The sicklefin redhorse, scientifically known as Moxostoma sp. 2, is an undescribed species in the genus Moxostoma.[2][3] It is called ugidatli ("wearing a feather")[3][4] or junghitla ("wearing a red feather")[5] by the Cherokee, referring to the fish's uniquely large dorsal fin,[4] and is also sometimes referred to as the "salmon of the South".[6] It was discovered by Western scientists in 1992.[5][7]
| Moxostoma sp. 2 | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cypriniformes |
| Family: | Catostomidae |
| Genus: | Moxostoma |
| Species: | M. sp. 2
|
| Binomial name | |
| Moxostoma sp. 2 | |
The fish was once an important food source to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians before it nearly disappeared in the 1970s and 1980s.[3] A number of groups and agencies are attempting to preserve the fish, including the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, Duke Energy, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.[8]
It is primarily found in the Hiwassee and Little Tennessee rivers,[1] where it exclusively lives, but also migrates up smaller streams including the Valley River, Brasstown Creek, Tuckasegee River, and the Oconaluftee River.[7][9]
Morphology
editThe sicklefin redhorse can reach up to 25 in (640 mm) long,[10] and weigh up to 7 lb (3.2 kg).[8] It features a large and sickle-shaped dorsal fin on its back, which is generally olive-colored but sometimes partly red.[4][10] The body is olive-colored with a brassy sheen.[10] The lower fins are primarily dusky to dark, often with a yellow or orange tint, and the tail fin of the fish is mostly red.[10]
Use by Cherokee
editThe Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians once depended on the sicklefin redhorse, as well as other large redhorse (Moxostoma) fishes, for a food supply.[3] The hunting of the fish was historically a big event and a family affair; large stone V-shaped weirs were set up in the river next to involved settlements with traps for the fish placed at their apexes.[8][clarification needed]
References
edit- ^ a b "Moxostoma sp. 2". NatureServe Explorer. NatureServe. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
- ^ Species Status Assessment Report for the Sicklefin Redhorse (Report). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 8 April 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Sicklefin Redhorse Swims Toward Success". Tennessee Valley Authority. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ a b c "The Fish that Wears a Feather". U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 2022-06-01. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ a b Samuel, Molly (30 April 2019). "Searching For The 'Salmon Of The South'". WABS.
- ^ "A New Beginning: Cherokee, Service work together to preserve the land, relationship". U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 2021-11-29. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ a b "Sicklefin Redhorse". North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ a b c Chávez, Karen (27 February 2016). "Sicklefin redhorse: A fish worth saving, and other rare species". Citizen Times.
- ^ Ellison, George. "Sicklefin redhorse and the Cherokee". Smoky Mountain News. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ a b c d "Sicklefin Redhorse". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
Further reading
edit- Favrot, Scott D.; Kwak, Thomas J. (January 2018). "Behavior and Reproductive Ecology of the Sicklefin Redhorse: An Imperiled Southern Appalachian Mountain Fish". Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. 147 (1): 204–222. Bibcode:2018TrAFS.147..204F. doi:10.1002/tafs.10010. ISSN 0002-8487.