U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region Inventory and Monitoring Branch FY18 I&M Final Report

STATUS ASSESSMENT OF PEPPERED SHINER ( perpallidus) IN THE LITTLE RIVER AT POND CREEK NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE,

Prepared By Chris Davidson, Lindsey Lewis and Jason Phillips U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

July 2019

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region Inventory and Monitoring Branch FY18 I&M Final Report

Status Assessment of Peppered Shiner (Notropis perpallidus) in the Little River at Pond Creek National Wildlife Refuge, Arkansas

Chris Davidson, Lindsey Lewis, and Jason Phillips Arkansas Ecological Services Field Office, 110 South Amity Road, Suite 300, Conway, Arkansas 72032

ABSTRACT: The Little River originates in Oklahoma and flows in a southeasterly direction before converging with the Red River in Arkansas. The Peppered Shiner (Notropis perpallidus) is a small found only in tributaries of the Red and Ouachita rivers in southwestern Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. Our survey focused on the 31 km reach bordered by Pond Creek National Wildlife Refuge located between Arkansas Highway 41 and U.S. Highway 71 near Millwood Lake. We identified three survey objectives: 1) determine Peppered Shiner preferred habitat, 2) assess Peppered shiner distribution and abundance, and 3) assess the fish community using primarily electrofishing and seines in selected shallow areas. We did not collect Peppered Shiner. However, we did collect Rocky Shiner (N. suttkusi) which is a petitioned under consideration for Endangered Species Act listing. We collected 5,226 fishes comprising 50 species (+Bluegill hybrid). The most abundant families by number of specimens collected were (79%), Centrarchidae (6%) (sunfishes), Clupeidae (6%) (herrings), and Atherinidae (3%) (silversides). With the addition of these data, the total number of fish species documented from the Little River upstream of Lake Millwood in Arkansas is 66 species.

INTRODUCTION Pond Creek National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), located in southwestern Arkansas (Figure 1), has a diversity of aquatic habitats including rivers, streams, oxbow lakes, and swamps. There is a paucity of fish data available for the refuge and, in general, Arkansas portion of the Little River, including the lack of a comprehensive fish species list. Little River NWR, located in Oklahoma

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17.8 km upstream of Pond Creek NWR, lists 68 fish species, including the Peppered Shiner (Notropis perpallidus) which is petitioned for listing under the Endangered Species Act. Peppered Shiner is endemic to tributaries of the Red and Ouachita rivers in southeastern Oklahoma and southern Arkansas. Robison’s (2006) status assessment for Peppered Shiner includes records from the Little River in Oklahoma, but data is lacking for the Little River in Arkansas.

The Little River basin in southeastern Oklahoma and southwestern Arkansas has a diverse fish assemblage. The Peppered Shiner is a small, silvery, minnow found only in tributaries of the Red and Ouachita rivers in southwestern Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma (Snelson et al. 1980). Colorless Shiner is a synonymous common name used for this species. It appears to have never been common and in decline (Robison 2006). Its ecological requirements are poorly understood (Miller and Robison 1973, Wagner et al. 1987, Robison and Buchanan 1988). In general, Peppered Shiner inhabits shallow water in pools and in the lee of islands of moderate sized, warm, clear rivers with slow to moderate current (< 0.3 cm/s) (Robison and Buchanan 1988, Snelson and Jenkins 1973). Wagner et al. (1987) found substrate type was relatively unimportant in determining the microhabitat distribution, though Harris (1977) found it in Water Willow (Justicia americana) with rock and sand substrate.

Prior to 2001, 386 Peppered Shiners have been collected from 58 collections in the Little River basin, based on museum records examined by Robison (2006). In the main stem Little River in Oklahoma, Peppered Shiner has been collected from a site upstream of Sugar Creek and at a cutoff pool northwest of Idabell (Snelson and Jenkins 1973). The series of 53 specimens collected from the Little River upstream of Pine Creek Reservoir represents the largest known single collection of Peppered Shiner. Wagner et al. (1987) reported that collections in the Little River downstream of Pine Creek Reservoir were unsuccessful, with exception to one site near the Wright City water plant, McCurtain County, Oklahoma. Historical collections of the species downstream of Pine Creek Reservoir occur at eight locations in a 60 km reach of the Little River from Pine Creek Dam to the Arkansas border (Wagner 1984).

Robison (2006) conducted a status survey of the Peppered Shiner in Arkansas and Oklahoma, but did not survey the Little River in Arkansas. Prior to construction of Broken Bow Reservoir

2 in 1968, Peppered Shiner occurred in the lower reaches of the Mountain Fork Little River, but has never been collected upstream of Broken Bow or downstream of Broken Bow since reservoir construction. Peppered Shiner also has been collected from the Glover River (Wagner et al. 1987). He did not collect Peppered Shiner from 15 sites in the , but Echelle and Schnell (1976) mention it being uncommon and found at only four locations. Robison (2006) collected three Peppered Shiners from a single location in McGee Creek, a small stream with large pools in the Muddy Boggy River system. Evidence suggests that reservoirs are contributing to the decline of this species (Wagner et al. 1987).

The Comprehensive Conservation Plan for Pond Creek NWR (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1999) has a specific objective of initiating baseline inventories of fishes. We identified three survey objectives: 1) determine Peppered Shiner preferred habitat, 2) assess Peppered shiner distribution and abundance, and 3) assess the fish community. This project fulfills a Tier 3 survey identified in the recently completed Pond Creek NWR Inventory and Monitoring Plan (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2017). This baseline survey of Little River provides the refuge with a list of fish species inhabiting this river on the refuge, fills a data gap pertaining to Peppered Shiner distribution and abundance in the Little River, Arkansas, and provides fish community structure at select sites for future monitoring and comparisons. We are providing this information so future conservation efforts, including land management activities at Pond Creek NWR, can better protect and manage the fish fauna.

STUDY AREA

The Little River originates near Ludlow in LeFlore County, Oklahoma, and flows in a southwesterly direction before entering Pine Creek Reservoir, one of two main stem impoundments. Upon exiting Pine Creek Reservoir, the river flows in a southeasterly direction and enters Millwood Lake, approximately 72 km east of the Arkansas – Oklahoma state line, before converging with the Red River near Fulton in Hempstead County, Arkansas. Our survey focused on the 31 km reach bordered by Pond Creek National Wildlife Refuge located between Arkansas Highway 41 and U.S. Highway 71 near Millwood Lake (Figure 1).

The watershed drains an area of approximately 10,720 km2 (Vaughn and Taylor 1999; Matthews et al. 2005). The headwaters and major tributaries are contained in the Ouachita Mountains and

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South Central Plains ecoregions, with the lower main stem wholly contained within the South Central Plains ecoregion (Woods et al. 2004). Matthews et al. (2005) discuss physiography, climate, and land use in the watershed and geomorphology, hydrology, chemistry, biodiversity, and ecology of the Little River.

Three impoundments influence the Little River. The main stem of the river is impounded by Pine Creek Reservoir (1,644 km2) and Millwood Lake (118 km2). The Mountain Fork is a major Little River tributary impounded by Broken Bow Reservoir (1,952 km2). Outflow from Broken Bow Reservoir enters the Little River 64 km downstream of Pine Creek Dam (Vaughn and Taylor 1999).

Pond Creek NWR includes a portion of the Little River within and along its southern boundary. The refuge boundary begins approximately 1.3 km downstream of Arkansas Highway 41 and extends to near Millwood Lake. There are five private tracts adjacent to the river within the reach bordering the refuge.

Figure 1. Study area for the Peppered Shiner status assessment, Little River, Arkansas.

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METHODS

Our survey approach used primarily boat electrofishing gear (see RESULTS for settings) to collect fish and then minnow seine (4 x 20 feet, ⅛ inch mesh) in selected shallow areas. Each reach ran from the top of one shoal to the top of the next shoal sequentially from the most- upstream shoal on the refuge to the point of Millwood Lake inundation (Figure 2). Fish sampling occurred from August 6 – 8 and 28 – 29, 2018. We submitted vouchered fish to the University of Central Arkansas fish museum for permanent curation.

Figure 2. Objectives 1 -3 survey reaches for the Peppered Shiner status assessment, Little River, Arkansas

Objective 1 – Determine Peppered Shiner Preferred Habitat

Initially, we surveyed four 500 m river reaches (two-sided) with a variety of potentially suitable habitats to locate and identify the Peppered Shiner’s preferred habitat type(s) in the Little River.

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(Table 1). Our objective was to target fixed sites, identify and characterize specialized habitats used by Peppered Shiner, and then determine a probability sampling procedure (random sample). Based on available literature, the species prefers pool regions 0.6 – 1.2 m deep, lee of islands, beds of Water Willow (Justicia Americana), and other obstructions away from main current with water depth >0.5 m, slow to moderate current (<0.3 cm/sec), and over a variety of substrates (Robison 2006). We distributed these sites throughout the 30.5 river km at Pond Creek NWR. During Objective 1, we only recorded data for Cyprinidae (shiners and carp).

Objective 2 – Peppered Shiner Assessment

We delineated river reaches with potentially suitable habitat for Peppered Shiner (Table 1). Reach length was determined based on distance of 20 times the mean wetted channel width (Fitzpatrick et al. 1998). Minimum and maximum reach length was 500 m and 2,000 m, respectively. We eliminated sites surveyed during Objective 1 from consideration for Objective 2 sampling.

We selected 20 percent of potentially suitable habitat reaches for additional sampling. We randomly selected reaches for robust inferences about Peppered Shiner, and other Cyprinids, distribution (presence-absence) and relative abundance (catch per unit effort). We standardized sampling by using the identical gear during daytime and under similar environmental conditions. This should allow for long-term monitoring and comparisons. We used two-pass boat electrofishing since it produces greater species richness, compared to single pass (Meador 2005). Based on this information, we used paired bank (two pass) boat electrofishing at our selected sample sites (Table 1) to better characterize Cyprinidae assemblage structure. To maximize netting effectiveness for Cyprinidae, we only netted Cyprinids during the Peppered Shiner assessment. This sampling methodology ensures effort and catchability of fish remains constant among sampling sites to minimize size and direction of any bias and permits meaningful population inferences.

Objective 3 – Fish Community Assessment

We determined reach length for Objective 3 similar to Objective 2 (Table 1). We also included as many habitat types (e.g. pool, woody debris, shoal, run, and eddy) as possible. We randomly selected five available reaches, excluding reaches sampled for Objectives 1 and 2. Similar to

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Objective 2, we standardized sampling and used paired bank boat electrofishing to characterize fish assemblage structure. We concluded sampling when a sampled reach yielded no new species and after sampling all available habitat types (based on visual observation). We recorded field notes concerning habitat and water conditions, conductivity, special sampling conditions, sampling times, and catch statistics for Objectives 1 – 3.

Table 1. Little River fish sampling reaches, sampling locations for each objective, and reach length. Color coded rows indicate reaches sampled for each objective or not sampled (white).

Downstream Reach River Reach Upstream Coordinates Coordinates Length Section Latitude Longitude Latitude Longitude (m) 1 33.9091 -94.3859 33.8999 -94.3893 1103 2 33.8999 -94.3893 33.8892 -94.3656 2932 3 33.8892 -94.3656 33.8797 -94.3738 2280 Upper 4 33.8797 -94.3738 33.8774 -94.3721 312 5 33.8774 -94.3721 33.8604 -94.3284 6572 6 33.8604 -94.3284 33.8616 -94.3199 985 7 33.8616 -94.3199 33.8597 -94.3190 225 8 33.8597 -94.3190 33.8588 -94.3207 190 9 33.8588 -94.3207 33.8536 -94.3267 966 10 33.8536 -94.3267 33.8552 -94.3186 784 11 33.8552 -94.3186 33.8537 -94.3149 569 12 33.8537 -94.3149 33.8531 -94.3088 543

Middle 13 33.8531 -94.3088 33.8516 -94.3013 824 14 33.8516 -94.3013 33.8422 -94.3062 1204 15 33.8422 -94.3062 33.8233 -94.3044 3316 16 33.8233 -94.3044 33.8211 -94.3019 382 17 33.8211 -94.3019 33.8237 -94.2929 885 18 33.8237 -94.2929 33.8276 -94.2781 1778 19 33.8276 -94.2781 33.8246 -94.2769 360 20 33.8246 -94.2769 33.8210 -94.2702 853 21 33.8210 -94.2702 33.8187 -94.2629 1068 22 33.8187 -94.2629 33.8175 -94.2551 875 23 33.8175 -94.2551 33.8084 -94.2421 2058 Lower 24 33.8084 -94.2421 33.8061 -94.2379 496 25 33.8061 -94.2379 33.8043 -94.2281 1905 26 33.8043 -94.2281 33.8027 -94.2134 3855 27 33.8027 -94.2134 Lake Millwood - Determine Peppered Shiner Preferred Habitat (Objective 1) Peppered Shiner Assessment (Objective 2) Fish Community Assessment (Objective 3)

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RESULTS Stream discharge ranged from approximately 9 – 48 m3/s (300 – 1,700 cubic feet/second) during our sampling period (Figure 3). We present survey reach data in Table 2.

Objectives 1 - 2 We did not collect Peppered Shiner. However, we did collect Rocky Shiner (Notropis suttkusi). We collected (vouchers + released) 1,644 and 1,514 fishes comprising 26 species during Objectives 1 – 2, respectively (Table 3). Three species, Emerald Shiner (N. atherinoides), Blacktail Shiner (Cyprinella venusta) and Steelcolor Shiner (C. whipplei), comprised 84% of vouchered + released fish.

We sampled a variety of habitat types, including primarily, riffle, run, margin, island, backwater, braided channel, vegetation, sand, and gravel with some upper pool and treetop habitats among all sampled Objective 1 – 2 reaches. Since we did not collect Peppered Shiner, we were unable to characterize its’ specialized habitats. Therefore, we focused sampling in areas within each reach (Figure 2) suspected to be suitable habitat based upon available literature (Robison 2006).

Objective 3 We sampled a variety of habitat types similar to Objectives 1 - 2, including pool, riffle/shoal, trees, vegetation, run, backwater, banks, sand, and margin. Primary differences in sampled habitat types in Objective 3 included greater pool, woody debris, and bank margins. We collected (vouchers + released) 1,946 fishes comprising 43 species during Objective 3 sampling. Five species, Gizzard Shad (Dorosoma cepedianum), Emerald Shiner, Steelcolor Shiner, Blacktail Shiner and Longear (Lepomis megalotis), comprised 74% of vouchered + released fish. We collected 25 species not represented in Objective 1 – 2 samples, including Rocky Shiner. We did not collect six species collected during Objective 1 – 2 sampling (Table 3).

Summary

For the entire study (Objectives 1 – 3), we collected (vouchers + released) 5,226 fishes comprising 50 species (+Bluegill hybrid) from the Little River upstream of Millwood Lake in Arkansas (Table 3; Appendix 1). Combining methods from all objectives produced the greatest species richness. The species collected in this study represent 14 families of fishes. Ten species

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collected are in the minnow family (Cyprinidae). The most abundant families by number of specimens collected were Cyprinidae (79%), Centrarchidae (6%) (sunfishes), Clupeidae (6%) (herrings), and Atherinidae (3%) (silversides). The 10 most abundant species occur in the same four most abundant families (Table 3).

We collected three species of greatest conservation need identified in the Arkansas Wildlife Action Plan (Table 4) (Fowler 2015). Of the 109 fish species known from the Little River basin in Oklahoma, extensively surveyed during pre- and post-impoundment eras, we collected six species not documented by Rutherford (1988), Reeves (1953), or Finnell et al. (1956). They included Rocky Shiner, Weed Shiner (N. texanus), Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus), Redspotted Sunfish (Lepomis miniatus), River Darter (Percina shumardi) and Freshwater Drum (Aplodinotus grunniens). Rocky Shiner was the fifth most abundant fish in our survey. We collected 171 Rocky Shiner (3% of total) from 11 reaches (41%). Rocky Shiner is widespread in the upper and middle reaches, but less common to absent in the lower reaches.

Figure 3. Daily discharge (August 2018) in the Little River near Horatio, Arkansas.

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Table 2. Survey reach data for Peppered Shiner status assessment, Little River, Arkansas (2018).

Reach Date Effort Survey Settings Conductivity Water Water Habitat Surveyed (min) Distance (m) Temperature ⁰C Visibility 1 8/7/2018 20 500 Pulses: 60, 96.1 28.1 Clear P, RN, Amps: 4 RF, T, V 2 8/7/2018 20 500 Pulses: 60, 96.1 28.1 Clear P, M, Amps: 4 RN, RF 6 8/7/2018 20 500 Pulses: 96.1 28.1 Clear RF, 60/120, BW, B Amps: 4 7 8/7/2018 30 225 Pulses: 96.1 28.1 Clear P, RF, 60/120, BW Amps: 4 14 8/7/2018 20 500 Pulses: 96.1 - Clear RF, RN, 60/120, I Amps: 4 15 8/8/2018 25 500 Pulses: 60, 95.9 28.1 Clear RN, RF Amps: 4 20 8/8/2018 20 500 Pulses: 60, 95.9 - Clear T, V, S Amps: 4 22 8/8/2018 20 500 Pulses: 60, 95.9 - Clear RN, T, Amps: 4 S, G 23 8/8/2018 20 500 Pulses: 60, 95.9 - Clear RN, T, Amps: 4 S, M 26 8/28/2018 NR 2000 Pulses: 60, 81 31.3 Clear P, RF, Amps: 4 RN 17 8/28/2018 NR 382 Pulses: 60, 81 31.3 Clear RN, RF, Amps: 4 BW, BC 16 8/28/2018 NR 800 Pulses: 60, 81 - Clear P, RN, Amps: 4 RF 5 8/29/2018 NR 2000 - - - Clear P, RN, RF 4 8/29/2018 NR 312 - - 30.3 Clear P, RN, RF, I P = Pool; RN = Run; RF = Riffle/Shoal; T = Trees; V = Vegetation; M = Margin; BW = Backwater; B = Banks; I = Island; S = Sand; G = Gravel; BC = Braided Channel

Based on a review of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission fish database, nine species included in our samples are new records for the Little River in Arkansas (Table 4). An additional 15 species are new records for the Little River upstream of Lake Millwood in Arkansas (Table 4). We did not collect 15 additional species documented from the Little River upstream of Millwood Lake in Arkansas during this study (Table 4). With the addition of these data, the total number of fish species documented from the Little River upstream of Lake Millwood in Arkansas is 66 species.

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Table 3. Number of fish collected (voucher + observed) from the Little River, Arkansas, 2018.

Site Test Reach Reach 1 Obj. 1 Reach 2 Obj. 2 Reach 4 Obj. 2 Reach 5 Obj. 3 Reach 6 Reach 7 Seine pulls Obj. 1 Reach 14 Obj. 1 Reach 15 Obj. 2 Reach 16 Obj. 2 Reach 17 Reach 20 Reach 22 Reach 23 Obj. 2 Reach 26 Date 8/6/2018 8/7/2018 8/7/2018 8/29/2018 8/29/2018 8/7/2018 8/7/2018 8/7/2018 8/7/2018 8/8/2018 8/28/2018 8/28/2018 8/8/2018 8/8/2018 8/8/2018 8/28/2018 Spotted Gar 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 Longnose Gar 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 0 Bowfin 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Gizzard Shad 1 57 0 0 0 94 15 0 0 0 0 0 101 0 36 0 Highland Stoneroller 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Common Carp 1 98 10 54 72 19 76 9 82 121 3 20 34 111 42 63 Blacktail Shiner 4 59 28 130 75 40 19 42 126 103 6 23 9 29 15 4 Steelcolor Shiner 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Pallid Shiner 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 4 4 0 3 0 0 0 1 Emerald Shiner 2 262 50 52 315 45 155 2 60 521 29 48 73 91 69 418 Rocky Shiner 0 2 30 23 19 6 4 0 4 55 2 25 0 1 0 0 Weed Shiner 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 Mimic Shiner 0 34 0 1 4 0 6 3 0 73 3 4 0 16 0 0 Bullhead Minnow 0 17 0 1 0 0 3 0 15 7 0 3 0 0 0 8 Smallmouth Buffalo 1 3 0 0 0 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 0 6 0 Bigmouth Buffalo 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Black Buffalo 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 Spotted Sucker 0 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 1 0 River Redhorse 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Black Redhorse 1 5 0 0 0 3 20 0 34 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 Golden Redhorse 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 Blue Catfish 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Channel Catfish 1 4 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 7 0 Flathead Catfish 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Redfin Pickerel 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Pirate 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Brook Silverside 1 26 3 14 23 6 16 23 14 2 1 14 2 12 4 20 Blackstripe Topminnow 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Black spotted Topminnow 3 1 0 0 1 1 4 8 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 White Bass 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Green Sunfish 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Warmouth 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Bluegill 0 29 0 0 0 4 12 0 0 0 0 0 20 0 17 0 Hybrid Bluegill 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Longear 0 38 0 0 0 31 28 0 2 1 0 0 7 0 9 2 Redspotted Sunfish 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 Largemouth Bass 0 4 0 0 0 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 14 0 Spotted Bass 1 17 0 2 1 15 26 0 5 2 0 0 7 0 15 2 White Crappie 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Black Crappie 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 Crystal Darter 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 Creole Darter 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Harlequin Darter 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 2 1 Orangebelly Darter 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 Logperch 1 2 0 0 0 6 7 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 5 2 Channel Darter 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Blackside Darter 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Slenderhead Darter 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Blackbanded Darter 4 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 River Darter 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Freshwater Drum 0 4 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 0 11

Table 4. New fish records and fish species of greatest conservation need in the Little River in Arkansas, 2018.

New records for Little River in Arkansas (Based on AGFC database) Bowfin (Amia calva ) Pirate Perch (Aphredoderus sayanus ) Crystal Darter (Crystallaria asprella ) Redfin Pickerel (Esox americanus ) Redspotted Sunfish (Lepomis miniatus ) Golden Redhorse (Moxostoma erythrurum ) Black Redhorse (Moxostoma duquesnei ) Weed Shiner (Notropis texanus) Mimic Shiner (Notropis volucellus ) New records for Little River above Millwood in Arkansas (Based on AGFC database) Freshwater Drum (Aplodinotus grunniens ) Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio ) Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus ) Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus ) Smallmouth Buffalo (Ictiobus bubalus ) Bigmouth Buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus ) Black Buffalo (Ictiobus niger) Spotted Gar (Lepisosteus oculatus ) Longnose Gar (Lepisosteus osseus) Spotted Sucker (Minytrema melanops ) White Bass (Morone chrysops ) River Darter (Percina shumardi ) White Crappie (Pomoxis annularis ) Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus ) Flathead Catfish (Pylodictis olivaris ) Documented species in Little River above Lake Millwood in Arkansas not collected in this study Banded Pygmy Sunfish (Elassoma zonatum ) Creek Chubsucker (Erimyzon claviformis ) Slough Darter ( gracile ) Western Starhead Topminnow (Fundulus blairae ) Golden Topminnow (Fundulus chrysotus ) Redear (Lepomis microlophus ) Bantam Sunfish (Lepomis symmetricus ) Striped Shiner (Luxilus chrysocephalus ) Redfin Shiner (Lythrurus umbratilis ) Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu ) Blackspotted Shiner (Notropis atrocaudalis ) Rainbow Shiner (Noturus eleutherus ) Rosyface Shiner (Noturus gyrinus ) Freckled Madtom (Noturus nocturnus ) Bluntnose Minnow (Pimephales notatus ) Fish species of greatest conservation need Crystal Shiner (Crystallaria asprella ) Slenderhead Darter (Percina phoxocephala ) Rocky Shiner (Notropis suttkusi )

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Electrofishing accounted for 100% of collected species, while seine pulls accounted for 14%. Species richness was lowest in the upper reach. However, (darters) richness was greatest in the upper reach and substantially (40 – 50%) lower in downstream reaches. Three species, Emerald Shiner, Blacktail Shiner, and Steelcolor Shiner, were the most common species, respectively, accounting for 71% of total individuals.

DISCUSSION Sampling conditions ranged from near median flow to slightly above during early August and slightly below during late August sampling. Visibility was good, comparable to prior trips to the river in recent years during August, and did not appear to hinder our ability to detect fish. Therefore, we believe sampling conditions represented normal conditions for this river during this time of year. We assessed electro-trawling for efficiency of collecting targeted fish species, such as shiners, but deemed it less effective in this river.

These data represent the first baseline, comprehensive fish community sampling conducted in the Little River from the Arkansas/Oklahoma state line to Millwood Lake. While we did not collect our target species (Peppered Shiner), these data add considerable knowledge to the fish community inhabiting this section of river, including new information on Rocky Shiner (a Red River basin endemic to Arkansas and Oklahoma) and Peppered Shiner.

Rocky Shiner is endemic to the Ouachita Uplands, including tributaries of the Red River in southeastern Oklahoma and southwestern Arkansas (Humphries and Cashner 1994). In the Little River basin, populations occur in the major tributaries and main stem. However, in Arkansas, historical collections are from the Rolling Fork, Cossatot, and Saline rivers. Based upon historical collections in the Little River basin and our new observations from the Little River in Arkansas, Rocky Shiner appears to be widespread and relatively common.

There are 36 Peppered Shiner collection records from the Little River downstream of Pine Creek Lake to the Arkansas/Oklahoma state line from 1947 – 1985 in the Oklahoma Heritage Commission database. However, only one of these records (in 1978) occurs downstream of the Mountain Fork Little River confluence. This is notable because of effects associated with water releases from Broken Bow Reservoir dam. There are no records of Peppered Shiner in the Little River, Arkansas.

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Eley et al. (1981) conducted a pre- and post-impoundment (Broken Bow) study of fishes in the Mountain Fork. They found one of the most drastic effects of impounding the Mountain Fork is the disappearance of 28 species from the lower reach, particularly cyprinids () including Peppered Shiner. Rutherford (1988) discounted reservoir construction and associated downstream alterations to flow and thermal regimes as the explanation for observed fish community differences from 1948 – 1955 and 1981 – 1982. He contributed this hypothesis to the fact that none of his collection sites were from reservoirs or streams within the direct influence of reservoirs. However, none of his collection sites were on the main stem Little or Mountain Fork rivers downstream of reservoirs.

Water temperature of water released from Broken Bow Reservoir dam is typically 10 – 15 ⁰C colder than normal river water and flows fluctuate dramatically due to hydropower generation. Species not adapted to these colder temperatures and seasonal variations in flow disappeared or their abundance is much lower than unaffected reaches upstream of the reservoir (Eley et al. 1981). Fish community effects documented by Eley et al. (1981) in cyprinids, particularly Peppered Shiner, appear to continue throughout our study area with no discernable recovery from upstream to downstream. The paucity of fish data from the Little River in Arkansas prior to construction of Broken Bow Reservoir limits our ability to draw definitive conclusions regarding fish community changes in our study area post-impoundment.

Management and Monitoring Considerations

Improving the distribution and abundance of fishes in the Little River requires proper management of the watershed, reservoirs, and cooperative efforts. Prioritizing seasonal environmental flows (discharge and temperature) from Broken Bow Reservoir may improve water and habitat quality in the Little River. Identifying important factors affecting fish community composition, dispersal, and genetic connectivity is important for land managers developing conservation efforts. Maintaining and increasing riparian habitat stabilizes stream banks. Since there was evidence in the 1960s of an apparent casual effect of clearcutting on the fish assemblage structure (Rutherford 1988), implementation and maintenance of BMPs during silvicultural activities is important for maintaining fish assemblage structure. A more comprehensive fish community assessment of smaller streams, oxbows, and lakes at Pond Creek NWR will provide additional baseline information and likely increase the number of fish species

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known to occur on the refuge. Periodic (~10 years) and simultaneous fish community monitoring at Pond Creek and Little River NWRs will provide additional insights into effects associated with reservoir management and fish community trends.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The US Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region Inventory and Monitoring Branch in partnership with Pond Creek National Wildlife Refuge and Arkansas Ecological Services Field Office provided funding for this project. We extend special thanks to P. Gideon for his gracious hospitality during this project. We also appreciate assistance with verifying identification of fishes provided by Drs. Reid and Ginny Adams and Chance Garrett at the University of Central Arkansas and Dr. Tom Buchanan at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. Nick Wirwa and Michael Stroeh at the South Arkansas Refuge Complex and David Richardson with the Inventory and Monitoring Branch provided peer review.

REFERENCES

Echelle, A.A. and G.D. Schnell. 1976. Factor analysis of species associations among fishes of the fishes of the Kiamichi River, Oklahoma. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 1976:17-31.

Eley, R., J. Randolph and J. Carroll. 1981. A comparison of pre- and post-impoundment fish populations in the Mountain Fork River in southeastern Oklahoma. Proc. Okla. Acad. Sci. 61:7-14(1981).

Finnell, J. C., R. M. Jenkins and G. E. Hall. 1956. The fishery resources of the Little River system, McCurtain Co., OK. Okla. Fish. Res. Lab. Rep. No. 55.

Fitzpatrick, F. A., I. R. Waite, P. J. D’Arconte, M. R. Meador, M. A. Maupin, and M. E. Gurtz. 1998. Revised methods for characterizing stream habitat: National Water-Quality Assessment Program. U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Investigations Report 98-4052, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Fowler, Allison (Ed) 2015. Arkansas Wildlife Action Plan. Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Little Rock, Arkansas. 1,678 pp.

Harris J.L. 1977. Fishes of the mountain province of the Ouachita River from the headwaters to Remmel Dam. (M.S. Thesis). Monroe (LA): Northeast University. 100 pp.

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Humphries, J. M., and R. C. Cashner. 1994. NOTROPIS SUTTKUSI, a new cyprinid from the Ouachita Uplands of Oklahoma and Arkansas, with comments on the status of Ozarkian populations of N. RUBELLUS. Copeia 1994:82-90.

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APPENDIX 1 Fish, scientific and common names, collected from the Little River between the Arkansas/Oklahoma state line and Lake Millwood, Arkansas, 2018.

Scientific Name Common Name Lepisosteus oculatus Spotted Gar Lepisosteus osseus Longnose Gar Amia calva Bowfin Dorosoma cepedianum Gizzard Shad Campostoma spadiceum Highland Stoneroller Cyprinus carpio Common Carp Cyprinella venusta Blacktail Shiner Cyprinella whipplei Steelcolor Shiner amnis Pallid Shiner Notropis atherinoides Emerald Shiner Notropis suttkusi Rocky Shiner Notropis texanus Weed Shiner Notropis volucellus Mimic Shiner Pimephales vigilax Bullhead Minnow Ictiobus bubalus Smallmouth Buffalo Ictiobus cyprinellus Bigmouth Buffalo Ictiobus niger Black Buffalo Minytrema melanops Spotted Sucker Moxostoma carinatum River Redhorse Moxostoma duquesnei Black Redhorse Moxostoma erythrurum Golden Redhorse Ictalurus furcatus Blue Catfish Ictalurus punctatus Channel Catfish Pylodictis olivaris Flathead Catfish Esox americanus Redfin Pickerel Aphredoderus sayanus Pirate Perch Labidesthes sicculus Brook Silverside Fundulus notatus Blackstripe Topminnow Fundulus olivaceus Black spotted Topminnow Morone chrysops White Bass Lepomis cyanellus Green Sunfish Lepomis gulosus Warmouth Lepomis machrochirus Bluegill Lepomis machrochirus/cyanellus hybrid Hybrid Bluegill Lepomis megalotis Longear Lepomis miniatus Redspotted Sunfish Micropterus salmoides Largemouth Bass Micropterus punctulatus Spotted Bass Pomoxis annularis White Crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus Black Crappie Crystallaris asprella Crystal Darter Etheostoma collettei Creole Darter Etheostoma histrio Harlequin Darter Etheostoma radiosum Orangebelly Darter Percina caprodes Logperch Percina copelandi Channel Darter Percina maculata Blackside Darter Percina phoxocephala Slenderhead Darter Percina sciera Blackbanded Darter Percina shumardi River Darter Aplodinotus grunniens Freshwater Drum

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