Status of the flame chub Hemitremia flammea in Alabama, USA

Abstract

The status of many freshwater fish species in the species-rich southeastern United States is surprisingly poorly known. Vulnerable species found in smaller streams in the region have not received adequate research attention. The flame chub Hemitremia flammea (Cyprinidae) is included among a group of stream species considered to be 'narrow endemics' susceptible to habitat alterations due to growing human population. The obligatory habitat is spring-fed streams sensitive to human activities. The species has a patchy range primarily in the Tennessee River Valley in Alabama and Tennessee, USA. The conservation status of the flame chub is poorly documented. The NatureServe global status of the flame chub is G3, Vulnerable, and the Alabama state status is S3, Vulnerable. Reflecting the poor knowledge of the species' status, the International Union for the Con- servation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Category is DD (Data Deficient), a change from an earlier listing of Rare. This study is intended as a presence or absence survey of flame chubs at historic location sites in north Alabama based on holdings records of the University of Alabama Ichthyology Collec- tion in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Fifty-three sites in 9 counties in the Tennessee River drainage with a historic record of flame chub presence were visited and sampled by seining. One or more flame chubs were found at 18 of these sites. Two strongholds remain for the flame chub in Alabama: the first is much of the Cypress Creek system in Lauderdale County; the other is in the Flint River system in Madison County.