Ghost Shiner

Ghost Shiner
Notropis buchanani
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Genus: Notropis
Species: N. buchanani
Binomial name
Notropis buchanani
Meek, 1896

Introdution

The following article is a monitoring and management plan for the freshwater fish, Notropis buchanani. The writing of the article is for Ichthyology (EEB 474) at the University of Tennessee. Notropis buchanani is a North American species of freshwater fish belonging to the Notropis genus within the Cyprinidae family. Notropis buchanani is generally characterized as being a small bodied, silvery and fusiform shaped cyprinid[1] Notropis buchanani is morphologically similar to and often mistaken for the mimic shiner (Notropis volucellus), which is evident by its former classification as a subspecies of Notropis volucellus.[2] The purpose of this paper will be to examine the characteristics, geographic distribution , ecology, life history, and current management practices for Notropis buchanani. Currently, little evidence exists for management and monitoring practices, so a set of recommendations will be established from the data compiled concerning Notropis buchanani. The development of a sound monitoring plan will provide a means to assess the current and future health and abundance of populations of Notropis buchanani across the geographic range for the species. The monitoring plan would cover populations spanning the geographic range from central Texas to Ontario and east to Tennessee and Alabama through the use of sampling techniques such as seining, snorkeling, and backpack electroshocking. The implementation of a successful management plan will help to reduce the extirpation of Notropis buchanani, as many populations of N. buchanai are disappearing in the northern United States and Ontario of Canada. The monitoring of populations of the species will aid conservation offices of knowledge of species abundance, so the health of the populations of the species will be able to be ascertained.


Geographic Distribution of Species

The current range for Notropis buchanani extends from the Mississippi River basin in the southern United States to Southern Canada in Ontario. Populations of Notropis buchanani have been reported in eastern Kansas, southeastern Nebraska, western Oklahoma and south to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Populations of N. buchanani are also present in Gulf slope drainages in Texas[3], Louisiana, and Mexico. In 1993, populations of Notropis buchanani were found in southern Ontario.[1] The trend in the United States is the more northern the state is from the gulf coast, the less secure populations of N. buchanani become. In Ontario, the population seems to be apparently stable.

The first population of Notropis buchanani in Ontario was discovered in the Thames River watershed in 1979.[4] After the discovery, the Canadian museum of Nature was checked for similar species of Notropis, and a specimen of Notropis buchanani was previously collected from Mollys Creek in 1972.[5]. The population of Notropis buchanani in Southern Ontario has been thought to have been introduced in the 1970s; however, recent studies suggest that the population of Notropis buchanani in Southern Ontario is native to Canada due to natural migration after deglaciation.

Ecology

The diet of Notropis buchanani has not been studied yet, but the diet of adult Notropis buchanani probably consist of insects, phytoplankton, and benthic crustaceans.[6] Notropis buchanani are benthopelagic freshwater fish[7] that generally inhabit areas with slow currents in lower magnitude streams of orders one to four.[8] In the higher order streams, N. buchanani are characteristic of low-gradient sections of creeks and rivers with moderate flow and moderately clear to turbid waters.[9]. Notropis buchanani also inhabit larger pools and protected backwaters without noticeable current in stream orders from 1 to 4.[10]. Streams with submerged vegetation create suitable habitat for N. buchanani species, as many species have been found in submerged vegetation in the Ohio River valley.[11] Iimpoundments such as dams have a negative impact on the species abudance because the dams limit the range of the species. Dams that are less than 12 feet high do not have to be reported as dams, and these dams pose a significant risk to populations on Notropis buchanani because they are unregulated.

Life History

Populations of Notropis buchanani usually breed in the second year of life during the period from May until late August depending on the location of the populations. In Tennessee, N. buchanani were reported to be in a reproductive state in late may [12], while in Kansas breeding individuals were found in mid-August. The majority of the N. buchanani populations breed during their second summer, and relatively few breed during the third because the lifespan of Notropis buchanani is 3 years. Notropis buchanani spawn in rivers with sluggish sand or gravel riffles. In Tennessee, the spawning occurs in slow moving, silt covered gravel areas in the Stones River below the Walter Hill Dam or in the silty sand substrate of the Mississippi River in northwest part of the state.[13] During the breeding season for Notropis buchanani, males develop nuptial tubercles, particularly on the snout, internasal region, orbit, and underside of the lower jaw. The anterior pectoral rays are slightly thickened, and small blunt tubercles are densely packed along the dorsal surface of rays 2-6.[10] For Notropis buchanani, the year of the young in October are on average 0.8” to 1.5” long. At 1 year, N. buchanai are an average of 1.1” to 2.3 inches long, and as adults individuals grow to an average of 1.3” to 2.3” inches.[14] The largest species of Notropis buchanani caught was recored at a length of 2.6” long.[15]

Current Management

Currently, there are no widely used management practices to monitor Notropis buchanani. Populations of N. buchanani are stable in southern drainages[16] and all states that populations of the species exist in, and the species has a low vulnerability[17] compared to other species of Notropis. Notropis buchanani was previously listed as a protected species in Ohio due to habitat loss according to the American Fisheries Society. Notropis buchanani is currently not listed as threatened or endangered in any of the states the populations exist in.[18] Information on the historical distributions and success of Notropis buchanani is not accessible before 1920 because the species was thought to be a subspecies of Notropis volucellus.[19] The abundance of N. buchanani was considered to be larger before it was discovered in Ohio 1930. Habitat loss is thought to be a large factor in the decline of populations of Notropis buchanani in the Ohio River Basin. The impounding of waters through damming creates a natural barrier for populations of Notropis buchanani. A 1947 collection of the species was taken from lower Norris Reservoir that suggests the range of N. buchanani extended farther up the Tennessee River.[20] The population survived for roughly 10 years after the completion of the Norris Reservior, but the population is now extirpated. The population is considered extirpated because TVA biologists failed to capture any recent specimens after frequent sampling.[21] State and Federal Fish and Wildlife agencies are monitoring the abundance of populations of Notropis buchanani as well as the other native and non-native freshwater fish, but due to the stabilization of Notropis buchanani species, no specific actions have been designed to help mitigate the risk for the loss of the species. Notropis buchanani was previously listed as a protected species in Ohio due to habitat loss according to the American Fisheries Society, but Notropis buchanani is currently not listed as threatened or endangered in any of the states that populations of the species occur.

Management Recommendations

The monitoring for Notropis buchanani will occur in lower order streams (1-3) and slower moving rivers across the native range for Notropis buchanani. For water bodies with relatively clear visibility snorkeling can be an effective means to determine the vitality of a population without the possibility of causing harm to fish populations as is the case with electroshocking. Snorkeling provides a not disruptive method of surveying for populations of Notropis buchanani, but Snorkeling can be limiting and cause biologists and wildlife managers to overlook smaller populations of the species. Seining in the river is a more effective way of determining the relative size of populations of Notropis buchanani than snorkeling because it allows biologist to physically count numbers of the species in different areas of the river to determine where populations are most frequent. Seining can be an effective tool to determine if impoundments in rivers continue to disrupt the native range of Notropis buchanani. Collecting numbers for population size will aid in determining the health of Notropis buchanani populations in the future as well as aid in determining the mechanism behind disturbances to the population. Another method to determine the abundance of a population is electroshocking, but this form of surveying can be harmful to smaller pelagic and benthic fish. The best method of collection is for local and regional conservation and fisheries departments to monitor the population of Notropis buchanani through seining and snorkeling to gather baseline population data for the future. Baseline data will give fisheries managers the ability to predict future population sizes through doubling time, and to track major trends in the overall population.


References

Amemiya, Chris T. and John R. Gold.1986. Chromomycin A3 Stains Nucleolus Organizer Regions of Fish Chromosomes. Coepia 1:226-231.

Amemiya, Chris T. and John R. Gold.1990. Chromosomal NOR Phenotypes of seven species of North American Cyprinidae, with comments on cytosystematic relationships of the Notropis volucellus species-group, Opsopoeodus emiliae, and the genus Pteronotropis. Copeia 1: 68-78.

Becker, G.C. 1983. Fishes of Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison. 1052 pp.

Bonner, T. 2007. Fishes of Texas. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishesoftexas.org/taxon/notropis-buchanani

Etnier, D.A., and W.E. Starnes. 1993. The fishes of Tennessee. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee. 681 pp.

Fish and Wildlife Service. 2010. http://www.fws.gov/endangered/index.html

Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2011.FishBase.World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (08/2011).

Holm, E. and G.A. Coker.1981. First Canadian records of the ghost shiner (Notropis buchanani) and the orangespotted sunfish (Lepomis humilis). Can. Field Naturalist 95: 210-211.

Holm, E. and J. Houston.1993. Status of the ghost shiner, Notropis buchanani, in Canada. Can. Field Naturalist 107:440-445.

Hubbs, C., R. J. Edwards, and G. P. Garrett. 1991. An annotated checklist of the freshwater fishes of Texas, with keys to the identification of species. The Texas Journal of Science. 43(4):1-56.

Knott, Edward and Dean Fitzgerald. 2000. Comparitive Morphology and Taxonomic status of the Ghost Shiner, Notropis buchanani in Canada.Environmental Biology of Fishes 59: 385-392.

Meek, S. E. 1895. A list of fishes and mollusks collected in Arkansas and Indian territory in 1894. Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission 15: 341-349.

Miller, R.J. and H.W. Robinson.1973. The Fishes of Oklahoma. Oklahoma State University Press., Stillwater. 246 pp.

Pflieger, W. L. 1975. The Fishes of Missouri. Missouri Department of Conservation. 343 pp.

Trautman, M. B. 1981. The Fishes of Ohio. Ohio State University Press. 782 pp.

Warren, M.L. Jr., B.M. Burr, S. J. Walsh, H.L. Bart Jr., R. C. Cashner, D.A. Etnier, B. J. Freeman, B.R. Kuhajda, R.L. Mayden, H. W. Robison, S.T. Ross, and W. C. Starnes. 2000. Diversity, distribution and conservation status of the native freshwater fishes of the southern United States. Fisheries 25(10):7-29.

References

  1. ^ a b Holm, E. and J. Houston.1993. Status of the ghost shiner, Notropis buchanani, in Canada. Can. Field Naturalist 107:440-445.
  2. ^ Trautman, M. B. 1981. The Fishes of Ohio. Ohio State University Press. 782 pp.
  3. ^ Hubbs, C., R. J. Edwards, and G. P. Garrett. 1991. An annotated checklist of the freshwater fishes of Texas, with keys to the identification of species. The Texas Journal of Science. 43(4):1-56.
  4. ^ Holm, E. and G.A. Coker.1981. First Canadian records of the ghost shiner (Notropis buchanani) and the orangespotted sunfish (Lepomis humilis). Can. Field Naturalist 95: 210-211.
  5. ^ Knott, Edward and Dean Fitzgerald. 2000. Comparitive Morphology and Taxonomic status of the Ghost Shiner, Notropis buchanani in Canada.Environmental Biology of Fishes 59: 385-392.
  6. ^ Becker, G.C. 1983. Fishes of Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison. 1052 pp.
  7. ^ Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2011.FishBase.World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (08/2011).
  8. ^ Miller, R.J. and H.W. Robinson.1973. The Fishes of Oklahoma. Oklahoma State University Press., Stillwater. 246 pp.
  9. ^ Reeve M. Bailey. Reviewed work(s): Atlas of North American Fresh Water Fishes by D. S. Lee; C. R. Gilbert; C. H. Hocutt; R. E. Jenkins; D. E. McAllister; J. R. Stauffer, Copeia Vol. 1982, No. 4 (Dec. 21, 1982), pp. 983-985
  10. ^ a b Reeve M. Bailey. Reviewed work(s): Atlas of North American Fresh Water Fishes by D. S. Lee; C. R. Gilbert; C. H. Hocutt; R. E. Jenkins; D. E. McAllister; J. R. Stauffer, Copeia Vol. 1982, No. 4 (Dec. 21, 1982), pp. 983-985
  11. ^ Trautman, M. B. 1981. The Fishes of Ohio. Ohio State University Press. 782 pp.
  12. ^ Etnier, D.A., and W.E. Starnes. 1993. The fishes of Tennessee. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee. 681 pp.
  13. ^ Pflieger, W. L. 1975. The Fishes of Missouri. Missouri Department of Conservation. 343 pp.
  14. ^ Trautman, M. B. 1981. The Fishes of Ohio. Ohio State University Press. 782 pp.
  15. ^ Etnier, D.A., and W.E. Starnes. 1993. The fishes of Tennessee. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee. 681 pp.
  16. ^ Warren, M.L. Jr., B.M. Burr, S. J. Walsh, H.L. Bart Jr., R. C. Cashner, D.A. Etnier, B. J. Freeman, B.R. Kuhajda, R.L. Mayden, H. W. Robison, S.T. Ross, and W. C. Starnes. 2000. Diversity, distribution and conservation status of the native freshwater fishes of the southern United States. Fisheries 25(10):7-29.
  17. ^ Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2011.FishBase.World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version (08/2011).
  18. ^ Fish and Wildlife Service. 2010. http://www.fws.gov/endangered/index.html
  19. ^ Trautman, M. B. 1981. The Fishes of Ohio. Ohio State University Press. 782 pp.
  20. ^ Etnier, D.A., and W.E. Starnes. 1993. The fishes of Tennessee. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee. 681 pp.
  21. ^ Etnier, D.A., and W.E. Starnes. 1993. The fishes of Tennessee. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee. 681 pp.

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