Fish Community of Indian Bayou, A Coastal Plain Stream of Remarkable Species Richness in the Lower White River Drainage of Arkansas

It is increasingly important to identify unique aquatic ecosystems in the coastal plain lowlands of Arkansas, because of the extensive human-induced alteration of aquatic habitats and loss of fish diversity in that region. Indian Bayou, part of a small (103 km2 ), chute-fed drainage system off the lower White River in Monroe County, Arkansas, has a fish community that is unique among Delta streams in darter (Percidae) species richness. Twenty-five fish samples collected by seine and rotenone from the Indian Bayou drainage system over an 18-year period produced 62 fish species, including 13 darter species. The fish community at one collecting site on the Indian Bayou mainstream remained remarkably stable during the study, and 12 of the darter species were found there between 1971 and 1989. The continued existence of this unique fish assemblage is now threatened by proposals to divert large amounts of water from the White River for agricultural purposes, dredge a wider and deeper navigation channel in the White River, and construct a new interstate highway

Small Fish Species of Arkansas Reservoirs

Sixty-six Arkansas reservoirs were sampled with rotenone from 1997 through 2004 to determine the distribution and species richness of small, nongame fish species in manmade lentic environments. Eighty-five small fish species distributed among 13 families were collected. Fish distribution and species richness varied by reservoir size, ecoregion, and reservoir type. Species richness was significantly correlated with reservoir size and the number of small species occurring in reservoir drainages. Some small species apparently maintained breeding populations in reservoirs, other species occurred in low numbers and may not have maintained breeding populations, and some species occurred sporadically, probably as stragglers from nearby tributary streams. This study should provide information for comparing and interpreting future successional changes in reservoir fish communities as the reservoirs age

Checklist of Arkansas Fishes

Arkansas has a large, diverse fish fauna consisting of 193 species known to have been collected from the state\u27s waters. The checklist is an up-to-date listing of both native and introduced species, and is intended to correct some of the longstanding and more recent erroneous Arkansas records

Life History of the River Shiner, Notropis blennius (Cyprinidae), in the Arkansas River of Western Arkansas

The reproductive cycle, food habits, and age and growth of the river shiner, Notropis blennius (Girard), in the Arkansas River of western Arkansas were studied from May 1996 through October 1997. Based on gonadosomatic indices and mean ovumd iameters of females, tubercle development in males, and the first appearance of young-of-year in samples, the breeding season extended from June through August in both 1996 and 1997. The river shiner is a diurnal, generalist feeder that forages on a wide variety of food items. In all four seasons, detritus dominated the diets of adults and juveniles in terms of volume and frequency of occurrence. Aquatic insects and algae were also important food items. It is a short-lived, r-strategist; it has a maximum life expectancy of about two years and has successfully maintained stable populations in the Arkansas River for more than 30 years after the construction of the Arkansas River Navigation System

Observations on the Natural History of the Mediterranean Gecko, Hemidactylus turcicus (Sauria: Gekkonidae) in Northwest Arkansas

The Mediterranean gecko, Hemidactylus turcicus, is a small nocturnal lizard introduced into the U.S. A stable population on the campus of Westark Community College in Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas represents the northernmost U.S. population presently known. We report data on microhabitat usage, feeding behavior, reproduction, and activity patterns. This gecko is active on the outside of buildings during warm months of the year and occasionally inside buildings during the winter. It is most abundant on buildings with many crevices that are used as daytime retreats. It avoids direct illumination of artificial light and usually perches at heights greater than 7.5 meters. Geckos are not territorial during their nocturnal foraging period and employ a sit-and-wait tactic to capture insect prey. Eggs are laid in mid-June and hatch in mid August; this reproductive season is later and shorter than it is in more southern populations. Communal nesting may be employed. A nightly bimodal activity pattern was observed with peaks of activity at 2300 and 0300 after which activity declined rapidly