Status, Distribution, and Length–Frequency for the Frecklebelly Madtom (Noturus munitus) in the Tombigbee River Drainage in Mississippi

Langston L. Haden^1,* and Kathryn E. Sieving²

¹University of Southern Mississippi School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth sciences, 103 Bobby Chain Technology Center (TEC), 118 College Drive #5018 Hattiesburg, MS 39406. ²Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, 2148 Riverside Drive, Jackson, MS 39202-1353. *Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist,Volume 20, Issue 1 (2021): 162–177

Abstract
Noturus munitus (Frecklebelly Madtom) is a gravel-shoal habitat specialist found in the Pearl and Mobile river drainages. Recently, the species was petitioned for federal listing, which required an evaluation of the range of the species. Therefore, we assessed the status of Frecklebelly Madtom in tributaries of the Tombigbee River in Mississippi as recent surveys are lacking. We collected Frecklebelly Madtom at 41 out of 51 sites among 3 major tributaries using a backpack electrofisher and kick-setting into a seine with an additional chain on the lead line during low flow. However, none were collected in Bull Mountain Creek. A better understanding of the connectivity among remaining populations is needed to inform future conservation efforts.

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