USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center SIS Project

Accession Number

5004724

Title

Distribution and status of Tallapoosa River system fauna

Project Description

The upper Tallapoosa River system, in GA and AL, is the target of a proposal to construct a

regional water supply reservoir. Construction of this reservoir could affect at least 10 fish and

invertebrate species that are either endemic to the system or otherwise narrowly distributed, and

one federally listed mussel species. Ongoing urbanization also poses a threat to rare, endemic

and imperiled aquatic species in the upper Tallapoosa watershed. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service needs data on distribution and population status of the at-risk Tallapoosa species to

determine requirements for species listing under the Endangered Species Act, and to identify

management strategies to alleviate threats. This project will estimate the total distributional range

and examine evidence of species decline for the at-risk aquatic taxa of the upper Tallapoosa River

system. These taxa are: Tallapoosa shiner [Cyprinella gibbsi], stippled studfish [Fundulus bifax],

lipstick darter [Etheostoma chuckwachatte], Tallapoosa darter [E. tallapoosae], muscadine darter

[Percina undescribed species], Tallapoosa sculpin [Cottus undescribed species], Cambarus

englishi, C. halli, Elimia flava, Quadrula archeri, and Lampsilis altilis.

Keywords

crayfishes, fishes, imperiled species, mollusca, tallapoosa river,

Principal

Mary C Freeman, Patuxent Wildlife Reserach Center: ; James T Peterson, USGS Patuxent

Investigators

Wildlife Research Center: ; Elise R Irwin, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center: ; Byron J

Freeman, University of Georgia: ;

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