Ecology of the Pirate Perch Leslie D
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Eastern Illinois University The Keep Masters Theses Student Theses & Publications 1977 Ecology of the Pirate Perch Leslie D. Frankland Eastern Illinois University This research is a product of the graduate program in Zoology at Eastern Illinois University. Find out more about the program. Recommended Citation Frankland, Leslie D., "Ecology of the Pirate Perch" (1977). Masters Theses. 3362. https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/3362 This is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Theses & Publications at The Keep. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of The Keep. For more information, please contact [email protected]. #2 PAPER CERTIFICATE Graduate Degree Candidates who h ve written formal theses. TO: a Permission to od ce theses. SUBJECT: repr u • receiving a number of requests from other The University Library is institutions asking permission to epr duc e dissertations for inclusion r o their library holdings. Although no copyright laws are involved, we in feel that professional ourtesy demands that permission be obtained c from the author before theses to be copied. we allow Please sign one of the following statements: Booth Library of Eastern Illinois University has my permission to lend my thesis to a reputable college or university for the purpose of copying it for inclusion in h t institution's library or research holdings. t a Author respectfully request Booth of Illinois University not I Library .Eastern allow my thesis be re rodu ed ecause p c b Date Author pdm '' -ECOLOGY OF THE PIRATE FERCH (TITLE) i BY . I Leslie : I D Frankland THESIS PA T A FULFILLMENT OF THE SUBMITTED IN R I L REQUIREMENTS I D G E OF FOR THE E RE H. s. in Zoology THE GRADUATE SCHOOL, ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY IN EASTERN I CHARLESTON, ILLINOIS 1977 '! YEAR I / / I H EBY RECOMMEND FULFILLING ER THIS THESIS BE ACCEPTED AS OF THE R DUAT ABOVE THIS PART G A E DEGREE CITED ¥ D AU VISER 51(1.lf??} s 2«?/lf?7 DEPARTMENT HEAD 'l'he irate perch, Aphredoderus sayan s, Gilliams , the on y iving p u l pecies of the family Aphredoderidae, ranges thr ugho ut the Mis si ippi o ss alley and the Atlantic Coastal Plain in low gradient stre ms, swamps, a xbow and other backwaters. External haracters of the pirate have s c perch een described in deta.il by ID1dy and SUrber (1943), Troutman (1957) and flieger (1975). Literature printed on the p r e er h limited with i at p c is part of histo y till unde scr bed. ny s its life r s i Food habits of the pirate perch have b en alluded to but not closely e ocumented. Abbot (1861) was first to describe ts fo od h bits by noting i a con umption of small fish o ernight by pirate perch from his aquarium. he s v tudie by Becker (1923) and Flamer and Woolco t (1966) describe the s t irate perch as pred a eou s, feeding almost entirely upon small, aquatic c nsects and phipod . (1949) describes its food a small aquatic aru s Clark s nsects , but small the pirate perch's diet. also includes fish among edin act vity patterns have recently been studied by e g behavior and i arker and Simco (1975) and Ba r o ne (1973). t review of the literature on pira te perch reveals very little about A ts age and growth rela.tionships. Hall a.nd Jenkins (1954) examined s ale s c 82 pirate perch collected in Sub Prison Lake, Oklahoma. Swingle rom 1965) a.ged pirate perch from but considered his age regre s on 44 Alabama, s i s invalid. Growth studies have been ca ried out Man uet (1963), who r by s i oropared growth stages to locations and pine number . anal vent anal s s ogue, et.al. (1976) have described morphological changes during growth ;Jira.ta perch. f post-larval Y.ovement of the vent from the anal to the jugulsr or thoracic position well documented (Jordan 1878, Jordan and Everwmn 1896, s Forbes and 1920, Jenkins 19.54, and Mansueti 1963). Variations ichardson Hall s.nd :153383 -2- n vent location have given rise to several nominal species and genera � Jordan and Gilbert, 1882 and Nelson, 1876). An indepth morphological study of vent movements and anatomical changes ws s conducted by 11.ansueti :196J). She noted that variations existed the rate of vent movement in 3.nd suggested that additional data were need ed to establish the relation ship between vent movement and age, seasons, reproductive status and spatial distribution. This study was conducted to examine in detail the following specific areas the pirate perch's ecology: food habits, age, growth, sexual of tnaturation and anal vent migration. METHODS Pirate perch were collected with common minnow seines of 6.35 mm �esh size. The collection period extende.d from through September April pf 1974 and February through March of 1976. Specimens were placed in �traight formalin for killing, then transferred to 10� formalin for preservation. Stomachs were removed the laboratory their contents in and plassified according to Pennak (1953). Numbers of organisms were re porded for ea.ch pirate perch along with each category's percent of total �umbers and frequency of as described in Lsgler (1956). Feeding occurence :>ehavior was studied by direct observation of pirate perch seined from 20 3reasy Creek in County, Illinois on rch 1, 1976. Pirate perch Coles Ma '"1ere phced in a twenty-gallon aquarium which a. substrate of contained detritus taken from the collecting site. Amphipods and small criuck and :iecopods (cra.yfish) were placed in the aquarium periodically over a tw:> :.reek period and responses were observed. The pirate perch's ctenoid scales were removed from area midway the t>etween the anterior region of the dorsal fin and the lateral line. The -3- scales were mounted in CMC9 mounting on glass slided and examined at fluid der a h se contrast c pound scope. Age was det in by counting lOOX un p a om erm ed �nnuli distinguished by separation of circuli the anterior field a.nd a a in �utting a.cross of c c i in the lateral field. Scale l ngth and annuli ir ul e length were dete e with a micrometer. The sea.le and annuli lengths rmin d 3ombined with total lengths were ub ti t the formula ln=(Sn/S)L s s tu ed in "'or determination of perch total lengths at the st g o g pirate end of pa r win seasons ( La.gler 1956). Regression lines were established from body growth to caudal fin growth relatio s by linear regression equations. With this n regression ..ine, total length could be c n e t to standard length compa.rison o v r ed for With other studies. Sex gonadal conditions were determined by in- and �ernal e ina ion of the Sp ng xam t gonads. awni times were established from �hese gonadal examina.tions and the first young of year collected . Preserved pirate perch in colle tions from Illinois Natural History c Survey, Urbana, Illinois, and Eastern Illinois Uni e sity, lest n, v r Cha r o Illinoi , were examined and measured with dial calipers. Measurements s • recorded in millimeters from preserved and collected specim ns were e as "'ollows: total length, standard length, snout- ent length a.nd v isthmus <nob-vent length. Graphs were constructed le gth com- of isthmus�vent n s ::iared to the o s collected to show seasonal varistions. Photographs m nth locBtions and isthmus kn b were taken o pirate perch collected )f vent o s f same a ea during March a.nd July. in the r DESCRIPTION STUDY AREA OF Specimens collected for this study were seined from Village an::i West �illage ID:lwards Co t and from Greasy Creek in Coles Illinois in un y County, ,Figure 1). Streams and of low radi nts with little ditches were g e -4- water flow. Ditch bottoms contained large amounts of muck and detritus making seining very difficult. During summer months aqua.tic vegetati n o would clog the streilms a.nd choke out the sun's rays. Fish collected with pirate perch are listed Table 1. in Table 1. Fish collected with pirate pe ch from streams in Coles and C r Fdwards o ties , Illinois. un Erimyzon oblongus Western creek chubsucker Pimephales Bluntnose minnow Semotilus atromaculatusnotatus chub Not§mieonus crxsQleucus CreekGolden shiner N2tropi� umbratilis Radf shiner Notropis �hipplei Stealin color shiner Hypognathus nucha.lis Silvery minnow mirabilis Suckermouth minnow PhenacobiusCyprinus carpio Carp Esox @.!!!!i!ricanu� Grass pickerel Ictalurus melas mack bullhead Icta.lurus natalis Yellow bullhead E'undulus Bl.ackstripe topminnow Gambus� nota.tus Mosquito fish affinis muegill I.,epomi�Lepomis macrochiruscyanellu s Green sunfish Lepomis megaloti§ Longear sunfish Ydcropterus Largemouth bass salmoides darter Etheostoma ni�rimgracile JoSloughhnny darter EtheostomamacuJ.ata Blackside darter Percina RESULTS Diet Feeding &bits And Captive pirate perch were nonactive fish; they would lie motionless in different positions for hours. Their infrequent movements were rather sluggish, seem g only to drift the bottom or ea by Most in to n r vegetation. remained in debris on the or a.mong vegetation, sometimes forming bottom close groups of up to eight fish. -s- ''" '·A_..,Q .; ... ';,,• �reasy Coles 1. ' Figure Creeki County, D.linois lll rate perch • which p were found ' . • -6- Activity increased when food ite were introduced in the aquarium. ms were never seen rapidly pursue their intended prey but Pirate perch to slowly drift toW8rd the m v an sm Feeding movements consisted to o ing org i .