The Chesapeake logperch (''Percina bimaculata'') is a small species of freshwater

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...

, a darter from the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

Etheostomatinae Etheostomatinae is a species-rich subfamily of freshwater ray-finned fish, the members of which are commonly known as the darters. The subfamily is part of the family Percidae which also includes the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. The family ...

, part of the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Percidae The Percidae are a family of ray-finned fish, part of the order Perciformes, which are found in fresh and brackish waters of the Northern Hemisphere. The majority are Nearctic, but there are also Palearctic species. The family contains nearly 250 ...

, which also contains the

perch Perch is a common name for freshwater fish from the genus ''Perca'', which belongs to the family Percidae of the large order Perciformes. The name comes from , meaning the type species of this genus, the European perch (''P. fluviatilis'') ...

es, ruffes and pikeperches. It is found in the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

drainages. It prefers gravel runs and riffles of small to medium-sized rivers.

Distribution

The Chesapeake logperch (''Percina bimaculata'') is located in the Northeast region of the United States. Historically, it is known for being located in the

watershed in the district of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. This range included the lower

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

basin of Pennsylvania and Maryland, as well as the middle to lower

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

basin of Maryland, Virginia, and District of Columbia. However, the Chesapeake logperch's presence has not been recorded from the Potomac River basin since the 1930s and is currently found in the lower Susquehanna River basin as well as Winters Run and the

North East River The North East River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Entirely tidal, it extends for about U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 from the town ...

, which drain into the upper portion of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

Habitat

The Chesapeake logperch are freshwater, benthopelagic fish that live near gravel runs and riffles in clear, medium-sized rivers. Flowing pools associated with areas that contain large rocks and boulders are also likely habitats. All known collections have been observed in large river habitats or near the mouth of tributaries that drain into large rivers. Little is known about their reproductive habitats.

Taxonomy

Formerly, the Chesapeake logperch was included in ''Percina caprodes'', however, based on morphological and molecular data, Near (2008) determined that it warrants recognition as a distinct species with limited global distribution restricted to the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Currently, the Chesapeake logperch is defined under ''Percina bimaculata'' and found under the class

Actinopterygii Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class (biology), class of Osteichthyes, bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built ...

, or ray-finned fishes. Genetic analyses of the Chesapeake logperch revealed multiple morphologically distinct characteristics from the common logperch. The Chesapeake logperch usually has the following combination of characteristics: 7 to 11 irregular lateral bars; orange-yellow band as well as spines located on the anterior dorsal fin (poorly defined in females), nape of adults naked, breast naked except for modified breast scales, supra occipital and preceptorial naked, and no preceptorial blotch. Their scales are generally harsh and rough to the feel, commonly known as having ctenoid scales. Located on the pelvic fin is one spine along with several fin rays which are positioned under the belly, back near the anus in the abdominal position.

Research & Recovery

Currently, the Chesapeake logperch is classified as threatened by the states of Pennsylvania and Maryland due to its limited global distribution within only a small portion of its historical range. In 2019, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) funded a project led by th
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
(PFBC) to study the life history of the species and begin efforts to restore populations of Chesapeake logperch to previous native habitat where the fish are no longer present. As part of the project, adult brood stock were collected from several tributaries of the Susquehanna River and approximately 1,500 juvenile fish were cultured at laboratories a
Conservation Fisheries, Inc.
in Knoxville, Tennessee, and under the direction of Distinguished Professor of Ichthyology, Jay Stauffer, Jr., PhD a
Penn State University
in State College, Pennsylvania. On September 26, 2019, the PFBC along with project partners including the USFWS, Penn State University
Susquehanna River Basin Commission
Pennsylvania Biological Survey
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
and Conservation Fisheries, Inc. successfully released 1,500 healthy Chesapeake Logperch juveniles into Chiques Creek, near Columbia, Lancaster County, PA. Future research will include surveys of the area to determine the survival of the introduced fish and gauge natural reproduction and recruitment.

Video

'
A video of the research and recovery project was produced by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and can be found here.
''

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Percina bimaculata bimaculata Fish described in 1844 Taxa named by Samuel Stehman Haldeman