• Source: Sicklefin redhorse

The sicklefin redhorse, scientifically known as Moxostoma sp. 2, is an undescribed species in the genus Moxostoma. It is called ugidatli ("wearing a feather") or junghitla ("wearing a red feather") by the Cherokee, referring to the fish's uniquely large dorsal fin, and is also sometimes referred to as the "salmon of the South". It was discovered by Western scientists in 1992.
The fish was once an important food source to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians before it nearly disappeared in the 1970s and 1980s. 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.
It is primarily found in the Hiwassee and Little Tennessee rivers, where it exclusively lives, but also migrates up smaller streams including the Valley River, Brasstown Creek, Tuckasegee River, and the Oconaluftee River.




Morphology


The sicklefin redhorse can reach up to 25 in (640 mm) long, and weigh up to 7 lb (3.2 kg). It features a large and sickle-shaped dorsal fin on its back, which is generally olive-colored but sometimes partly red. The body is olive-colored with a brassy sheen. 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.




Use by Cherokee


The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians once depended on the sicklefin redhorse, as well as other large redhorse (Moxostoma) fishes, for a food supply. 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.




References






Further reading


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.

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Sicklefin redhorse
• Moxostoma
• Rough fish
• Game fish
• List of fishes of Tennessee
• List of fishes of Kansas
• List of least concern fishes
• Wounded darter
• List of fishes of Montana
• List of endangered fishes