Spotfin chub

Cyprinella monacha

SPECIES CODE: E012 V01

STATUS:

Listed as Threatened throughout its present range in the Tennessee River drainage in the States of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia with Critical Habitat (42 FR 45527 45529). Recovery plan completed on November 21, 1983.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION:

This species was removed from genus Hybopsis and placed in genus (formerly subgenus) Cyprinella by Coburn and Cavender (1992) and in the 1991 AFS checklist (Robins et al. 1991). ( NatureServe Explorer 2001)

The Spotfin chub is a member of the Cyprinidae family. Jenkins and Burkhead (1982) describe the spotfin chub as having a slightly compressed, elongated body ranging in standard length from about 20mm early in the first year to about 85mm in the third year of growth. (USFWS 1983)

This species is an insectivore, feeding diurnally presumably by both sight and taste in benthic areas of slow to swift current over various substrates with little siltation. (USFWS1983)

REPRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT:

Although no observation of clear reproductive behavior is known, it is estimated that spawning is between mid-May to late August, based on females with ripe ova captured during this time (Jenkins and Burkhead 1982). (USFWS 1983)

RANGE AND POPULATION LEVEL:

Once endemic to the Tennessee River drainage in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, the spotfin's range included upland-mountain habitats in 4 physiographic provinces encompassing 12 tributary systems: Blue Ridge, Ridge and Valley, Cuumberland Plateau, and Interior Low Plateau. Presently, it survives in some 166 total km of 4 isolated tributary systems: the Duck, Little Tennessee, Emory, and North Fork of Holston River systems. (USFWS 1983)

Once occurring widely in 12 tributary systems lying in 5 states, it is now extant in within four isolated tributary systems: one site in Buffalo River of the lower drainage, and in the upper drainage; on section each of Little Tennessee and North Fork Holston rivers; and essentially four streams of the Emory system. only 4 systems: Little Tennessee River, North Carolina; Duck and Emory Rivers, Tennessee; and North Fork of Holston River, Tennessee and Virginia. (USFWS 1983)

HABITAT:

This species has been observed associated with sand, gravel, rubble, boulder, and bedrock substrates (Jenkins and Burkhead 1982). (USFWS 1983)

PAST THREATS:

Population decline is likely due to intermittent detriments or permanent destruction of their habitats such as: impoundments, channelization, pollution, turbidity or siltation, temperature change, possibly overcollecting, and interspecies competition as described by Jenkins and Burkhead (1982). (USFWS 1983)

CURRENT THREATS:

Past threats remain.

CONSERVATION MEASURES:

LITERATURE CITED:

Jenkins, R.E. and N.M. Burkhead. 1982. Description, biology and distribution of the spotfin chub (Hybopsis monacha), a threatened cyprinid fish of the Tenn. River drainage. A report to Fish and Wildlife Service Jan. 1982. 97p.

NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. 2001. Version 1.6 . Arlington, Virginia, USA: NatureServe. Available: http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed: March 18, 2002 ).

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1983. Spotfin Chub Recovery Plan. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Atlanta, Georgia. 46p.