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Popeye Shiner (Notropis ariommus) is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Notropis.

Geographic distribution

Notropis ariommus has been documented as a species native to the United States, and in particular, the Ohio River basin, and the Tennessee River drainage, spanning the states of Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and West Virginia. Specific locations include the Tennessee River in Alabama and Georgia, the Wabash River in Indiana, the the Cheat, Kanawha (non-native), and New rivers of West Virginia .Between 1894 and 1949, only three specimens had been definitively identified. After, however, the number of Notropis ariommus began to increase, even in places that had been well documented previously and showed no trace of Notropis ariommus Despite more of these minnows being discovered since 1949, they are still listed as endangered by Georgia and Ohio , and extirpated in Indiana. This could potentially be due to destruction of their preferred habitat, as industrialisation (i.e. logging, damming, strip mining) continues, although a better culprit may be due to the influx of invasive species.

Ecology

Notropis ariommus are freshwater insectivores. They consume aquatic insects, including midges, caddisflies, mayflies and beetles. These benthopelagic fish are found in temperate waters, particularly large creeks and small rivers that are extremely clear and have gravel bottoms. The bodies of water in which they are found also tend to have slow to moderate flow It is precisely the water flow and preferred clarity of water that makes survival difficult. Since Notropis ariommus lives in pristinely clear water, any contamination may adversely affect this property and subsequently diminish the ability of these fish to thrive. As previously mentioned, industrialisation may lead to sedimentation, as well siltation due to increased runoff as a result of agricultural practices. Over time, the erosion will create an unsuitable habitat for Notropis ariommus, and species abundance, as habitat viability, will decrease. Another source of habitat destruction includes pollution. Based on the size of the streams Notropis ariommus inhabits, it has likely been exposed to more of these negative impacts than other fish. Similarly, the rate at which these bodies of water flow is in jeopardy. Notropis ariommus inhabit slowly or moderately flowing rivers or creeks. The industrial practice of building dams may result in a modification of the flow, and, like increased siltation, transform rivers into unsuitable habitats for Notropis ariommus.

Life History

The minnows spawn in the spring or summer. Other aspects of their life history are relatively unknown.

Current Management

Despite being listed as endangered in Ohio and Georgia and extirpated in Indiana, very little is being done to manage Notropis ariommus. Biologically, the greatest threat to these fish is an influx of exotic fish species. In Indiana, an influx of Asiatic carps (Ctenopharyngodon idella), bighead (Hypothalmichthys nobilis), and silver carps (Hypothalmichthys molitrix) are more than likely at least partially responisble for the total extirpation of Notropis ariommus. Ohio has a program that strives to protect and restore stream habitats of native species that are endangered or threatened in some way. This program is known as the Division of Wildlife's Stream Conservation Program. The intent of this program is to assess and record the number of species deemed “Species of Greatest Conservation Need”.

References

1. ^ Gilbert, CR. 1969 Systematics and distribution of the American cyprinid fishes Notropis ariommus and Notropis telescopus. Copeia.
2. ^ FishBase: http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?ID=2822&AT=popeye+shiner
3. Stauffer, JR, JM Boltz, and LR White. 1995. Fishes of West Virginia. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 146: 1-389
4. Georgia SOS: http://rules.sos.state.ga.us/docs/391/4/10/09.pdf
5. ^ Ohio DNR: http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Default.aspx?tabid=22420
6. Indiana DNR: http://www.dearbornswcd.org/Wildlife/RareAnimalsFax.pdf
7. ^ Simon, TP. 2006. Biodiversity of fishes in the Wabash River: status, indicators and threats. Proceedings of the Indiana Aacademy of Science, 115(2), 136-148. Cite error: The named reference "ref 7" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
8. ^ Etnier, D.A. and W.C. Starnes. 1993. The fishes of Tennessee. The University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.
9. Trautman, M. B. 1981 The Fishes of Ohio. Ohio State University Press, Columbus, OH.
10. http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/FishingSubhomePage/fisheriesmanagementplaceholder/streamconservation/streamaquaticdiversity/tabid/22004/Default.aspx