08/19/2025
Glad to see the Bartram's & Altamaha bass finally made official!
𝑀𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑢𝑠 𝑝𝑢𝑐𝑝𝑢𝑔𝑔𝑦 and 𝑀𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑢𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑢𝑟𝑢𝑠, two new species of black bass are described, endemic to Atlantic Slope river drainages in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, U.S.A.
Open-access - https://mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5683.1.3
𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲
Two new species of 𝑀𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑢𝑠 (Centrarchidae) endemic to Atlantic Slope river drainages in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, U.S.A.
𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Freeman, B.J., Scott, M.C., Petersen, K.N., Bayona-Vásquez, N.J., Taylor, A.T., Hilburn, B.G., Freeman, M.C. & Wares, J.P. (2025) Two new species of 𝑀𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑢𝑠 (Centrarchidae) endemic to Atlantic Slope river drainages in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, U.S.A. Zootaxa, 5683 (1), 67–89. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5683.1.3
𝗔𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁
We describe as new species 𝑀𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑢𝑠 𝑝𝑢𝑐𝑝𝑢𝑔𝑔𝑦 Freeman & Freeman (Bartram’s Bass), sp. nov., and 𝑀𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑢𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑢𝑟𝑢𝑠 Freeman & Freeman (Altamaha Bass), sp. nov., which occur allopatrically in four river systems draining the Atlantic Slope of the southeastern United States.
In recent decades, biologists and anglers have acknowledged the existence of these two distinctive taxa of black bass, both of which were previously considered synonymous with 𝑀. 𝑐𝑜𝑜𝑠𝑎𝑒 Hubbs & Bailey (Redeye Bass). However, introgression with non-native congeners that have been widely introduced for sport-fishing (including 𝑀. ℎ𝑒𝑛𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑖 Hubbs & Bailey and 𝑀. 𝑑𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑒𝑢 Lacepède) has confounded formal description of 𝑀. 𝑝𝑢𝑐𝑝𝑢𝑔𝑔𝑦 and 𝑀. 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑢𝑟𝑢𝑠. We examined mitochondrial (mtDNA) and nuclear gene sequences of candidate type-specimens of 𝑀. 𝑝𝑢𝑐𝑝𝑢𝑔𝑔𝑦 and 𝑀. 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑢𝑟𝑢𝑠. We then used reduced-representation, short-read sequencing of candidate types along with specimens of six other 𝑀𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑢𝑠 species to identify a series of non-introgressed individuals for each of the two new species. 𝑀𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑢𝑠 𝑝𝑢𝑐𝑝𝑢𝑔𝑔𝑦 and 𝑀. 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑢𝑟𝑢𝑠 are each reciprocally monophyletic in both mitochondrial and RADseq phylogenies and are diagnosable from all other 𝑀𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑢𝑠 species and from each other in chromatic fin coloration, body pigmentation, and other morphological attributes.
𝗘𝘁𝘆𝗺𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆
𝑀𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑢𝑠 𝑝𝑢𝑐𝑝𝑢𝑔𝑔𝑦 - The trivial epithet 𝑝𝑢𝑐𝑝𝑢𝑔𝑔𝑦 honors the Seminole-Creek inhabitants of Florida, whose Chief bestowed the name “Puc Puggy”, meaning the “Flower hunter”, on William Bartram (referenced by Bartram in Part Two pp. 117–118. [pp. 184, 185 in First Edition of the Travels], as the Chief of Cuscowilla, called the Cowkeeper, “... saluting me by the name of Puc Puggy or the Flower hunter...”; Harper 1958). William Bartram’s travels in 1773-1776 brought him through the native range of 𝑀. 𝑝𝑢𝑐𝑝𝑢𝑔𝑔𝑦, where he described flora and fauna, including fish previously unknown to North American colonists (Berra 1989). Treated as a noun in apposition.
𝑀𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑢𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑢𝑟𝑢𝑠 - The trivial epithet 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑢𝑟𝑢𝑠 derives from the words 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙 -𝑖 (G), meaning beautiful, and 𝑢𝑟𝑢𝑠 (G), meaning tail (Borror 1960). Treated as a noun in apposition.
𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁
Top - (A, B) Holotype of 𝑀𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑢𝑠 𝑝𝑢𝑐𝑝𝑢𝑔𝑔𝑦 sp. nov. (GMNH Catalog no. 69437, 194.5 mm SL; A, in life; B, in alcohol). (C, D) Holotype of 𝑀𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑢𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑢𝑟𝑢𝑠 sp. nov.(GMNH Catalog no., 54394, 176.6 mm SL; C, in life; D, in alcohol).(E) 𝑀𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑢𝑠 𝑝𝑢𝑐𝑝𝑢𝑔𝑔𝑦 paratopotype (GMNH Catalog no. 69439, 217.5 mm SL). (F, G) 𝑀. 𝑝𝑢𝑐𝑝𝑢𝑔𝑔𝑦 𝑥 𝑀. ℎ𝑒𝑛𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑖 hybrids from (F) same locale as holotype (GMNHTC 16663, 222 mm SL) and (G) from Chauga River (GMNHTC 16748, 161.5 mm SL). (H, I, J) 𝑀𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑢𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑢𝑟𝑢𝑠 paratypes from Little River (H; GMNH Catalog no. 53907, 129.8 mm SL), Jack’s Creek (I; NCSM 117010, 120.25 mm SL), and Tobesofkee Creek (J; GMNH Catalog no. 69454, 182.25 mm SL). Asterisks denote holotypes.
Bottom - The range of the Redeye Bass Clade (comprising, from west to east, 𝑀𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑢𝑠 𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑠, 𝑀. 𝑐𝑎ℎ𝑎𝑏𝑎𝑒, 𝑀. 𝑐𝑜𝑜𝑠𝑎𝑒, 𝑀. 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑜𝑠𝑎𝑒, 𝑀. 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑎ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑒, and the two taxa described herein, 𝑀. 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑢𝑟𝑢𝑠 sp. nov.and 𝑀. 𝑝𝑢𝑐𝑝𝑢𝑔𝑔𝑦 sp. nov.The eastern mitochondrial clade identified by Freeman et al. (2015) is outlined in black. The dashed line represents the Fall Line. Locations for type specimens are represented by black triangles for 𝑀. 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑢𝑟𝑢𝑠 and solid black circles for 𝑀. 𝑝𝑢𝑐𝑝𝑢𝑔𝑔𝑦. The holotype localities for each new taxon are depicted by a circle with a star. The eastern-most locality plotted for 𝑀. 𝑝𝑢𝑐𝑝𝑢𝑔𝑔𝑦 is the Enoree River in the Broad River system.
Copyright © 2025 the Author(s). Published in the Zootaxa journal. This paper is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY-4.0) licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
