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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