Coal darter

Coal darter
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Division: Teleostei
Order: Perciformes
Family: Percidae
Genus: Percina
Species:
P. brevicauda
Binomial name
Percina brevicauda
Suttkus & Bart, 1994

The coal darter (Percina brevicauda) is a small species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is found in eastern Mobile Bay basin, Alabama. The species' stronghold is in the main channel of the Cahaba River, primarily above the Fall Line. It prefers gravel runs and riffles of small to medium-sized rivers.

The greatest threats to the species are the effects of pollution and urbanization. There are serious water quality problems during low water periods in the upper portion of the Cahaba River. The upper Cahaba River receives approximately half of its flow from waste water treatment plants and encompasses about 2/3 of the known range. Additionally, continued urbanization is resulting in increased siltation. Impoundments have fragmented the range.

Conservation status

In December 2023, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the coal darter as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, citing the species' disappearance from roughly half of its historical range within the Black Warrior, Cahaba, and lower Coosa river systems. As of early 2026 the agency had not finalized the listing. On April 7, 2026, the Center for Biological Diversity sued the Fish and Wildlife Service over the delay, noting that the administration had not finalized Endangered Species Act protection for any species since taking office in January 2025.

References

  1. 1 2 NatureServe (2013). "Percina brevicauda". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013 e.T202571A19033499. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T202571A19033499.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Suttkus, R. D.; B. A. Thompson & H. L. Bart Jr. (1994). "Two new darters, Percina (Cottogaster), from the southeastern United States, with a review of the subgenus". Occasional Papers Tulane University Museum of Natural History (4): 1–46.
  3. ↑ "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Threatened Species Status for Coal Darter With Section 4(d) Rule". Federal Register. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. December 21, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration's Failure to Protect Rare Alabama Fish" (Press release). Center for Biological Diversity. April 7, 2026. Retrieved August 17, 2026.