Goldline Darter

Percina aurolineata

Description

The Percina aurolineata (goldline darter) is a slender fish that reaches about 3 in (7 cm) in length. It is brownish-red with amber stripes along its pale to dusky upper back. It has a white belly with a series of square lateral and dorsal blotches that are separated by a pale or gold-colored longitudinal stripe.

Behavior

The fragmented populations the goldline darter in the upper Coosa and Cahaba Rivers appear to be reproducing. Any population that is stressed by a factor such as eutrophication, is more likely to succumb to disease and predation even if they are natural occurrences.

Habitat

The goldline darter can be found over a gravel or sand substrate that is interspersed among cobble and small boulders. It prefers a moderate to swift current, and water depths more than 2 ft (0.6 m).

Distribution

Historically, the goldline darter occurred in 49 mi (79 km) of the Cahaba River, and 7 mi (11 km) of the Little Cahaba River in Alabama. It has also been collected from the upper Coosa River drainage in the Coosawattee, Ellijay and Cartecay Rivers and tributaries, and in the Alabama River.

Presently, the goldline darter survives on fragmented populations in the upper Coosa River system in the Coosawattee River, Georgia, in 7 mi (11 km) of the Little Cahaba River, and in 27 mi (43 km) of the Cahaba River system in Alabama.

Threats

The range of this fish has declined due to water pollution and the construction of reservoirs. Water pollution is responsible for the decline of the gold-line darter in the Cahaba River system. There are 10 municipal wastewater treatment plants in this basin, 35 mining areas, one coal bed methane and 67 other permitted discharges. During low flows, almost all of the water in some stretches of this river are treated sewage effluent. Nutrients in the sewage are contributing to eutrophication of the river, which removes oxygen from the water, and adversely affects the fish. Eutrophication is also responsible for the decline of vascular plants in the river, which also adversely affects this species. Increased siltation resulting from surface mining, the operation of limestone quarries and cement plants, road construction, and site preparation for gas drilling operations all contribute to the degradation of water quality in this river. In the future, methane gas extraction in the basin could also affect the water quality.

In the Alabama and upper Coosa River, impoundments for hydropower, navigation, and flood control have probably wiped out all goldline darter populations in this area. These reservoirs have also fragmented and isolated the populations of this species in the Cahaba River system from those in the upper Coosa River tributary. Isolated populations are susceptible to environmental changes. This isolation threatens genetic variability as well as inhibits reproductive success.

Although some of the wastewater treatment facilities along the Cahaba river have recently been upgraded, this has not completely stopped the problem of enrichment.

Conservation and Recovery

Conservation of the goldline darter requires the protection of its remaining critical habitat, and improvement of the quality of the habitat. This will require the prevention of pollution associated with sewage, mining, and other sources. In addition, the surviving populations of the goldline darter must be monitored, and research undertaken into the biology of the species, its habitat needs, and necessary management practices.

Contacts

Ecological Services Field Office
Suite 310, 6620 Southpoint Drive, South
Jacksonville, Florida 32216-0958
Telephone: (904) 232-2580
Fax: (904) 232-2404

U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Regional Office, Division of Endangered Species
1875 Century Blvd., Suite 200
Atlanta, Georgia 30345
http://southeast.fws.gov/

Reference

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 22 April 1992. "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Threatened Status for Two Fish, the Goldline Darter (Percina aurolineata ) and Blue Shiner (Cyprinella caerulea )." Federal Register 57: 14786-14790.