For the best experience, please use a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox, or Edge. The rough pigtoe (Pleurobema plenum) is an endangered mussel whose shell has a satin-like appearance. Fisher, R.A. Wong, M.J. Stangl, and J.H. The littlewing pearlymussel (Pegias fabula) is a small endangered mussel that can be found in cool, clear and relatively high gradient streams of the Cumberland and Tennessee river systems. The flattened tail acts as a rudder. Poor water quality and habitat conditions have led to its decline. A Nuclear DNA Perspective on Delineating Evolutionarily Significant Lineages in Polyploids: The Case of the Endangered Shortnose Sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum), King, T.L., A.P. Poor water quality and habitat conditions led to the decline of the pink mucket, like many freshwater mussels. — The Chesapeake Bay is a nursery to two very unique and endangered fish, the Atlantic sturgeon and shortnose sturgeon. More about this fish. Unlike Atlantic sturgeon, shortnose sturgeon tend to spend relatively little time in the ocean. More on this mussel. In the spring, adults move far upstream and away from saltwater, to spawn. Randall, J.E. More about this mussel. Shortnose sturgeon remained on the endangered species list with the enactment of the ESA in 1973. It is found in headwater springs and mountain bog areas, and is primarily threatened by the indirect effects of off-site activities and development, such as pollution, introduction of invasive species, and subtle changes in groundwater and surface water hydrology. Mussels require clean water, and their decline often signals a decline in the river's water quality. The gray bat lives in a limited geographic area, only appearing in limestone karst in the southeastern U.S., and only summer populations of the gray bat reside in Virginia. Peterson, A.W. This tiny water creature grows to a maximum length of less than one inch. Closing the Delmarva fox squirrel hunting season after listing also reduced mortality and probably enabled populations in some areas to rebuild. More on this plant. Dependent on factors such as fire and mowing to maintain the open conditions it requires, this endangered plant is found in communities where grasses and sedges are numerous. These eggs are considered a delicacy to humans – Beluga (sturgeon) caviar costs over $2000 a pound! The tracking of endangered aquatic species is important to understanding their migration and spawning patterns. Presentations were on the following topics: The first author listed on each abstract was the presenting author. ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. More about this mussel. The red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) is a fairly nondescript woodpecker, slightly larger than a bluebird. Shortnose sturgeon is an anadromous North American acipenserid that since 1973 has been designated as federally endangered in US waters. Marine life such as sturgeon and other at-risk species are acoustically tagged by researchers on the East Coast and then detected by monitors such as the ones APG has deployed. No image for the Virginia fringed mountain snail. Dunton, M.G. Over the years, we have also transferred some shortnose sturgeon to other facilities such as the Maritime Museum in Norwalk to give our current animals more space. More on this plant. They also have a larger mouth, shorer snout which is bluntly V-shaped. Shoreline hardening poses the biggest threat to remaining sites occupied by the beetle. Migration Patterns of the Pamunkey River Spawning Stock, Atlantic Sturgeon Movements in the Gulf of Maine With Special Attention on the Kennebec System and Penobscot Estuary, Zydlewski, G.B., G.S. If they can defy the odds and make it that far, an adult female can lay from 20,000 to 200,000 eggs based upon her size. Biologists believe the endangered (Quadrula sparsa) exists only in a small area of the Powell River in Tennessee and Virginia, and the Clinch River in Virginia. Mussels require clean water, and their decline often signals a decline in the river's water quality. Breece, L.M. Establishing new populations through translocations and overall growth of the range-wide population primarily reduced the risk of extinction and contributed to its improvement. The sturgeon's coloring typically is dark brown along the upper (dorsal) side, shading to a creamy white-colored belly (Wakeford 2001). Habeck, and I. Wirgin, Behavioral Responses of Sub-adult Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) to Electromagnetic and Magnetic Fields Under Laboratory Conditions, McIntyre, A., G. Garman, A. Filippas, and C. Deloglos, Contaminant and Co-stressor Effects on the Early Life-Stages of Shortnose and Atlantic Sturgeons, Chambers, R.C., A.C. Candelmo, E.A. More about this mussel. More on this plant. The fluted kidneyshell (Ptychobranchus subtentum) has been proposed for protection as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The Service is working with partners to protect satyr habitat and hopefully increase and establish self- sustaining populations. Over the past few years wildlife officials in Virginia have begun banding efforts to track individuals in terms of survival and movement from summer colonies to hibernacula. Poor water quality and habitat conditions have led to the decline of this mussel, like many freshwater mussels. The endangered sheepnose (Plethobasus cyphyus) is found in the shallow areas of larger streams across the Midwest and Southeast, including Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. Other members of this genus live in the mountains of East Asia, including Japan and the Himalayas. Like sharks, sturgeon have a single dorsal (back) fin, and their tails are both heterocercal or asymmetrical (or the top fork is longer than the bottom). The biggest threat to their survival is loss and modification of critical habitat. Lets just hope we havent yet pushed them past the point of no return. More on this beetle. More on this plant. The spruce-fir moss spider only lives on the highest mountain peaks in the southern Appalachian Mountains in spruce-fir forests. Specific causes include impoundments, dredged or altered stream channels, chemical contaminants, mining and sedimentation. It has been eliminated from the majority of its range and now occurs in isolated reaches of several streams. Both are (mostly) cartilaginous and move in a similar sinuous manner. Wippelhauser, J. Sulikowski, M. Kieffer, M. Altenritter, and M. Kinnison, Coastal Spawning Migrations of Shortnose Sturgeon in the Gulf of Maine, Kieffer, M., G. Wippelhauser, J. Sulikowski, Annual Movement Patterns of Roanoke River Atlantic Sturgeon, Including Inter-Distinct Population Segment Marine Movements and Spawning Periodicity, Continental Shelf Habitat of Atlantic Sturgeon Based on the Annual Cooperative Winter Tagging Cruises, 1988–2013, Coastal Movements of Atlantic Sturgeon Within the Mid-Atlantic Bight, Dunton, K.J., M.C. Females raise up to one offspring (called a pup) per year, born in June or July. Aunins, B.L. Virginia big-eared bats are extremely sensitive to human disturbance. Poor water quality and habitat conditions have led to the decline of the spectaclecase, like many freshwater mussels. Populations of the endangered cracking pearlymussel (Hemistena lata) in the Powell and Clinch rivers, Virginia and Tennessee, continue to decline from impacts of activities including coal mining and wastewater discharges. In 2010, a live specimen was found during a two-year comprehensive land snail survey. It is found only in portions of the Cumberland and Tennessee River systems of Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee and Virginia. Maryland’s State Dessert: Smith Island Cake. Reynolds, and K.J. The Roanoke logperch (Percina rex) is a small fish growing to 5 inches in length that feeds on invertebrates by flipping stones on the stream bottom with its snout. It has a cylindrical body and compared to the Atlantic sturgeon, its head and snout are relatively small. Attaining brilliant black, red, and gold spawning coloration in the late spring and early summer, blackside dace reach up to three inches in length and have a three-year life span.