SE US new fish bonanza

[Mighty_Emperor]

Monday, March 29, 2004; Page A10

New Fish Found in Tennessee

Researchers have discovered a colorful new fish in secluded rivers and streams of western Tennessee.

The three-inch Chickasaw darter is one of 30 possibly new species of fish that biologist Richard Mayden of Saint Louis University says he and his students have uncovered in the Southeast. The males turn a bright orange and yellow at breeding time. "Most people think everything is known about biodiversity in the United States, but it's really not true," Mayden said. "There's a lot more to be discovered here."

The Chickasaw darter, or Etheostoma cervus, was found in the Forked Deer River, about 60 miles from Memphis. Mayden said the species is found only in that one river system, just as many other previously undiscovered creatures were found solely in one water system.

While there are many species of darters, the Chickasaw is distinctive for the brightly colored male and the number and placement of its scales as well as other unique characteristics found through genetic evaluation. Mayden said that the ability to examine genetic information has allowed researchers to better discover significant differences between species.

The discovery was described in a recent edition of the peer-reviewed journal, Copeia. Mayden, who has discovered 10 other previously unknown species in North American rivers, said U.S. biodiversity is not as actively researched as in some other nations because most of the funding for the work goes abroad.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32078-2004Mar28.html

 

[Red__Dalek]

Make's me wonder what else remains to be found in the US.

Maybe there's a hope for bigfoot yet.

 

[Pete Younger]

Make's me wonder what else remains to be found in the US.

Lots of WMD.

 

[Seminole10]

I can give them another possibility to pursue.My brother and I as teenagers were hiking up a small(unnamed?) creek near Crowders Mountain in Gaston County ,North Carolina.

In several pools of the creek we discovered a small minnow-like fish. They were about the size of a man's small finger, They were all bright red with white bellies.The most remarkable thing was the size of their mouths...enormous.Even being of such small size they could easily be caught with a baited hook. I wondered how they avoided predators as they could easily be seen in the water due to their coloration..and they didn't appear to be the least bit wary.

We were avid outdoorsmen ,native to the area ,and familiar with all the native wildlife.The fact that these fish were only in a couple of pools and not the entire creek(this was a really small clear creek, 2-3 feet wide and inches deep) plus the fact that we scoured many reference books trying in vain to identify them....leads me to believe they are of an unreported/undescribed species.

We always meant to contact a state biologist about this but never got around to it.