Reviewed by: Nathan Watson
Scientists officially name two new species of Alabama darters
Reading time: 3 minutes
Two species of fish in the Black Warrior River watershed officially have new names, thanks to Rick Mayden, a retired biologist from Saint Louis University and Bernie Kuhajda with the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute.
The scientists recently published their findings about the two new fish species in the open-source, peer-reviewed scientific journal Zootaxa.
Read on to learn all about the Sipsey Darter and the Locust Fork Darter.
Black Warrior River and Alabama’s biodiversity
According to Bernie Kuhajda, the fish species’ names are very accurate.
“The common names—Sipsey Darter and Locust Fork Darter—are very appropriate. The Sipsey Darter is found in the Sipsey Fork of the Black Warrior River (Winston County), while the Locust Fork Darter is found in the Upper Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River (Blount County).”
The newly described darters are two of eight darter species only found in the Black Warrior River watershed, which is home to over 115 fish species.
The addition of the two fish also increases the total number of species of freshwater fish in Alabama to approximately 342—more than any state in the United States.
Why the Sipsey Darter and Locust Fork Darter matter
According to Kuhajda, aquatic biodiversity in the Southeast and Alabama is an “underwater rainforest.” He is also passionate about why the discovery and study of two little fish matter.
“Why should people care about all these little, tiny fishes that we have all over the place? Well, all these aquatic bugs and plants and fishes and salamanders, they’re all parts of the building blocks of an aquatic ecosystem.
Our aquatic ecosystems, pretty much clean our water and give us pretty good water so we don’t have to spend a lot in our water treatment plant to be able to drink water. Every time a species disappears, you lose the foundation of that aquatic ecosystem.
The more species you lose, the weaker that aquatic ecosystem gets, and now it’s not cleaning our water very well, so now you have to pay more for your drinking water. Now the water is dirtier. You may not be able to kayak or paddle board or swim it. You may not be able to eat the fish you catch.”
Bernie Kuhajda with the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute
Proud to see two new Black Warrior River fish named
One group that is very happy about the news of the new fish species officially described is the Black Warrior Riverkeeper.
“I love seeing the abundant biodiversity of the Black Warrior River’s Sipsey and Locust Forks reflected in the names of two new species. The presence of diverse fish populations in our watershed is also a good sign for public health.
As our staff scientist, John Kinney, likes to joke about rivers, ‘If critters can’t live in it, I don’t want to drink it!” I am grateful that Dr. Kuhajda, a member of Black Warrior Riverkeeper’s Advisory Council, helped make this major discovery.”
Charles Scribner, executive director of Black Warrior Riverkeeper
Learn all about the Locust Fork Darter and Sipsey Darter by reading the full paper on Zootaxa.
Excited to learn about these two species of darter? Tag us @bhamnow to let us know!
