| Waccamaw silverside | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Atheriniformes |
| Family: | Atherinopsidae |
| Genus: | Menidia |
| Species: | M. extensa |
| Binomial name | |
| Menidia extensa C. L. Hubbs & Raney, 1946 | |
The Waccamaw silverside (Menidia extensa) is a rare species of fish in the family Atherinopsidae. It is a federally listed threatened species of the United States.
This is a small (growing to about 2.5 inches), slim, almost transparent fish with a silvery stripe along each side. Its body is laterally compressed, the eyes are large, and the jaw is sharply angled upward. This fish spawns from April through June, but spawning reaches its peak when water temperatures are between 68 and 72 Fahrenheit. Fully developed larvae form small isolated schools by early May. No parental care of the young has been noted. The silversides reach sexual maturity by the following spring, spawn, and then shortly thereafter most of the adults die off. A few may survive a second winter.
Known only from Lake Waccamaw and the upper Waccamaw River in Columbus County, North Carolina, the silverside is found in the upper Waccamaw River only during periods of high water and is not a permanent resident. Lake Waccamaw (not to be confused with the town of Lake Waccamaw) is the property of the State of North Carolina and is administered by the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources and Community Development's Division of Parks and Recreation. The species' population is estimated to be in the millions.
Lake Waccamaw is a natural lake with an approximate surface area of 8,934 acres (36.15 km2) and an average depth of 7.5 feet (2.3 m). Although it is fed by acidic swamp streams, the lake has a virtually neutral composition. This neutral condition, unusual among North Carolina's coastal plain lakes, is believed to be caused by the buffering effect of the calcareous Waccamaw Limestone formation, which underlies the lake and is exposed on the north shore. The Waccamaw silverside inhabits open water throughout the lake, where schools are commonly found near the surface over shallow, dark-bottomed areas.
This species is normally found in large schools close to the surface in open water where the substrate is dark and sandy. The population is able to tolerate heavy predation and they are frequently observed skipping over the water surface, a behavior which is apparently related to predator avoidance. [2]
Lake Waccamaw is a fresh water lake located in Columbus County in North Carolina. It is the largest of the natural Carolina Bay lakes. Although bay trees are present within many Carolina Bays, the term "bay" does not refer to the trees but comes instead from an early science publication by Glenn (1895), who used the word "bay" to refer to these features near the town of Darlington, South Carolina. Lake Waccamaw is fed by four creeks: First, Second, Third, and Big creeks. The outlet forms the Waccamaw River which flows south-southwest to empty into the Atlantic Ocean near Georgetown, South Carolina
The pumpkinseed, also referred to as sun perch, pond perch, common sunfish, punkie, sunfish, sunny, and kivver, is a small to medium–sized North American freshwater fish of the genus Lepomis, from family Centrarchidae in the order Perciformes.
The sauger is a freshwater perciform fish of the family Percidae that resembles its close relative, the walleye. The species is a member of the largest vertebrate order, the Perciformes. It is the most migratory percid species in North America. Saugers have two dorsal fins; the first is spiny and the posterior dorsal fin is soft-rayed. Their paired fins are in the thoracic position and their caudal fin is truncated, which means squared off at the corners, a characteristic of the family Percidae. Another physical characteristic of saugers is their ctenoid scales, which are common in advanced fishes. Saugers have a fusiform body structure, and as a result are well adapted predatory fishes and are capable of swimming into fast currents with minimal drag on their bodies. They may be distinguished from walleyes by the distinctly spotted dorsal fin, by the lack of a white splotch on the caudal fin, by the rough skin over their gills, and by their generally more brassy color, or darker color in some regions. The typical sauger is 300 to 400 g in weight.
The lake sturgeon, also known as the rock sturgeon, is a North American temperate freshwater fish, one of about 25 species of sturgeon. Like other sturgeons, this species is a bottom feeder and has a partly cartilaginous skeleton, an overall streamlined shape, and skin bearing rows of bony plates on the sides and back.
The Atlantic silverside, also known as spearing in the northeastern United States, is a small species of fish that is one of the most abundant fish species present in estuarine habitats along the Atlantic coast of North America. It is a common subject of scientific research because of its sensitivity to environmental changes. According to the IUCN Red List, this species is stable and has no major threats to its populations, so it is marked Least Concern. Despite being an extremely common species, most individuals die after one year once they migrate offshore, but a few will make it to two years. The fish is mostly translucent, with white coloring on the anterior end of the body and brown speckling on the top of the head, posterior scales on the back, and near the jaw. A distinctive silver band runs the length of the fish, next to the lateral line. Their mouths are large compared to other Menidia species, and their first dorsal fin are placed more posteriorly than other silversides.
Menidia is a genus of Neotropical silversides native to freshwater, brackish and marine habitats along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of North America, ranging from the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in Canada to the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. The species M. clarkhubbsi, an all-female species, reproduces asexually.
The inland silverside is a neotropical silverside native to eastern North America, and introduced into California. It is a fish of estuaries and freshwater environments.
The emerald shiner is one of hundreds of small, silvery, slender fish species known as shiners. The identifying characteristic of the emerald shiner is the silvery emerald color on its sides. It is found across North America from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, commonly in large, deep lakes and rivers, though sometimes in smaller bodies of water as well. It feeds on small organisms such as zooplankton and insects, congregating in large groups near the surface of the water. It is a quite common fish and is often used as a bait fish.
The Roanoke logperch is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is found in the Roanoke and Chowan drainages in Virginia and North Carolina in the United States. It inhabits low and moderate-gradient streams and rivers in warm, clear water in mostly unsilted gravel and rubble in runs, pools, and riffles. It is primarily insectivorous. This fish is a federally listed endangered species.
The Key silverside is a species of fish in the family Atherinopsidae: Menidiinae. It is endemic to the Florida Keys.
The Carolina madtom is an endangered species of fish in the family Ictaluridae. It is endemic to North Carolina. It is a small catfish, reaching a maximum length of nearly five inches. Described in the late-1800s by ichthyologists Jordan and Meek, this fish is the only madtom that is endemic to North Carolina, as indicated by its common name.
The topsmelt silverside, also known as the topsmelt, is a species of Neotropical silverside native to the eastern Pacific Ocean.
The threadfin shad is a small pelagic freshwater forage fish common in lakes, large streams and reservoirs of the Southeastern United States. Like the American gizzard shad, the threadfin shad has an elongated dorsal fin, but unlike the gizzard shad, its mouth is more terminal without a projecting upper jaw. The fins of threadfin shad often have a yellowish color, especially the caudal fin. The back is grey to blue with a dark spot on the shoulder. D. petenense is more often found in moving water, and is rarely found deep in the water column. It occurs in large schools, sometimes with gizzard shad, and can be seen on the surface at dawn and dusk. The threadfin shad may reach lengths of 8 in (200 mm), but only rarely. This fish is very sensitive to changes in temperature and dissolved oxygen, and die-offs are frequent in late summer and fall, especially when water temperature drops to 42 °F. The threadfin shad is a favorite food for many game fishes, including striped bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and catfish. This fish is widely introduced throughout the United States as a forage for game fish.
The spotted sucker is a species of sucker (fish) that is native to eastern North America. The spotted sucker inhabits deep pools of small to medium rivers over clay, sand or gravel. They are occasionally found in creeks and large rivers. Through its life stages, the spotted sucker goes from a mid-depth predator to a bottom forager. Spotted suckers have a lifespan of approximately six years and spawn in April and May. Limited knowledge of the occurrence, abundance, and natural history of this species has been an impediment to status assessment and the determination of need for conservation measures within this family.
Hiodon tergisus, the mooneye, is a freshwater fish that is widespread across eastern North America.
The warpaint shiner is a species of freshwater fish found in North America. It is common in the upper Tennessee River basin as well as in the Savannah River, the Santee River, and the New River in North Carolina. Adults have a mean length of 9 centimetres (3.5 in) and can reach a maximum length of 14 centimetres (5.5 in). The maximum age reported for this species is 4 years.
Labidesthes sicculus, also known as the Brook silverside is a North American species of Neotropical silverside. The brook silverside lives in slow moving rivers and lakes from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi Basin and Gulf Coastal Plains. The brook silverside survives best in clear water with aquatic vegetation. L. sicculus feeds on a diet of copepods, insect larvae, and winged insects. The spawning season of the brook silverside occurs during the spring and early summer. The survival of freshwater fishes such as the brook silverside is increasingly threatened. In order to ensure survival of the brook silverside, turbidity of natural habitats should be monitored.
The dollar sunfish is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. It is categorized as a warm water pan-fish. Early settlers said that this species of sunfish resembled a European species they called bream. Historically it has been found along the Southern Atlantic coastal drainages from North Carolina to Florida, and west to Texas. Lepomis marginatus mainly feeds on detritus and filamentous algae as well as a few terrestrial insects. The juvenile and mature fish do not have many predators, but the eggs in the nest are in danger of predation from a few different species of fish.
The swamp darter is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is endemic to the Eastern United States.
The Clear Lake hitch is a freshwater fish and a subspecies of the hitch. It is a cyprinid fish that is endemic to Clear Lake, California. They are large minnows that can grow to lengths that exceed 35 cm (14 in) standard length. The fish has a life cycle of four to six years. During the winter and spring, when the rains fill up dry rivers, they migrate up the lake's tributaries to spawn. In 2014, it was listed as threatened by the state of California. Local Pomo Tribes call Clear Lake hitch "chi" and harvested the fish during its spawning runs.
This article incorporates public domain material from Waccamaw Silverside in North Carolina. United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
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