Watercress darter
| Watercress darter | |
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| Species: | E. nuchale
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| Etheostoma nuchale Howell & Caldwell, 1965
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The watercress darter is a small colorful fish which lives in the Black Warrior River drainage basin near Birmingham, Alabama. The largest known female is 2.5 inches in length.
The species can be found in the watercress zone of springs. They feed on snails, crustaceans and insect larvae. The species is endangered and is protected in areas such as the Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge in Jefferson County. The species is only known to exist in four specific bodies of water, two in the refuge and two at the Seven Springs in Powderly.
On September 22, 2008, more than 12,000 [1] watercress darters were killed when workers from the city of Birmingham removed a dam at Roebuck Springs, emptying a pond that was the darter's habitat. The pond was emptied because it often flooded a nearby tennis court. The city emptied the pond without the permission of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.[2] The FWS has ordered that the dam be restored and the pond refilled in an effort to save the remaining darters.[3]
References
- ^ "Feds Propose $3 Million Fine for Massive Fish Kill". The New York Times. 2010-6-24.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Bouma, Katherine (2008-09-23). "Dam removal kills more than 1,000 endangered fish at Roebuck Springs". The Birmingham News.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Bouma, Katherine (2008-09-24). "U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service orders endangered watercress darter pond restored in Birmingham". The Birmingham News.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)
External links
- Template:IUCN2006 Listed as Endangered (EN B1+2ce v2.3)
- "Etheostoma nuchale". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 18 April 2006.
- Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2006). "Etheostoma nuchale" in FishBase. March 2006 version.
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