P CM LUMBER RIVER BASIN AQUATIC INVENTORY by Gabriela B. Mottesi Nongame Biologist edited by John M. Alderman Piedmont Nongame Project Leader Cooperating Agencies: Division of Parks and Recreation, NC Natural Heritage Program NC Wildlife Resources Commission US Fish and Wildlife Service Funded by NC Natural Heritage Trust Fund NC Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Fund National Fish and Wildlife Foundation NORTH CAROLINA WILDLIFE RESOURCES COMMISSION MAY 1, 1998 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2015 https://archive.org/details/lumberriverbasin1998mott LUMBER RIVER BASIN AQUATIC INVENTORY Lumber River Lumber River 0\fi \ ♦ ' v* 4*6, .Vi4> <0 ^ /•« 1 ... J ifev <V. • vif. ■>■? Table of Contents Page Introduction and Acknowledgments 1 Aquatic Snails 3 Freshwater Mussels and Sphaeriid Clams 8 Crayfish ^ Freshwater Fish 23 Animal Facilities 36 Lumber River Basin Aquatic Inventory Introduction The Lumber River Basin encompasses 8 counties in North Carolina and extends into South Carolina. The headwaters begin in Moore and Montgomery counties and flow through Richmond. On the Hoke/Scotland county line. Drowning Creek becomes the Lumber River at SR 1412 (Scotland Co.) or Bicycle 1. The river then meanders through Robeson and Columbus counties and its tributaries reach into Bladen County. This is a black water system with the acidity levels becoming higher closer to the river. The Lumber River is considered a State Wild and Scenic River. The Lumber River State Park begins at SR 1412 in Scotland County and ends at the North Carolina/South Carolina border. The park is made up almost entirely of the Lumber River and it comprises 115 river miles and 1600 acres of land. Before the river became a state park, it was used for logging, commercial fishing, trading, and recreational purposes. Due to the concern raised by local citizens, the Division of State Parks purchased land and is in the process of acquiring more land for the park. The Lumber River State Park became available for public use in 1989. The purpose of this project was to survey for aquatic species, including crayfish, fish, snails, mussels, and sphaeriid clams. Our inventory included the Lumber River Basin in North Carolina. Figure 1 details the localities of all stations surveyed. The following sections provide information on the species in the above taxa documented at each site in the survey area. Acknowledgments The completion of this project would not have been possible without the invaluable assistance of the following people: John M. Alderman, Art Bogan, Keith W. Ashley, Alvin Braswell, Alan R. Clark, John E. Cooper, Tom Henson, Judith A. Johnson, Andrew H. McDaniel, Jr., Chris McGrath, Bob Pegram, Louis P. Polletta, Danny Smith, Wayne C. Starnes, Ken R. Taylor, Randall C. Wilson, Melissa R. Wood, and Mara Savacool Zimmerman. I would also like to thank the state park staff and the landowners who allowed us to work on their properties. Gabriela B. Mottesi 1 1 e r u g i F N I Y S A R O B T R N E E V V N I R I C R I T E A B U M Q A U L 2 Aquatic Snails Introduction There are approximately 500 species of aquatic snails currently recognized in North America. These 500 species are divided into 78 genera and 15 families (Burch 1989). In North Carolina, there are approximately 52 species representing 8 families (Adams 1990). Snails are grouped into one of two subclasses. Prosobranch snails are gill-breathing and have an operculum, which is a calcareous plate that closes the aperture when the snail withdraws into its shell. Pulmonate snails are lung-breathing and do not have an operculum to seal their aperture (Burch 1989). These animals graze on algae and other microscopic organisms using radular teeth to grind food to an appropriate size for consumption. Snails are an essential part of aquatic ecosystems, as well as indicators of water quality. However, they are typically overlooked. The lack of information and knowledge of snails can be attributed, in part, to their minute size, perceived lack of activity, cryptic habits, and difficulty in identification. Methods Study areas for this project included the aquatic habitats associated with the Lumber River Basin (Fig. 1, Introduction Section). Most habitats of the headwaters of the Lumber River Basin can be described as riffle/run with slow to fast flow. Pools of different sizes with slow flow were also present. Substrate included combinations of silt/sand/gravel/woody debris and leaf litter. Aquatic vegetation and organic debris were also present. The river habitat was slow to fast flow pools, with a silt/sand/gravel/woody debris and leaf litter substrate. Certain tributaries of the river were swampy with abundant aquatic vegetation. Throughout the basin there was a good hardwood/pine buffer with occasional cypress. The pH in this basin ranged from 4.3 - 7.2. Snails were collected throughout the Lumber River Basin (Fig. 1). Various techniques were utilized including visual and tactile searches. Due to the cryptic habits of some snail species, it was necessary to sift and dredge the substrate. All available habitats were sampled. Snails were preserved and stored in 70% ethanol. Snails and limpet snails were identified using Burch (1989) and Basch (1963). Expected distributions and the following characteristics were used to identify the specimens: presence/absence of an operculum, direction of coiling, shell size, shape, color and thickness, texture of the shell, placement of apex, shape and number of the whorls, and the shape of the apertural lip. With the acquisition of additional information, identifications may be subject to change. 3 Results and Discussion Snails were located at twenty-two of the sites surveyed (Fig. 1). At least nine species representing six families and both subclasses were found within the Lumber River Basin(Table 1). Campeloma decisum (Say, 1816), Pseudosuccinea columella (Say, 1817), Physella sp., and Helisoma anceps (Menke, 1830) were collected in the backwater areas with slow flow in the silt/sand substrate. Helisoma anceps, Pseudosuccinea columella, and Physella sp. were also found on aquatic vegetation, along with Menetus dilatatus (Gould, 1841). Campeloma decisum is considered a species complex (Adams, pers. comm. 1995). Therefore, when more information is acquired, this species complex may be separated into a few recognizable species. Gillia altilis (I. Lea, 1841) was found on aquatic vegetation. The limpet snails, Ferrissi fragilis (Tryon, 1863), Ferrissia rivularis (Say, 1817), and Laevapex fuscus (C.B. Adams, 1841), were found on the underside of the leaves of the aquatic vegetation and on rocks and woody debris in the slower current. The Lumber River Basin supports a good abundance and diversity of snails. As is shown in Table 2, most species were found in good numbers at each site. Resources Adams, W/ F. 1995. Personal comunication. Adams, W. F. (ed). 1990. A report on the conservation status of North Carolina’s Freshwater and Terrestrial Molluscan fauna. The Scientific Council on Freshwater and Terrestrial Mollusks. 246 pp. Basch, P. F. 1963. A review of the recent freshwater limpet snails of North America (Mollusca: Pulmonata). Bulletin: Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. 129(8): 399-461. Burch, J. B. 1989. North American Freshwater Snails. Malacological Publications. Hamburg, MI. 365 pp. Turgeon, D. D., et. al. 1988. Common and Scientific Names of Aquatic Invertebrates from the United States and Canada: Mollusks. American Fisheries Society. Bethesda, MA. 277 pp + figures. 4