Southeastern Freshwater Fishes | ||
![]() |
![]() |
![]() by Stephen J. Walsh National Biological Service Noel M. Burkhead National Biological Service James D. Williams National Biological Service |
North America has the richest fauna of temperate freshwater fishes in the world, with about 800 native species in the waters of Canada and the United States. The center of this diversity is in the southeastern United States, where as many as 500 species may exist (62% of the continental fauna north of Mexico). Many coastal marine species also enter fresh waters of the Southeast, and at least 34 foreign fish species are established in the region. | ||
Although freshwater fishes of the United States are better studied than any fish fauna of comparable scope in the world (Lee et al. 1980; Hocutt and Wiley 1986; Matthews and Heins 1987; Page and Burr 1991; Mayden 1992), large gaps exist in scientific knowledge about the biology and ecology of most species. New species are still being discovered, and the taxonomy of other species is being refined. |
Principal causes of declining fish resources in the Southeast are due to habitat perturbations, such as loss of forested stream cover, mining activities, and impoundments, as at this site in northern Georgia. Courtesy N.M. Burkhead, NBS | |
![]() |
Hydrologic Regions |
Two species of southeastern fishes have become extinct in the last century: the harelip sucker (Moxostoma lacerum) and the whiteline topminnow (Fundulus albolineatus). At least one other species, the least darter (Etheostoma microperca), has disappeared from the southern portion of its range that falls within the region covered here. The slender chub (Erimystax cahni) has not been seen since 1987 and may be near extinction. Two other species peripheral to the Southeast are feared extinct: the Scioto madtom (Noturus trautmani) and the Maryland darter (Etheostoma sellare; Etnier 1994). |
![]() Tangerine darter (Percina aurantiaca). Courtesy N.M. Burkhead, NBS |
National Biological Service Southeastern Biological Science Center 7920 NW 71st St. Gainesville, FL 32653 |
References | |
---|---|
Burkhead, N.M., and R.E. Jenkins. 1991. Fishes. Pages 321-409 in Virginia's Endangered Species: Proceedings of a Symposium. McDonald and Woodward Publishing Co., Blacksburg,VA. 672 pp. Deacon, J.E., G. Kobetich, J.D. Williams, S. Contreras, et al. 1979. Fishes of North America endangered, threatened, or of special concern: 1979. Fisheries 4(2):30-44. Etnier, D.A. 1994. Our southeastern fishes --what have we lost and what are we likely to lose. Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings 29:5-9. Etnier, D.A., and W.C. Starnes. 1991. An analysis of Tennessee's jeopardized fish taxa. Journal of the Tennessee Academy of Science 66(4):129-133. Hocutt, C.H., and E.O. Wiley, eds. 1986. The zoogeography of North American freshwater fishes. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York. 866 pp. Lee, D.S., C.R. Gilbert, C.H. Hocutt, R.E. Jenkins, D.E. McAllister, and J.R. Stauffer, Jr. 1980. Atlas of North American freshwater fishes. North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh. 854 pp. (Reissued in 1981 with appendix; 867 pp.) |
Matthews, W.J., and D.C. Heins, eds. 1987. Community and evolutionary ecology of North American stream fishes. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman. 310 pp. Mayden, R.L., ed. 1992. Systematics, historical ecology, and North American freshwater fishes. Stanford University Press, CA. 969 pp. Mount, R.H., ed. 1986. Vertebrate animals of Alabama in need of special attention. Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn University. 124 pp. Moyle, P.B., and R.A. Leidy. 1992. Loss of biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems: evidence from fish faunas. Pages 127-169 in P.L. Fiedler and S.K. Jain, eds. Conservation biology: the theory and practice of nature conservation, preservation and management. Chapman and Hall, New York. 507 pp. Page, L.M., and B.M. Burr. 1991. A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Peterson field guide series. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, MA. 432 pp. Warren, M.L., Jr., and B.M. Burr. 1994. Status of freshwater fishes of the United States: overview of an imperiled fauna. Fisheries 19(1):6-18. Williams, J.E., J.E. Johnson, D.A. Hendrickson, S. Contreras-Balderas, J.D. Williams, M. Navarro-Mendoza, D.E. McAllister, and J.E. Deacon. 1989. Fishes of North America endangered, threatened, or of special concern: 1989. Fisheries 14(6):2-20. |