Distributional status of uncommon fishes and an amphibian from northeastern Missouri
Dates
Publication Date
1999-01
Summary
The distribution of Missouri fishes is well documented in the Fishes of Missouri. However, prairie streams in Missouri have not been sampled as intensively as Ozark streams probably because the fauna is less rich and diverse. In the mid-1980s, the Missouri Department of Conservation implemented a program (Streams for the Future) to improve the awareness and understanding of Missouri streams. Several important products are resulting from this work, one of which is a better understanding of fish distribution in the state. In my paper, I describe new distributional records for eight species of fish and one species of amphibian from the glaciated till plains of northeastern Missouri and comment on the conservation status of each. These [...]
Summary
The distribution of Missouri fishes is well documented in the Fishes of Missouri.
However, prairie streams in Missouri have not been sampled as intensively as Ozark
streams probably because the fauna is less rich and diverse. In the mid-1980s, the
Missouri Department of Conservation implemented a program (Streams for the Future)
to improve the awareness and understanding of Missouri streams. Several important
products are resulting from this work, one of which is a better understanding of fish
distribution in the state. In my paper, I describe new distributional records for eight
species of fish and one species of amphibian from the glaciated till plains of northeastern
Missouri and comment on the conservation status of each. These new records are
significant because they 1) document changes in fish distribution that may be related to
long-term changes in aquatic habitat, 2) underscore the importance of a well-designed
and frequent stream sampling strategy, and 3) have some zoogeographical implications.