Aphredoderus Research Articles

Patterns of larval fish abundance in a bottomland hardwood wetland

Larval fishes were collected with light traps and iehthyoplankton nets for two consecutive years during spring and early summer in the channel and floodplain (tupelo and oak forest) of the Cache River, Arkansas. A total of 8,113 individuals were collected between the greas. Twenty-eight species were confirmed, but total number of taxa, including genus and family level groupings, was 35. Pirate perch (Aphredoderus sayanus) was the most abundant species, with 21% of the total catch consisting of this fish. Percidae (darters) was the dominant family, comprising at least seven species and accounting for 57% of the total numbers of fish collected. The families Cyprinidae and Centrarchidae were also common. Specimens that could not be identified to species made up nearly 56% of the eatch. Species richness was similar among the three habitats probably due to hydraulic mixing, but individuals in the families Centrarchidae, Cyprinidae, and Percidae were more abundant in tupelo and oak habitats than in channel for net and light trap catches. Mean catch of total individuals in nets and light traps was greater in floodplain habitats than in the channel, particularly during spring 1989. Large catches in spring 1989 corresponded to higher water levels that expanded the aquatic/oak forest transition zone compared to lower water levels in 1988. Thus, late winter and spring floods that inundate the oak forest appear to be a major factor in regulating abundance of larval fishes in this bottomland hardwood wetland.

Systematics of Aphredoderus sayanus (Teleostei: Aphredoderidae)

The pirate perch, Aphredoderus sayanus (Gilliams), occurs in rivers of the Atlantic and Gulf slopes, the Mississippi Valley, and scattered parts of the eastern Great Lakes Basin in the United States. Populations on the Atlantic Slope have been considered subspecifically distinct from populations in the Mississippi Valley; those from the Gulf of Mexico drainage have been considered intermediate. The subspecies' distributions are believed to be similar to the distributions of subspecies of Esox americanus Gmelin (Esocidae). The purpose of this study was to assess geographic variation and the taxonomic status of populations from the three geographic areas. Twenty-seven characters were examined on 1211 individuals. Many of the characters, when examined separately, exhibited clinal or discordant geographic trends. For the serial elements, the Mississippi Valley populations generally had highest mean values. A lack of correlation with environmental data indicated that most of the clinal patterns were not attributable to environmental conditions. Principal components analysis of meristic data yielded two geographic groups, Atlantic Slope populations and Mississippi Valley populations; Gulf Slope populations were intermediate. For mensural data, analyzed by sheared principal components analysis, there was also no overlap between the Atlantic Slope and Mississippi Valley populations, but the amount that each of these overlapped with the Gulf of Mexico Slope populations increased. Aphredoderus sayanus, thus, encompasses two valid subspecies, Aphredoderus sayanus sayanus and Aphredoderus sayanus gibbosus. Aphredoderus s. sayanus occurs on the Atlantic Slope south to the Satilla River, and A. S. gibbosus occurs on the Gulf of Mexico Slope west of the Mississippi River, in the Mississippi Valley, and in the Great Lakes. Populations from the Saint Marys River of the Atlantic Slope west to the Pearl River of the Gulf Slope are considered intergrades.

Lateral Movement and Use of Floodplain Habitat by Fishes of the Kankakee River, Illinois

-Fishes were trapped moving between the river channel and two distinct floodplain habitats: an ephemeral ditch and a permanent pool. Twenty-five fish species were sampled by one-way traps and seine; dominant species were grass pickerel (Esox americanus), green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus), pirate perch (Aphredoderus sayanus) and orangespotted sunfish (L. humilis). Numbers of fish trapped per day were positively correlated with river discharge yielding a significant exponential relationship. Recaptures of marked fish were rare indicating seasonal use of the floodplain. Juveniles made up 54.7% of the fish collected, revealing the value of floodplains as nursery areas. No significant migration trends of size or taxon occurred by date or discharge. Samples of fish leaving the ephemeral ditch and samples of those entering the permanent pool showed the highest similarity index value. These data suggest that flood-exploitative fishes, those species adapted to flooding, continue to seek favorable backwater habitat when forced off the floodplain.

The karyotype and genome structure of the pirate perchAphredoderus sayanus (Aphredoderidae: Teleostei)

The standard karyotype, genome size (DNA content), and genomic DNA base composition and distribution of the relict paracanthopterygian fish,Aphredoderus sayanus, were investigated. Several features of theA. sayanus genome appear to be derived rather than primitive conditions. These include a large number (at least 10 pairs) of bi-armed chromosomes, a low genome size, and high DNA asymmetry. This may indicate thatA. sayanus is not a typical paracanthopterygian fish in terms of its genome structure.

Age, Growth, and Diet of the Pirate Perch in a Coastal Plain Stream of North Carolina

Female pirate perch (Aphredoderus sayanus) were more numerous and grew faster in their second and third years than males. The life spans of the sexes were about equal and did not exceed 4 years. Total length (L, mm)-weight (W, g) relationships of the sexes did not differ, and the combined equation for 419 fish is W = 0.0000376L2.768. Frequent food items were Cladocera (particularly for young of the year), aquatic Diptera larvae, Isopoda, and Amphipoda.

A New Species of Leptorhynchoides Kostylev 1924 (Acanthocephala) from the Pirate Perch, Aphredoderus sayanus (Gilliams)

Leptorhynchoides aphredoderi sp. n. is described from specimens recovered from pirate perch, Aphredoderus sayanus, collected in southeastern Louisiana. The new species is distinguished by having more longitudinal rows of proboscis hooks (15 to 18) than any other species of Leptorhynchoides. It differs additionally from L. thecatus and L. plagicephalus in having a shorter trunk, proboscis, proboscis receptacle, and proboscis hooks. Eggs of the new species are much larger than those of L. thecatus. L. aphredoderi differs further from L. plagicephalus in having fewer proboscis hooks in each longitudinal row and wider eggs. L. aphredoderi differs additionally from L. campbelli in having more proboscis hooks in each longitudinal row and much longer eggs.

GROWTH DYNAMICS AND SEASONAL PREVALENCE OF Crepidostomum isostomum AND Phyllodistomum pearsei IN Aphredoderus sayanus

A trematode survey of pirate perch, Aphredoderus sayanus, in Louisiana demonstrated a seasonal periodicity of Crepidostomum isostomum with regard to prevalence, worm burden, and maturation. The prevalence of Phyllodistomum pearsei showed no discernable periodicity and only the worn development followed a seasonal pattern.

Pilum pilum gen. et sp. n. (Acanthocephala: Echinorhynchidae) from Freshwater Fishes of the Southeastern United States

Pilum pilum gen. et sp. n. is described from the warmouth, Lepomis gulosus (Cuvier); brown bullhead, Ictalurus nebulosus (Lesueur); yellow bullhead, I. natalis (Lesueur); redbreast sunfish, L. auritus (Linnaeus); bluegill, L. macrochirus Rafinesque; spotted sunfish, L. punctatus (Valenciennes); and redfin pickerel, Esox americanus (Gmelin), from the Alabama River Drainage, brown bullhead from the Mobile Bay Drainage in Alabama, and pirate perch, Aphredoderus sayanus Gilliams, from an Atlantic Coast drainage in Georgia. The new genus most closely resembles the genus Acanthocephalus; it differs from this genus in having a distinctive pear-shaped proboscis, a long neck, and hooks which abruptly differ in size.

Observations on the Development of Pirate Perch, Aphredoderus sayanus (Pisces: Aphredoderidae) with Comments on Yolk Circulation Patterns as a Possible Taxonomic Tool

Observations on the Development of Pirate Perch, Aphredoderus sayanus (Pisces: Aphredoderidae) with Comments on Yolk Circulation Patterns as a Possible Taxonomic Tool

Food Habits and Distribution of the Fishes of Tuckahoe Creek, Virginia, with Special Emphasis on the Bluegill, Lepomis m. macrochirus Rafinesque

The food habits (1,773 individuals) and the distribution (2,056 individuals) of 9 families, 26 genera, and 32 species of fishes, were determined for Tuckahoe Creek, a lower piedmont tributary of the James River, Virginia. These species represent 41% of the freshwater fishes known for the entire river basin. Five species accounted for 69% of the col- lection: Etheostoma nigrum (20%), Lepomis macrochirus (18%), Hybopsis leptocephala (15%), Notropis cornutus (11%), and Aphredoderus sayanus (5%). Within the upper two- thirds of the creek there was a trend for the number of species to increase in a downstream direction. Stomach contents of 273 L. macrochirus were mainly insects (65%) and crustaceans (29%). Tendipedids and copepods were particularly important food items although the bluegill consumed a wide variety of animal forms. The selection was a probable reflection of the general availability of potential food. Young fish (0 and 1 age-groups) fed more often on microcrustaceans and dipteran larvae while older fish consumed a higher percentage of coleopterans and hymenopterans. Analysis of stomach contents of other centrarchids showed significant differences. Hemip- terans dominated the diet of Centrarchus macropterus and were important food items for Chaenobryttus gulosus. Entomostracans formed the bulk of the diet of Enneacanthus gloriosus and decapods were eaten primarily by C. gulosus. The largest percentage of coleopterans was taken by Lepomis auritus. The cyprinids were represented by all types of feeders. Notropis cornutus was a true omni- vore (feeding equally on plant and animal matter) and H. leptocephala selected a diet pri- marily of plant material. Dipteran larvae dominated the diet of the percid, E. nigrum (78% of total items) and the pirate perch, A. sayanus (53%). Gambusia affinis fed mainly on Hemiptera (34%). The catostomids consumed predominantly microscopic plants. Specimens of Esox niger less than 74 mm SL ate insects more often (48% as opposed to 16% in larger fish), whereas larger

Notes on the Age and Growth of the Pirateperch, Aphredoderus sayanus, in Oklahoma

Notes on the Age and Growth of the Pirateperch, Aphredoderus sayanus, in Oklahoma