Re: NANFA-- NANFA Beautiful Day for swimming with sculpins

Bruce Stallsmith (fundulus_at_hotmail.com)
Sat, 03 Aug 2002 20:01:58 -0400

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Jon, if you live near Birmingham (I'd guess you do...) you could try to
contact Bob Stiles at Samson University for information about the pygmy
sculpin. He's done survey work on the population over the last 2-3 years
with other people. Dave Neely, not currently on this list, is another good
contact about sculpins in general (honestly, anything you want to know about
them!). But Dave's out West herping with some friends, so he's outta touch
until later this month I suspect.

I don't know exactly why this species has been renamed, but my guess is that
there's a long history of competing descriptions going back decades, and the
specific name _paulus_ may have precedence. Or, the species has been
redescribed to better separate it from others, and this redescription is
fundamental enough that a new specific name is warranted. I think that J.D.
Williams is at Alabama/Tuscaloosa, you could track him down and ask...

--Bruce Stallsmith
Huntsville, AL, US of A

>From: Phobos1969_at_aol.com
>Reply-To: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
>To: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
>Subject: NANFA-- NANFA Beautiful Day for swimming with sculpins
>Date: Sat, 03 Aug 2002 18:12:27 -0400
>
>Hello all, I've been doing some snorkeling in Coldwater creek today and
>with the specifics of the fish still crisp in my head I need a good place
>to view images of various sculpins so I can identify this little guys.
>Also, I saw what appeared to be a pike today? Do pike like in cold clear
>creeks this far south? And does anybody know what prompted J. D. Williams
>to rename Cottus Pygmaeus to Cottus Paulus back in 2000?
>
> Save the Pygmy Sculpin!!!!
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