomic research has divided the genus into several closely related species and subspecies. The species complex is distributed throughout the Central Valley, foothills, and coastal streams of California. The California Ro a c h h a s b e e n d o c u m e n t e d hybridizing with Sacramento Hitch in Walnut Creek and other streams. It is a chunky-bodied fish for its size, with large eyes and a head with a small, downward facing mouth. The California Roach is a small
minnow, reaching a maximum of four and one half inches, including the deeply forked tail. The small, dorsal fin has seven to ten fin rays, while the anal fin has six to nine rays. California Roach exhibit classic countershading coloration for protection from predators such as the Belted Kingfisher from above, and larger fish such as the nonnative Green Sunfish from below. This is an example of Thayer’s Law. The California Roach is a metallic, darker, grayish-bluish above, and a dull silver to whitish underneath, providing camouflage in its watery environment. Predominately a bottom feeder, the California Roach feeds primarily on filamentous algae, aquatic insects, and crustaceans. However, food may be opportunistically taken from
the surface. During the breeding season, reddish-orange nuptial patches appear on the chin, operculum, and at the bases of the pectoral, pelvic, and anal fins. Breeding males may also develop a series of nodes or tubercles (pearl organs) on the head. From March through
June, the California Roach forms schools and moves into the shallow edges of streams to spawn. Females will lay a few eggs at a time on a substrate of small rocks and pea gravel.
This Month’s Special Section:
Spring Home & Garden
pages 8-9
See FISH page 5