Fish and aquatic plants native to Texas - any info?

[LettieHatter]

Anyone have a good source for information about native Texas aquatic plants and fish? A google search didn't turn up much. Anything, even just a list of native species would be apreciated.

Katie

[guppymax]

Re: Fish and aquatic plants native to Texas - any info?

The HLA goes on various collection trips every once in a while and we collect native fish. I have some Poecelia latipinna Hunting Bayou Steblein 2006, Gambusia afinis Hunting Bayou Duncan 2006,  Gambusia afinis Sheldon Reservoir Guppymax 2007, and Fundulus notatus Lake Houston Steblein 2007. Some of our other members have Fundulus Crysotus and ghost shrimp. We have seen a large pleco at Elenor Tinsley Park. The general public is welcome to join in any of these events and membership in the HLA is free. The Sheldon Lake Environmental Learning Center was the last trip that we collected on. There may be an opportunity to collect aquatic plants on the Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center trip. I have some baby C. paleatus by the way.

max

[Mzungu]

Re: Fish and aquatic plants native to Texas - any info?

Here are just a few that I know of:

http://www.nanfa.org/NANFAregions/tx/Fishlist41.pdf

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_bk_k0700_0717.pdf#search=%22native%20sailfin%20molly%20vertical%20stripe%22

http://www.tapms.org/

TPWD has a lot of info about native fish and plants. You can also browse around NANFA's website, and the website of the Native Fish Conservancy. We also have quite a few threads on HFB that deal with what we've found around here.

Peterson's guide to North American Freshwater Fishes (off the top of my head, hope I have the title right) is a great resource that I keep in my car at all times, just in case!

What are you interested in - do you keep natives, want to, or something else?  :)

[Mzungu]

Re: Fish and aquatic plants native to Texas - any info?

Sorry, forgot to add this one:

http://lighthouse.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_bk_w7000_0798.pdf

[guppymax]

Re: Fish and aquatic plants native to Texas - any info?

Here is another TPWD link:

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/endang/animals/fish/#livebearers

The word "native" seems a little ambiguous to me because the plecos are "introduced" and we cannot get rid of them so they are here to stay so now are they native? These introduced species were introduced at different times so maybe a date and a history lesson is required to know what is native(1900). I think the G. afinis were introduced by Harris County back in the 50's for mosquito control?

max

[Mzungu]

Re: Fish and aquatic plants native to Texas - any info?

It gets confusing, but usually in any list of plants and fish present in Texas, the species are differentiated. For example, in the NANFA checklist all Non-native species are indicated by an asterisk. There's also a wealth of information about invasive species in Texas, much more so than natives.

[Tsigoloeg]

Re: Fish and aquatic plants native to Texas - any info?

I was given a heads-up about an upcoming book to be released this June, “Freshwater Fishes of Texas a Field Guide” by Thomas, Bonner and Whiteside: $23.00, should be available at http://www.tamu.edu/press or calling 800-826-8911.

Re: semantics of 'native' vs 'exotic.' To my knowledge, the definition of an exotic species is one that is present in an area due to the actions (direct or indirect) of humans. Natives being all others. As with any definition, as we look closer and closer (i.e., at higher/finer resolution) we see this apparently precise definition become blurred. As you indicate, at what historical time do we make the cut-off? Do actions that American Indians (i.e., "Native" Americans) took count? If we truly follow the definition to the word, then we see that there can be no such thing as a "native" American, since they migrated here on their own, a "direct action" of a human. And then we get to the artificial boundaries we erect regarding spaces on the planet. As you state with the skeeterfish, people may have moved them to an area they weren't previously, but since they were from Texas to begin with, well...what the hell is Texas anyway? Some squiggles on paper. Has absolutely nothing to do with nature. And don't even get me started on time scales.

Anyway, if we step back from the gray area, there are some species that are obviously new to the ecosystems they are currently in and are causing the system to establish a new equilibrium. If we don't like the change, they are 'exotics' with a sneer; if we can't see any problem they are 'non-natives' with a shrug; and if they've been here long enough that we didn't witness the changing equilibrium they are 'natives' with a smug look down the nose. :wink:

Tsigoloeg, "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could."

[guppymax]

Re: Fish and aquatic plants native to Texas - any info?

I enjoyed that Tsigoloeg.

max

[LettieHatter]

Re: Fish and aquatic plants native to Texas - any info?

Thanks for all the info. I actually ran across the TPWD website early this morning, but was having trouble finding what I was looking for.

I have heard about the collection trips and wanted to go to Sheldon Lake with the HLA, but it was on my mom's birthday and couldn't convince her that's how she really wanted to spend the day, but I hope to be able to go on the next one.

I was actually interested because I've read some of the other threads about locally caught mollies, sheepshead, etc. and I was amazed that people would post a picture of something and someone quickly identified the species. It made me wonder if you were all pulling the information out of your head or if you were using a specific source to research. There is also ditch that surrounds my house on 2 sides. After it rains there are often little fish swimming down there(the biggest I've seen is about 2.5"). Eventually all the water dries up and they disappear. I've been meaning to catch some. In fact, I think I'll go catch some right now.

[guppymax]

Re: Fish and aquatic plants native to Texas - any info?

Cool. Just take some pictures and post them here and we will think up some important sounding latin name to call them and you can sell them for big bucks at one of the auctions. LOL

max

[LettieHatter]

Re: Fish and aquatic plants native to Texas - any info?

Here's what I caught. The largest I caught was about 1 inch long though there was a really big one in there. I thought I'd have trouble catching them (they're pretty fast) but there were so many I caught 6-8 at once. I caught about 25, observed them a little bit and picked the most active ones (4F, 3m) and I'm going to try to keep them. If I can't get them to eat in a day or two I guess I'll put them back.

They look like gambusia gaigei but TPWD says it only lives in the wild in Big Bend Nat'l Park. Some have a realy dark 'tear mark' under their eye and others look like there's no mark at all.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/bbgambus/

EDIT: a change in lighting (and finding a new picture online) has caused me to reconsider my earlier classification to one that makes much more sense gambusia affinis.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: Fish and aquatic plants native to Texas - any info?

Yep, those are Gambusia's!

Use to catch those all the time in the bayou by my house.

[guppymax]

Re: Fish and aquatic plants native to Texas - any info?

Since you caught them some where near Baytown they are Gambusia afinis. Now for the creative part. The third part of the name is where they came from. Baytown would be OK but the name of the bayou that your ditch flows into would be more creative and specific. Not Gambusia afinis Baytown but something like that. the fourth part is someone's name who went along on the fishing trip: Gambusia afinis Baytown LettieHatter. Lastly the year they were caught: Gambusia afinis Baytown LettieHatter 2007. Not all clubs agree on naming conventions but something like this will do. So they are your fish what are you going to call them?

The reason for this is heaven forbid if Gambusia afinis... were to go extinct in the wild you could restore the native fish to their native habitat. Of coarse crossing them with any other gambusia would be frowned on a lot in some circles. That would make them an aquariuim strain. You could probably get by with it in the HLA as long as you only called the offspring Gambusia as.

max

[LettieHatter]

Re: Fish and aquatic plants native to Texas - any info?

After a bit of research it seems my ditch drains into Cotton Creek. I suppose I'll folow the HLA naming format; I've been meaning to join.

I dub thee: Gambusia Affinis Cotton Creek Katie 2007 :king:

[Tsigoloeg]

Re: Fish and aquatic plants native to Texas - any info?

If I can't get them to eat in a day or two I guess I'll put them back.

They're very adaptable fish (say the Australians who call them "Damnbusia"). At first, the little female that I caught spit out flake food. I gave her some frozen brine shrimp a while. It did take a couple of weeks. She used to flee from the sight of me as well. That's all changed with all 3 of the natives (molly and sheepshead)...they all eat flake and come to the front of the fish tank when I show up.

Have fun, let us know if you find anything else cool in your ditch!