Round Pigtoe,Pleurobema Sintoxia
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COSEWIC Status Appraisal Summary on the Round Pigtoe Pleurobema sintoxia in Canada ENDANGERED 2014 COSEWIC status appraisal summaries are working documents used in assigning the status of wildlife species suspected of being at risk in Canada. This document may be cited as follows: COSEWIC. 2014. COSEWIC status appraisal summary on the Round Pigtoe Pleurobema sintoxia in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. xxii pp. (www.registrelep-sararegistry.gc.ca/default_e.cfm). Production note: COSEWIC acknowledges Daelyn Woolnough for writing the status appraisal summary on the Round Pigtoe, Pleurobema sintoxia in Canada, prepared under contract with Environment Canada. This status appraisal summary was overseen and edited by Gerry Mackie, Co-chair of the COSEWIC Molluscs Specialist Subcommittee. For additional copies contact: COSEWIC Secretariat c/o Canadian Wildlife Service Environment Canada Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3 Tel.: 819-953-3215 Fax: 819-994-3684 E-mail: COSEWIC/[email protected] http://www.cosewic.gc.ca Également disponible en français sous le titre Sommaire du statut de l’espèce du COSEPAC sur le Pleurobème écarlate (Pleurobema sintoxia) au Canada. Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 2014. Catalogue No. CW69-14/2-41-2014E-PDF ISBN 978-1-100-23922-4 Recycled paper COSEWIC Assessment Summary Assessment Summary – May 2014 Common name Round Pigtoe Scientific name Pleurobema sintoxia Status Endangered Reason for designation This mussel species occupies a small area in the Lake St. Clair watershed and three other watersheds in southern Ontario, where its habitat has been declining in extent and quality. Urban development, agricultural runoff, and impacts from the Zebra Mussel and the Round Goby are threatening the survival of the species in Canada. Occurrence Ontario Status history Designated Endangered in May 2004. Status re-examined and confirmed in May 2014. iii COSEWIC Status Appraisal Summary Wildlife species: Change in eligibility, taxonomy or designatable units: yes no unk Explanation: The Canadian population of Pleurobema sintoxia remains as one designatable unit and there has been no change in the formal taxonomy. The authority for classification for aquatic molluscs in Canada is Turgeon et al. (1998). Although there has been significant information published on the unionid tribe Pleurobemini since 2004 (COSEWIC 2004), this tribe is poorly understood phylogenetically (Campbell et al. 2005, 2008). Campbell and Lydeard (2012) suggest that based on molecular data a new genus, Sintoxia, be erected that would encompass Pleurobema sintoxia and related species, including P. cordatum, P. riddellii and P. rubrum. The change to the genus Sintoxia has yet to be formally established. Range: Change in Extent of Occurrence (EO): yes no unk Change in Area of Occupancy (AO): yes no unk Change in number of known or inferred current locations: yes no unk Significant new survey information: yes no Explanation: Extent of Occurrence (EO) COSEWIC (2004) calculated EO at 12,360 km2. With the data used from COSEWIC (2004) a recalculation within Canada’s extent of jurisdiction EO was 10,224 km2; with Canada and US jurisdiction EO would be 10,309 km2 (Figure 1). The current calculated EO for 2003-2012 data is 3,018 km2 (Figure 2). The apparent 70.5% decline since last report is, in part, inferred from presumed extirpations at a number of sites that lack recent survey information, including the Niagara River (see Number of Locations), Pelee Island, and Holiday Beach Conservation area (Lake Erie), and Long Point. The Niagara River unionid communities have been impacted by the Zebra Mussels (Dreissena polymorpha), and 2011 surveys on the US side of the river (two sites) showed no evidence of live or weathered shells of P. sintoxia (Zanatta pers. comm. 2014). These two US sites were within 5 km of the two most southern historic Niagara River sites (both upstream of Niagara Falls (Zanatta pers. comm. 2014)). While the historical EO (pre-2002, which includes pre-1994 data) was 26,592 km2 (COSEWIC 2004) and the current EO is 3,018 km2 the percent decline over 3 generations (one generation >10 yrs) is unknown but likely >70.5% for the last 20 yrs. Part of the 20-year decline is due in part to increased search effort over time (not always recorded) but some subpopulations have also been lost, so 70.5% decline is based on best available information. Severely Fragmented The populations are not severely fragmented according to IUCN criteria. iv Index of Area of Occupancy (IAO) IAO was not calculated in the 2004 status report but AO was estimated at ~15 km2. This included 8 km2 in Lake St. Clair delta, a 0.5 km reach of Bear Creek/North Sydenham River (~0.01 km2), a 75 km reach of East Sydenham River (~2 km2), a 0.5 km reach of Middle Thames River (~0.02 km2), and a 45 km reach of lower Grand River (~5 km2). The newly calculated (2 km x 2 km grid) historical IAO (pre-2002) is 300 km2 (75 unique sites) (Figure 3), and the current IAO is 140 km2 for 2003-2012 (35 unique sites) (Figure 4), which represents a 53.3% decline. However, the Niagara River and Lake Erie sites were not included in the 2004 status report so percent historical decline is unknown. Number of Locations COSEWIC (2004) described five locations (Lake St. Clair Delta, Bear Creek [North Sydenham River], East Sydenham River, Middle Thames River, Lower Grand River). The Niagara River, although not surveyed in the past 10 years (on the Canadian side), has significant Zebra Mussel populations and therefore habitat is considered not conducive for successful recruitment or survival of P. sintoxia (COSEWIC 2004) and is not considered a location. The Lake St. Clair Delta and the Sydenham River sites occur in very different physical habitat (i.e., lotic versus lentic) and have different threats. Both of these populations appear to be reproducing and because the threats differ between the two, these sites are considered separate locations (#1 and #2 in Figure 2). Round Pigtoe in the North Sydenham River, site 5, showed no signs of reproduction (Figure 2). The Grand River sites (#4 in Figure 2) and the Thames River sites (#3 in Figure 2; are represented by only 3 animals) and likely have non-reproducing, senescent individuals but could be counted as another two locations. Round Pigtoe was found in McGregor Creek for the first time in 2010 and corresponds to site 6 in Figure 2, but the specimens showed no signs of reproduction. Based on the most severe threats, agricultural runoff and invasive species, the maximum number of locations for P. sintoxia could be considered to be six, but two appear to be not viable (#5 and #6), leaving four locations (Lake St. Clair Delta, Sydenham River, Thames River, and Grand River); of these, two may also be non-reproducing (Thames and Grand rivers) (Figure 2) so minimum number of locations is two. The Lake Erie sites are represented only by weathered shells in the past 10 years (Table 2); therefore this was not counted in the number of locations. New Survey Information Quadrat Surveys Since the COSEWIC 2004 status report there have been significant surveys performed from 2003-2012 in which 11 quadrat (quantitative excavation; much more extensive than traditional timed surveys) surveys found live P. sintoxia in the Sydenham River (n = 8), Thames River (n = 2), and Grand River (n = 1) (Table 1). In a pre-2002 quadrat survey in the Sydenham River (see COSEWIC 2004), P. sintoxia was found at eight quadrat survey sites. Of those sites, the species was recorded again from seven of the eight in the more recent 2003-2012 surveys. One additional site (SR-07, 0.8km west of Shetland, ON) has since been surveyed and one live individual was found. The Bear Creek site (tributary to the North Sydenham River), which had P. sintoxia previously, was re-surveyed by quadrat survey in 2012 and one live P. sintoxia was found. Two quadrat surveys were performed in the Thames River watershed where P. sintoxia had not been reported in the 2004 status report and at both sites live P. sintoxia were found. McGregor Creek, a tributary to the Thames River, was one of the Thames River watershed sites that had been surveyed in 1996 by Dr. Todd Morris (DFO; site TR-47) and no P. sintoxia were found. But, at the same site during a 2010 quadrat survey, two live P. sintoxia were found. The second Thames River site was in the Middle Thames River south of Thamesford and 25 live P. sintoxia were found during a 2004 quadrat survey. Also, six live individuals were found during a 2010 quadrat survey of site GR-21, 1.5 km downstream of York near Mount Healey in the Grand River, where live P. sintoxia had also been previously reported. v Timed Surveys During 2003-2012 there were 49 separate sampling events where P. sintoxia were found (live or shells, Table 2). Nearly half of these sampling events (n = 24) occurred in Lake St. Clair, which were snorkeling surveys. The Lake St. Clair surveys were all in the delta and were at 11 individual sites. In and around Bass Bay appears to be a stronghold for P. sintoxia, even with the presence of dreissenids, because during this period 251 live P. sintoxia were found. Sampling of Lake St. Clair did not expand the range of P. sintoxia beyond the general localities of the 2004 status report. Fifteen sampling events in the Sydenham River found evidence of P. sintoxia at seven sites during 2003-2012. All these sites were previously reported to have evidence of P. sintoxia in the 2004 status report.