William S. Woolcott

Food habits and distribution of the fishes of Tuckahoe Creek, Virginia, with special emphasis on the bluegill,Lepomis m. macrochirus rafinesque

The food habits (1,773 individuals) and the distribution (2,056 individuals) of 9 families, 26 genera, and 32 species of fishes, were determined for Tuckahoe Creek, a lower piedmont tributary of the James River, Virginia. These species represent 41% of the freshwater fishes known for the entire river basin. Five species accounted for 69% of the collection:Etheostoma nigrum (20%),Lepomis macrochirus (18%),Hybopsis leptocephala (15%),Notropis cornutus (11%), andAphredoderus sayanus (5%). Within the upper twothirds of the creek there was a trend for the number of species to increase in a downstream direction.

Spawning Behaviors in the Bluehead Chub, Nocomis Leptocephalus, River Chub, N. Micropogon and Central Stoneroller, Campostoma Anomalum

Abstract Spawning behaviors were filmed and observed in the nest-building minnows, the bluehead chub, Nocomis leptocephalus, and river chub, N. micropogon. Analysis of videotapes exposed previously unreported behaviors (e.g., female retroflexure) and a precise sequence of male-female interactions that coordinated a successful spawn. Reproductive behaviors were classified into six sequential categories (interim, approach, alignment, run, clasp, dissociation) to facilitate interspecific comparisons. The most conspicuous differences between species involved the intensity of the females retroflexure and the males spawning clasp (strong in N. leptocephalus vs. weak in N. micropogon) and reproductive behaviors of subordinate males. In N. leptocephalus, subordinate males spawned concurrently and independently of the resident male over a communal nest, whereas in N. micropogon a subordinate acted like a satellite male and stole spawns from the nest-building male. In addition, heterogeneric spawning clasps involving a male and female N. leptocephalus and a male central stoneroller, Campostoma anomalum, are newly described.

Reproductive-behavioral Phylogenetics of Nocomis Species-groups

-Descriptions of nest construction and reproductive behaviors of Nocomis species, identified from field observations and laboratory analysis of video tapes, are used to evaluate previous species-group designations (biguttatus, leptocephalus and micropogon) based on morphology. Three behavioral synapomorphies, the three-stage process of nest construction (excavating a concavity, forming a platform and building a mound), pit fanning of spawning troughs and pits with the anal fin of nesting males, and circle swims (reported for the first time) support the monophyly of Nocomis. Nocomis biguttatus and N. leptocephalus form a monophyletic group based on two behavioral synapomorphies (spawning pit excavation and covering eggs after spawning).

Descriptive and comparative osteology of the young of three species of flounders, genusParalichthys

A comparative skeletal study was made of the young (10–130 mm) of three closely related species of flounders (Paralichthys dentatus, P. lethostigma, and P. albigutta), which occur along the southeastern Atlantic Coast of the United States. The young flounders are difficult to identify unless the pigment pattern is developed, and this usually does not occur in specimens less than 40 mm long.

Infraspecific Variation in the White Perch, Roccus americanus (Gmelin)'

A study of the variation pattern inRoccus americanus was made to determine whether various populations differed and if so on what level. The results were compared with that of the striped bass,R. saxatilis, which occurs sympatrically over a part of the range. Counts of fin rays and scales and measurements of various body parts were made on over 1,400 specimens. The data are presented as frequency distributions.

Reproductive Cycle and Embryonic Development of Nerodia taxispilota (Serpentes: Colubridae) at the Northeastern Edge of its Range

The seasonal reproductive cycle of Nerodia taxispilota in southeastern Virginia resembles that of other temperate zone colubrids. Testes are small during AprilJune, largest in Aug. and then decrease in size during Sept.-Nov. Spermatozoa produced in late summer are stored in the vas deferens through winter and used the following spring. The female cycle is annual. Vitellogenesis occurs during April-early June, ovulation in late June and parturition early to mid-Sept. Fecundity increases with increasing female body size. Mean total clutch size is 33.9 and mean clutch size of full-term embryos is 28.0. Sequential stages of embryonic development are described. Males average significantly smaller than females. Percentage of tail breaks are about equal in both sexes, but adults have higher proportions of tail breakage than juveniles. Sex ratios do not differ significantly from 1:1; however, males predominate in autumn.

The mountain stripeback darter,Percina notogramma montuosa, n. ssp. from upper James River, Virginia

Percina notogramma montuosa is described from 50 specimens taken in the tributaries of the upper James River. It is best separated fromPercina notogramma notogramma (which inhabits the Rappahannock, York, Potomac, and Patuxent Rivers and the lower James), on the basis of more lateral-line scales (average difference 89%) and more scales around the caudal peduncle (average difference 79%). A comparison of the meristic indices resulted in an average difference of 96%. Of 31 meristic and proportional characters 18 were found to give statistically significant differences.

A study of the fish community in the vicinity of a thermal discharge in the James River, Virginia

The size, species composition and structure of the fish community in a 9.6 km stretch of the James River in the Piedmont Province of Virginia were analyzed. Twenty collections were made by electrofishing from October 1972 through September 1973 from both the north side of the river, which received a thermal discharge from an electric power station (ΔT4-14C at outfall), and the south side where temperatures were ambient. Parameters investigated were number of species, total number of individuals and the Shannon-Wiener and evenness indices of species diversity. Differences were found to exist in community structure among seasons within both the ambient and thermally influenced zones. In the ambient zone all parameters showed significant seasonal change with values lower in the winter. At the outfall station significant seasonal change occurred for only the diversity and evenness indices with values lower in the summer. Average total abundance remained lower within all seasons at the outfall station than in the ambient zone. As temperatures declined downstream from the point of effluent discharge parameter values more closely approached those on the unheated side of the river.