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... specimens formosa. The southeastern portion the county is primarily flatwoods with numerous wetlands and low gradient streams compared to the remainder of the county, which is typified by a more upland habitat with greater relief and greater stream gradients. It is postulated that the greater stream gradients inhibited the migration of H. formosa into the southwestern and northern portions of the county. Key Words: Heterandria formosa, Distribution, South Georgia, Flatwoods
INTRODUCTION
Heterandria formosa, the smallest fish in North America, is one of three members of the family Poeciliidae occurring naturally in Georgia (1). Heterandria formosa is the only North American representative of its genus; all others occurring from the Yucatan peninsula south into Central America (2). It is distinguished form other members of the family found in Georgia by a dark horizontal bar with smaller dark vertical bars along the body and a dorsal fin with a distinct ocellus surrounded by red (3). Heterandria formosa occupies well vegetated shallow, lentic waters and is known to occur in both fresh and brackish waters along the periphery of creeks, ponds, swamps, and lakes (4), (5). Other than the entire peninsula of Florida, the distribution of H. formosa is restricted to the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains ranging from the Sabine River, Orange County, Texas (6) to the Cape Fear River, North Carolina (1). Heretofore, it was not known to be found more than 161 km inland (7).
Prior to this report, no populations were known form Lowndes County, Georgia. Here we report newly discovered populations in Lowndes County, Georgia, which also represent the western-most distribution of the species in southern Georgia. Analyses of population structure and geophysical and hydrological factors that may limit the species distribution are also provided.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Thirty-seven locations (Appendix) were sampled in Lowndes County, Georgia, from 21 February to 13 April 2003. Locations sampled were at the junctions of creeks and roads. Sample sites were as uniformly distributed across the county as possible. Sites were sampled by dip netting along the edges of the creeks in areas with or without vegetation. Mesh sizes of the nets ranged from 1.5 to 4.0 mm. When present, one to 11 specimens were collected from each site. Specimens were immediately preserved in a 10% formalin solution, washed in water for 20 hours and preserved in 55% isopropyl alcohol. All specimens were archived in the Valdosta State University ichthyology collection. Standard length (SL) to the nearest 0.1mm and sex were determined for all specimens collected.
DeLorme 3-D TopoQuads (8) maps for the state of Georgia were used to determine longitude, latitude,...
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