Lab #7

Date: 3/16/16

Location: Lumber River Conservancy

Lab Activity: Surveying fish with the use of fish traps

Habitat: Shallow freshwater pond

Temperature: 85 F

Wind: 12 mph

Humidity: 35%

    45 fish traps were placed in a pond and creek system at 10 AM on March 15th, 2016 and then collected the next day.

Numbers caught of each species:

Amphibians:
  Amphiuma 1
  Lesser Siren 1

 Fish:
  Red Finned Pickerel 1
  Chain Pickerel 3
  Pirate Perch 4
  Black Banded Sunfish 19
  Bluegill 9
  Blue Spotted Sunfish 30
  Lined Topminnows 22
  Mosquito Fish 11
  

Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis)

    Commonly mistaken for minnows the Mosquitofish is a member of the family Poeciliidae, the livebearers. This means that the Mosquitofish gives birth to live young rather than laying eggs. 

    You can find them as far north as Indiana and stretching south through the Mississippi River and east in the coastal plain.

They are important for controlling the populations of many insects which have an aquatic larval stage such as mosquitos, but they will also feed on zooplankton and small insects.

Lined Topminnow (Fundulus lineolatus)

    Found natively as far north as southern Virginia and as south as Florida, the lined topminnow is a member of the family Fundulidae. Although they have been introduced as an invasive species probably by people dumping their bait buckets into these freshwater systems.

    You can tell the difference between a male and a female by looking at the lines on their sides. The males have very pronounced vertical lines while the females vertical lines are equally noticeable to the horizontal lines which both genders have.

Bluespotted Sunfish (Enneacanthus gloriosus)

    A member of the sunfish family, Centrarchidae, the Bluespotted can be found in freshwater habitats such as ponds and lakes all over the eastern United States. They have been introduced in some new regions such as the Mississippi watershed. They prefer the still or sluggish water habitats such as a pond or an oxbow.

Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)

    Named for the blue marking on its gill the Bluegill is a member of the family Centrarchidae thus making it a sunfish. You can find these guys in freshwater systems from Quebec to Mexico.

    They typically eat small invertebrates such as snails and tiny crustaceans. However they wouldn't pass up a small fish such as a minnow if the opportunity were to arise.

    

Black Banded Sunfish (Enneacanthus chaetodon)

    The Black Banded are members of the family Centrarchidae and can be found in freshwater habitats everywhere from New Jersey to central Florida. They feed on typically on aquatic larvae, but they will also feed on small aquatic insects and zooplankton.

Pirate Perch (Aphredoderus sayanus)

    The pirate perch can be found in freshwater systems all the way from here in North Carolina to southeastern Texas. The can be found in lakes, ponds and rivers and the lay their eggs in borrows. It is the behavior of laying these eggs in borrows which gave rise to a strange anatomical feature. The pirate perch's anus is not located in front of the anal fin like most fish it is instead anteriorly located just between the gills. The purpose of this is so that when the pirate perches go head first into these holes, the fish can get them as far back as possible.

Chain Pickerel (Esox niger)

    The Chain Pickerel can be found in many of the same locations as the Red Fin Pickerel mentioned in another post entry. However the Chain Pickerel is typically in larger bodies of water than the Red Fin as they are larger in body size being able to reach lengths of up to three feet.

    You will know that you have a pike by its long and relatively slender body as well as its duck bill like snout. All pikes use this snout to prey on smaller fish.

Two Toed Amphiuma (Amphiuma means)

    Sometimes referred to as a Congo Eel or a Leggy Eel, the Amphiuma is actually not an eel at all infact it is an amphibian. It is a member of the family Amphiumidae and can be recognised by its long slender body and by its four small vestigial legs. The Amphiumas is actually the longest amphibians in North America, the two toed amphiuma reaches lengths of around 45 inches.

    You can find Amphiumas in freshwater systems such a creeks, ponds and rivers. They are often the largest and top predator in their territory. You can sometimes find these guys on land. The amphiuma will crawl on land to move out of one body of water in search of another.

Lesser Siren (Siren intermedia)

    The lesser siren is the smaller of the two siren species found in North Carolina, the other being the Greater Siren. You can identify siren by its long slender eel like body, with its little forelimbs and exposed gills.

    The lesser siren is an amphibian and a member of the Sirenidae; you can find them in various freshwater systems but often in ditches and narrow creeks. They are aggressive predators and like to feed on small arthropods and gastropods. 

     

Red Fin Pickerel (Esox americanus)

    Clearly named for the red coloration of their fins, the Red Fin Pickerel looks very similar to the Chain Pickerel although is a bit a smaller. One sure way to tell the difference if you are ever confused is to look at linear eye marking. A Red Fin has  a diagonal marking and the Chain has a vertical marking.

    The Red Fin can reach lengths of about 12 inches and is sometimes the larger predator in its habitat, preying almost exclusively on smaller fish. The Red Fin is however the smallest of all the pike species.  

    You can find these guys in small freshwater sheds such as a pond or a small stream. But you can find them in larger rivers and lakes, but this usually means that they have predators of their own.