Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science Volume 65 Article 15 2011 Geographic Distribution and Life History Aspects of the Freshwater Shrimps, Macrobranchium ohione and Palaemonetes kadiakensis (Decapoda: Palaemonidae), in Arkansas H. W. Robison Southern Arkansas University C. T. McAllister Eastern Oklahoma State College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas Part of the Zoology Commons Recommended Citation Robison, H. W. and McAllister, C. T. (2011) "Geographic Distribution and Life History Aspects of the Freshwater Shrimps, Macrobranchium ohione and Palaemonetes kadiakensis (Decapoda: Palaemonidae), in Arkansas," Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 65 , Article 15. Available at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol65/iss1/15 This article is available for use under the Creative Commons license: Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0). Users are able to read, download, copy, print, distribute, search, link to the full texts of these articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 65 [2011], Art. 15 Geographic Distribution and Life History Aspects of the Freshwater Shrimps, Macrobranchium ohione and Palaemonetes kadiakensis (Decapoda: Palaemonidae), in Arkansas H.W. Robison1 and C.T. McAllister2,3 1Department of Biology, Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia, AR 71754 2Science and Mathematics Division, Eastern Oklahoma State College, Idabel, OK 74745 3Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract Introduction Two species of shrimps occur in Arkansas; they Freshwater shrimp are conspicuous members of include the Ohio shrimp, Macrobrachium ohione Arkansas’ aquatic macroinvertebrate fauna, and yet, (Smith) and the Mississippi grass shrimp, have received little attention. Of the few species that Palaemonetes kadiakensis Rathbun. The present are endemic to or range into the north temperate survey is based on collections made between 1974 and regions of the Western Hemisphere, only 2 species are 2008 with additional supplemental data from museum known from Arkansas (Bouchard and Robison 1980). specimens to document the overall distribution of the 2 These 2 freshwater caridean shrimps are represented by species. Our survey found a total of only 42 specimens 2 genera in the family Palaemonidae of the crustacean of M. ohione from 6 localities (2 counties) in Arkansas, Order Decapoda. In North America, the Palaemonidae all taken from the Mississippi River. Specimens were includes 68 described species in 16 genera (Williams seined over sandy substrates in 0.6-0.9 m of water 1989) and is cosmopolitan in distribution. Caridean without vegetation. A 1914 museum collection of 5 shrimps are distinguished from crayfish by possessing individual M. ohione is the only known occurrence of 2 pairs of chelipeds while crayfish have 3 pairs as well M. ohione from Phillips County. All other specimens as major differences in body shape (Bauer 2004). were taken between 1974-1975 near the US 82 bridge The Ohio shrimp, Macrobrachium ohione (Smith), (Chicot County). It appears that M. ohione is a is migratory, the larger (up to 110 mm total length relatively rare shrimp in Arkansas. Since specimens [TL]) of the 2 species of Arkansas shrimps and was the were documented from a single drainage system basis of formerly more extensive food and bait (Mississippi River) in only 2 counties, we recommend fisheries in the Mississippi River drainage (Hedgpeth a “threatened” conservation status of M. ohione in 1949). The smaller (up to 53 mm TL) shrimp species Arkansas because of this restricted distributional range. native to Arkansas is the Mississippi grass shrimp, However, P. kadiakensis is relatively abundant in Palaemonetes kadiakensis Rathbun. This shrimp is Arkansas. This shrimp had previously been reported often used as fish bait and for fish forage in farm from 10 counties of the state. Over 3,400 specimens of ponds. Because of its limited commercial value, the P. kadiakensis were documented during this study grass shrimp has been little studied across its range from various sites in 49 counties and most were (Cheper 1988). Most published information is new released upon capture. Grass shrimp were commonly distributional records or range extensions of the species found in sluggish backwater regions of streams (Cheper 1988, 1992, Taylor 1992, Conaway and especially preferring heavily vegetated lentic areas of Hrabik 1997, Pigg and Cheper 1998, Poly and Wetzel pool regions. Mississippi grass shrimp have remained 2002, Cooper 2011). abundant and widespread in occurrence for the past 35 The Ohio shrimp is endemic to coastal rivers in the years. The Nature Conservancy lists populations of P. central and southeastern U.S., and ranges from kadiakensis as secure (G5) in rounded global status. Alabama to Texas and is on the northern periphery of Indeed, Mississippi grass shrimp populations in its range in Illinois and Ohio (Page 1985). It also Arkansas are also secure and in no need of special occurs along the Atlantic Coast from Florida to protection. Virginia (Page 1985, Taylor 1992). The Mississippi grass shrimp ranges from northeastern Mexico, north to the Great Lakes and east to Florida (Page 1985). Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 65, 2011 98 Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 2011 98 Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 65 [2011], Art. 15 Geographic Distribution and Life History Aspects of the Freshwater Shrimps, Macrobranchium ohione and Palaemonetes kadiakensis (Decapoda: Palaemonidae), in Arkansas Little is known about the distributional limits of (Appendix) is the number of specimens preserved or these shrimps in Arkansas and even less about their the total number found at an individual site. natural history, ecology, reproduction, habitat In addition to our collections, supplemental characteristics, and general biology. Limited previous museum specimens housed at the United States collecting of these species is primarily responsible for National Museum of Natural History (USNM 2009), this lack of knowledge. Surveys of aquatic Washington, D.C., Illinois Natural History Survey, macroinvertebrates of various parts of the state include Champaign, Illinois (INHS 2010), and the G. L. Harp collections of P. kadiakensis reported by Harp and Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Collection, Arkansas State Harp (1980) in Crittenden County, Cargill and Harp University, Jonesboro, Arkansas (ASUMZ) were used (1987) in Clay County, Cochran and Harp (1990) in to document the overall distribution of the 2 species in Craighead, Greene, and Poinsett counties, Chordas et the state. Previous literature dealing with these shrimp al. (1996) in Arkansas, Desha, Monroe and Phillips species was also consulted. Both our survey data and counties, and Harp and Robison (2006) in Lawrence historical county collection locales were plotted on County. maps (see Figs. 1-2). Specific objectives of our study were (1) to determine the relative abundance and precise Results and Discussion distributional limits of the range of M. ohione and P. kadiakensis; (2) to gather data on life history aspects of Our survey found a total of only 42 specimens of these shrimp species including information on habitat, M. ohione from 6 localities in 2 counties (Table 1) reproductive period, and any other biological data whereas 3,418 specimens of P. kadiakensis from 238 available; (3) to document data on ecological and localities in 49 counties (Table 2; Appendix) were habitat characteristics of these shrimp species; and (4) documented. to assess the current conservation status of M. ohione and P. kadiakensis based on the collected distributional Macrobrachium ohione (Smith, 1874) data. Taxonomic Remarks Materials and Methods Holthius (1952) revised the subfamily Palaemoninae from the Americas including all known This survey of the shrimps of Arkansas is based on U.S. species of Macrobrachium. There are 6 species of collections that we made between 1974-2008. Macrobrachium in the U.S. (Bowles et al. 2000); Collecting methods included the use of conventional however, only M. ohione inhabits the Mississippi River seines (3.1 × 1.8 m with 3.2 mm mesh or 6.1 × 1.8 m drainage in Arkansas. It is characterized by having the with 3.2 mm mesh) and standard aquatic dipnets. Most first pairs of legs chelate, the second pair of chelipeds individuals were released unharmed at the collection (pereopods 2) longer and more robust than first site; however, representative voucher specimens were chelipeds (pereopods 1), the carpus of the second leg preserved in 70% isopropanol and deposited in the not subdivided, a hepatic spine present, and the upper invertebrate collection at Southern Arkansas University edge of the rostrum curved with 9-13 teeth and a (SAU), Magnolia. The number of specimens toothless dagger-like tip. Table 1. Records of 42 M. ohione from Arkansas. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ County Locality Date Number Collector Museum Collection ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________