Neosho :

A Small Fish with By Mark Wildhaber Complex Problems

The Neosho madtom (Noturus manipulation. In 1991, the U.S. Fish and placidus) is a small endemic Wildlife Service (FWS) listed the Neosho to the mainstems of the Neosho and madtom as threatened. Cottonwood rivers in and Neosho occupy riffles of Oklahoma and the Spring River in pebble and gravel bars and feed at night Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Much on larval insects (Wildhaber 2006). of the species’ historical habitat has Recruitment of young-of-year (YOY) been inundated or isolated by reservoirs to the adult population occurs annually and low-head dams Additional habitat when the previous year’s adults begin to has been degraded by in-stream gravel disappear. Neosho madtoms spawn in Neosho madtom mining, feedlot operations, historical nests constructed under large objects. lead-zinc mining, sedimentation, and flow Spawning occurs from May through July

A low-head dam on the Upper , Kansas.

42 Endangered Species Bulletin Fall 2008 Fall 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 43 as temperatures approach 77oF (25oC). strated that fish community patterns Male parental care has been observed in are related not only to presence of heavy the laboratory and lasts 8 to 9 days. metal contamination but also lack of In 1993, the Columbia Environmental high-quality habitat and food availability Research Center (CERC) of the U.S. (Wildhaber 2006). Additionally, CERC Geological Survey (USGS) began a study research extended the known distribution to assess effects of historic zinc-lead of the Neosho madtom in Spring River mining on Neosho madtom populations to Willow Creek in Kansas (Wildhaber (Wildhaber 2006). The work, expanded 2006) and demonstrated that competition to address issues associated with the with other species was not likely limiting ecology and recovery of Neosho mad- Neosho madtom populations (Wildhaber toms, continues today. Its success is 2006). due to collaboration with, and funding In 1996, researchers at Emporia from, partners that include the FWS; State University in Kansas successfully Environmental Protection Agency; spawned Neosho madtoms (Wildhaber universities in Missouri and Kansas; 2006). More recently, our laboratory Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma state research demonstrated relationships natural resource agencies; Army Corps of between light, temperature, and flow and Engineers; and many private landowners. Neosho madtom reproductive behavior, The study has provided much needed including how Neosho madtom select information regarding the relationship of nesting sites (Wildhaber 2006). We used habitat, flow, and contaminants to Neosho highly innovative approaches, including madtom populations. Work on low-head time-lapse infrared videography, under- dams has demonstrated localized effects water cameras, and simulated winter con- on not only Neosho madtom popula- ditions to assess laboratory stimulation of tions but the entire aquatic ecosystem reproductive development, and medi- (Tiemann et al. 2004; Gillette et al. cal ultrasound to validate gender and 2005). Analysis of long-term population estimate fecundity over several annual trends demonstrated a strong relation- cycles. Twenty-one pairs of Neosho ship between water regulation patterns madtoms reproduced and provided the and survival and recruitment of Neosho first visual record of madtom spawning madtoms (Wildhaber 2006). Spring (Albers and Wildhaber 2002). River research and modeling demon-

This experimental tank equipped for controlling temperature, flow, and photo-period in Neosho madtom research is monitored by external and underwater cameras. USGS

44 Endangered Species Bulletin Fall 2008 Fall 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 45 USGS A researcher uses ultrasound to determine the sex and reproductive condition of Neosho madtoms.

This research has provided natural of lowhead dams on riffle-dwelling fishes resource managers with critical infor- and macroinvertebrates in a Midwestern mation needed to recover the Neosho river. Transactions of the American madtom, and it is being used by the Army Fisheries Society 133:705-717. Corp of Engineers to assess the benefits Wildhaber, M.L. 2006. The role of of low-head dam removal and the poten- reproductive behavior in the conserva- tial impact of increased water storage. tion of fishes: examples from the Great The CERC continues to work with the Plains riverine fishes. The Conservation FWS on population status and trends, Behaviorist 4(1):15-19. the University of Kansas on population genetics, and the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma on developing hatchery Mark Wildhaber (mwildhaber@usgs. facilities for Neosho madtoms for the gov, 573-876-1847) is a quantitative ecolo- Tribe’s reintroduction efforts. Although gist with the Columbia Environmental the madtom is a small fish rarely seen Research Center in Columbia, Missouri. or appreciated by the public, its status reflects the overall health of the aquatic community. By addressing the needs of the Neosho Madtom, all aquatic residents of these streams will benefit.

References Albers, J.L. and M.L. Wildhaber. 2002. Neosho madtom spawning. USGS, Biological Science Report 2002-0002. CERC, Columbia, MO. Gillette, D.P., J. Tiemann, D.R. Edds, and M.L. Wildhaber. 2005. Spatiotemporal patterns of fish assem- blage structure in a river impounded by low-head dams. Copeia 2005(3):539-549. Tiemann, J.S., D.P. Gillette, M.L. Wildhaber, and D.R. Edds. 2004. Effects

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