SPECIES DIVERSITY
The Fall Line serves as a
critical dividing point for aquatic species in the Black Warrior river basin
evidenced by 19 Coastal Plain species limited to below the Fall Line and 5
upland species limited to above this feature. (Mettee)
FISH
Historical fish sampling in the Black Warrior River Basin has found 126
species and one stocked hybrid bass between 1937 through 1988. 76 species
were found in the Mulberry Fork, 74 in the Locust Fork, 78 species in the
Sipsey Fork and 80 species from the North River. One species, the Cahaba
Shiner, recently found in the Locust Fork, was previously believed to exist
only in the Cahaba River Basin. (Metee)(State of Rivers)
There are two endangered
species of fish in the Basin protected by the Endangered Species Act:
The Watercress darter
(Etheostoma nuchale) is an endangered species found in a
small federally protected spring that is part of the Valley Creek watershed.
(See Protected Areas)
(Mettee)
Watercress Darter
The Vermillion darter
(Etheostoma chermocki) is only found in a three to five mile
stretch of Turkey Creek in Northern Jefferson County near the town of
Pinson. This is one of the most recently described fish in the State of
Alabama. Due to its small and isolated population it has recently been added
to the Federal Endangered Species List.
Fish species of Concern
in the Black Warrior basin include
Warrior bridled darter
(Percina sp)
Warrior darter (Etheostoma
bellator)
Tuskaloosa darter (Etheostoma
douglasi)
Former species of the
Black Warrior like the American eel, Alabama shad, gulf sturgeon, Alabama
sturgeon and skipjack herring are unable to migrate (navigate) over locks
and dams and are fragmented from their former/historic Black Warrior
habitats.
Fish status in Black Warrior Basin
Total species
126
# threatened or
endangered 2
MUSSELS
There are 48 species of
native mussels known from the Black Warrior River Basin (49 including the
Asian clam Corbicula which is a non-native species). (McGregor)
Alabama’s mussel diversity is significant on a world scale with the Mobile
River Basin second only to the Tennessee River Basin in terms of freshwater
mussel diversity. (McGregor and Pierson)
Mussel status in Black Warrior
Basin
Total species
49 (includes Corbicula)
# extinct
3
# extirpated 3
# threatened or
endangered 11
# imperiled 2
# special concern
9
The Dark pigtoe (Pleurobema
furvum), an endangered species, was found at 8
locations (26 specimens) in the Bankhead National Forest during a 1992
survey. Stream localities were typically shallow waters with stable gravel
to cobble substrates, occasionally with some sand or silt, and a moderate to
swift current. (GSA)
The Orange-nacre
mucket (Lampsilis perovalis), a threatened species, is the
most common mussel found in the Bankhead National Forest. Recent surveys
found 307 individuals at 17 locations, representing 34% of all the mussels
collected. The orange-nacre mucket is found in small headwater streams as
well as larger streams with gravelly substrate or a cobble substrate covered
by silt with no noticeable current. (GSA)
The Triangular
Kidneyshell Mussel (Ptychobranchus greeni) was once widely
distributed throughout the entire Mobile River Watershed but is now found
only in the Sipsey and Locust Fork tributaries in the Black Warrior Basin
(rarely found in the Locust Fork).
One species believed to
be extinct, Pleurobema hagleri, was known from the North River near
Tuscaloosa and Valley Creek near Birmingham.
SNAILS
The Plicate Rocksnail
(Leptoxis plicata), an endangered species was found
in a 55 mile reach of the Locust Fork in ‘91-’92. Just 4 years later its
habitat was limited to a 20-mile reach in Jefferson County. (Fed Reg. Oct.
28, 1998)
OTHER SPECIES
The Flattened Musk Turtle (Sternotherus
depressus) is a threatened species and an Alabama endemic found only
in acceptable habitats in the upper portion of the Black Warrior River
system above Bankhead Dam. (Mount and USFWS)
The Flattened Musk Turtle was added to the Federal Endangered Species List
on June 11, 1987.
Photo by Malcolm Pierson (c)
