Browsing by Subject "Ichthyology"

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9

Collection of Fishes, Museum of Zoology, Northeast Louisiana University
(University of Northeast Louisiana Fish Collection, 1995-04-12) Douglas, Neil H.
This report (the 15th and final version of a series started in 1964) describes this large collection of preserved specimens of fishes, the history of development and growth of the collection, sources of funding, and the values and uses of its specimens and associated data. Also included is a list of the major specimen contributors (collectors), as well as a list of the type specimens held in the collection. The bulk of the report is a taxonomically organized summary of all specimens in the collection at the time of publication. Subsequent to production of this report, the University of Louisiana Monroe administration announced that it was disposing of this collection, and a National Science Foundation-funded Award (#1745363, August 29, 2017), "RAPID: A regional plan to rescue the orphaned University of Louisiana Monroe Fish Collection" provided the resources to begin distribution of this collection to a consortium of regional fish collections (including Louisiana State University, Southeastern Louisiana University, Arkansas State University, the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, and University of Texas at Austin. This archive of this previously unpublished report was done as part of the process of accessioning and cataloging those specimens from Texas and surrounding states that came to the University of Texas at Austin.
Competition and Isolation Mechanishms in the Gambusia Affinis X. G. Heterochir Hybrid Swarm
(Texas Memorial Museum, The University of Texas at Austin, 1971-06) Hubbs, Clark
Fishes of Texas Project: Data Visualization and Analysis Tools
(2020-01-22) Avila, Colton; Hendrickson, Dean A.; Cohen, Adam; Casarez, Melissa
The Fishes of Texas Project (FoTX) (http://fishesoftexas.org) database currently has 124,452 specimen-vouchered occurrence records spanning > 150 years with over 400,000 new records (including non-vouchered sources such as literature, anecdotal, and photo-based) in the process of being imported. Continual data growth prompted creation of new tools to dynamically assess (as the data evolve) the state of data coverage across various dimensions to increase user understanding and accessibility to the data and improve overall utility of the project. We produced species sampling curves, temporal species accumulation graphs, and heat maps of collecting event density over time and space for each river sub-basin within Texas. A QGIS plugin was also created to better assess the suspect status of incoming records. Each type of visualization has basic documentation, easily accessible statistical summaries, flexible queries, and exploration tools to help reveal variations in sampling density over both temporal and spatial dimensions. We highlight here the San Bernard River as an example of a notably under-sampled sub-basin (as indicated by diverse forms of evidence). With addition of future records, these dynamic tools will continue to illustrate taxonomic and spatial sampling deficiencies that in turn will help guide conservation planning.
Geographic Variations in Survival of Hybrids Between Etheostomatine Fishes
(Texas Memorial Museum, The University of Texas at Austin, 1967-07) Hubbs, Clark
Comparative analyses of more than 500,000 darter eggs variously tested for fertility and viability from 1954 to 1965, and gathered from widely separated geographic locations, showed that darter hybrids were as viable as or more viable than the controls. Both reciprocals of 70 hybrid combinations were reared and more than 60 additional combinations had one reciprocal reared. Eggs were able to inhibit the activity of heterospecific sperm, especially after it had expended about one half its normal activity period; an inhibition obviously designed to reduce the effect of chance meeting of gametes in the water. Several patterns of differential survival were noted, all associated with decreased hybridization potential in sympatry. Included were the first example of postmating reinforcement of isolation mechanisms, and an example of reinforcement being masked by more significant behavioral isolation. Several hybrid combinations had more viable hybrids in one reciprocal than in the other, always occurring where one parent had a high laboratory survival and the other was difficult to rear. All examples were maternally influenced. Relative fecundity studies show that the darters in areas with many species have more and smaller eggs than equal sized females in the peripheral areas where few darter species occur.
Ichthyological Survey of the Rio Salado, Mexico
(University of Texas at Austin, 1952-01-31) Guerra, Luciano Val
A survey of the fish fauna of the Rio Salado, which runs through the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, and Coahuila, was selected as a suitable project for a Master's thesis after a thorough search of the scientific literature yielded very little information on the fish fauna of most of the Mexican rivers and none on the Rio Salado system. As an international dam is under construction across the Rio Grande at Falcon, Texas, I decided to make a study of the Rio Salado before introduction of exotic fishes disturbed the native fauna of this little-known stream system. I believe that a study of this nature would be of considerable value to fresh water fisheries work because all of the Mexican fish fauna native to Falcon Lake will come from the Rio Salado and its tributaries. After Falcon Dam is finished, the waters of the Rio Grande and its western tributaries, including the Rio Salado and its tributaries, will be impounded. With this impoundage of the waters, there will be some ecological changes in many of the stream systems concerned. These will be brought about mainly by the introduction of alien fish species into the lake and their subsequent migration into tributary waters, and by the effect of "backed-up" water in the lower Rio Salado and some of its tributaries. It has been the purpose of this work to study the ecological niches before they are changed so that fisheries planning concerning the waters of the lake may be based on sound scientific information and so that the present fauna may be compared with that which occurs after impoundage.
Interactions between a bisexual fish species and its gynogenetic sexual parasite
(Texas Memorial Museum, The University of Texas at Austin, 1964-01) Hubbs, Clark
Natural History Specimen Collections
(University of Texas Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas Marine Laboratory, 2019-05-01) Roels, Oswald A.; Hildebrand, Henry H.; Rabalais, Nancy
The University of Texas Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas Marine Laboratory, Natural History Collection of Marine Organisms was initiated in the mid-1940's. Since that time specimens have been added from studies in the Gulf of Mexico, associated estuaries, and marine-influenced terrestrial habitats, with emphasis on the Texas and Mexico coasts. These studies were the baseline surveys for this area and have resulted in the collection of valuable marine organisms. The collection now holds approximately 5,000 catalogued specimens including all forms of biota, vertebrates, invertebrates, algae and flowering plants. The collection includes the marine fish and invertebrate specimens of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, incorporated into the UTMSI-PAML collection in 1976. This state collection, numbering 3,000, is composed primarily of Texas Gulf coast species of fish and invertebrates, representing baseline surveys conducted by the state fisheries biologists. With this collection are card catalogues by specimen number and phylogenetic order. Other collections incorporated are those from R/V Oregon cruises (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, exploratory fishing vessel), H. H. Hildebrand's faunal surveys of the brown and pink shrimp grounds , Whitten et al.'s faunal survey of Texas coast jetties , J. W. Hedgepeth’s specimens collected during numerous faunal surveys, tide trap studies, and vegetation and algal surveys. Noteworthy studies from which specimens have been added to the collection are listed in Table 1. The museum collection is housed in an air-conditioned building in a room specifically designed for this collection. The present facility contains 924 square feet with 1089 square feet of shelf space, which can be trebled to accommodate BLM collections. There are at present 32 1' x 12' shelves, totaling 384 square feet; 194 18" x 12-1/2" shelves, totaling 303 square feet; and 120 11-1/2" x 42" shelves, totaling 402 5 square feet. The collection is a working museum open to the scientific community; specimens are available on loan to members of this community. Specimens may be used by visiting researchers, graduate-level students, professors, and classes. Attached is an invoice form, "Invoice of Specimens" - a standard form used for loan of collection items. The Port Aransas Marine Laboratory is committed to the continuing curation of specimens and will continue to provide the supplies necessary to maintain the natural history specimen collections. The University of Texas Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas Marine Laboratory is willing to incorporate the Bureau of Land Management collection into its collection. Funding is requested from BLM to obtain and incorporate all archived BLM specimens from the S.T.O.C.S. survey into the collection.
RAPID: A regional plan to rescue the orphaned University of Louisiana Monroe Fish Collection
(National Science Foundation, 2019-07-08) National Science Foundation
Award to enable the rescue of the orphaned Fish Collection of the University of Louisiana Monroe by a consortium of other regional fish collections
The Value of Citizen Scientists: Data Collection for American Eel Using Non-Traditional Field Gear & Social Media
(2020-01-22) Curtis, Stephen; Casarez, Melissa; Robertson, Sarah
American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) is a facultative catadromous species with a unique and complex life history. After hatching, larval eel begin their journey as leptocephalus in the Sargasso Sea and drift on ocean currents along the Atlantic coast, Gulf of Mexico, and Central and South America. They transform into glass eel as they approach shore and begin to develop pigment as they settle in estuaries or move upstream into rivers as elvers. American Eel then spend 3-40+ years in these habitats as yellow eel until they sexually mature into silver eel and return to the Sargasso Sea where they spawn and presumably die. State and federal agencies, multiple universities and numerous citizen science volunteers are working to better understand their movement patterns and recruitment window in Texas. Citizen scientists with coastal chapters of the Texas Master Naturalists (TMN) have taken a lead role in assisting with this effort. Since February of 2018, TMN have established a network of monitoring sites across the mid to upper Texas Coast to sample for juvenile American Eel using eel mops. Eel mops have been deployed for various lengths of time at 29 sites throughout the past two years and checked routinely for glass and elver eel. Volunteers have conducted approximately 250 eel mop checks and provided record of their catch by category (e.g., eel, shrimp, crab, other fish, etc.) based on occurrence or abundance. TMN have documented close to 7,000 individuals across all categories with various species of crab, shrimp, and fish being the most common groups collected. While no glass or elver eel have been collected in an eel mop, TMN have provide valuable data for this project by testing a common gear type that is often used to monitor for American Eel on the Atlantic Coast.