Threatened fishes of the world: Percina rex (Jordan and Evermann 1889) (Percidae)

Common name: Roanoke logperch. Conservationstatus: Endangered (USA Endangered Species Act).Identification: Bulbous snout, eight to 11 lateralblotches, dorsal scrawling, orange streak on first dorsalfin especially vivid in mature males (Jenkins andBurkhead 1994). Maximum total length 165 mm (JR,unpublished data). Drawing by Michael J. Pinder.Distribution: Primarily Virginia, USA. Larger streamsin upper-Roanoke, Smith, Pigg, Otter, and Nottowayriver systems and Goose Creek (Lahey and Angermeier2006; Rosenberger 2007); populations separated bylarge reservoirs. Single North Carolina specimen fromDan River near Eden (D. Coughlan, Duke Energy,personal communication). Abundance: Uncommon torare; can vary considerably over time and space(Roberts and Angermeier 2007). Effective populationsizes largest in upper Roanoke and upper Smith rivers(Roberts et al. 2007). Habitat and ecology: Benthic;avoids heavily-silted microhabitats (Jenkins andBurkhead 1994; Rosenberger and Angermeier 2003).Overturnssubstratewithsnouttofeedonbenthicinsects(Burkhead 1983). Adults inhabit swift, gravelly rifflesto slow, sandy pools. Age—0 often in mixed-speciesschools in shallow, sand–gravel margins (Rosenbergerand Angermeier 2003; Roberts and Angermeier 2007).Adults exhibit microhabitat fidelity within riffles,occasionally undertaking reach-scale migrations(>2 km; Burkhead 1983;Robertsetal.2008).Maximum age 6.5 years (Burkhead 1983). Reproduc-tion: Matures at 2–3 years. Spawns April–May in deepruns; eggs (180–640) buried in gravel (Jenkins andBurkhead 1994). Threats: Siltation and hydrologicalteration from urbanization (Roanoke, Pigg, andOtter), channelization (upper Roanoke), water with-drawal, siltation from agriculture and forestry (Notto-way), accidental spills, and disrupted gene flow andhabitat loss from reservoir construction (all popula-tions; George and Mayden 2003; Roberts et al. 2007;Rosenberger 2007). Recommendations:Progressto-wards recovery plan (Moser 1992)recentlyreviewed(Rosenberger 2007). Watershed-level, coordinatedefforts needed to inventory threats, minimize siltation,prevent spills, and enhance population connectivity.Additional distributional surveys needed in Dan,Meherrin, and middle-Roanoke systems.