A Preliminary Analysis of the Freshwater Mussel (Unionacea) Community Inhabiting Big Piney Creek, Arkansas

	Texas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society

From the 2000 Joint Meeting of the Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas Chapters of the American Fisheries Society held in Bossier City, Louisiana.

A Preliminary Analysis of the Freshwater Mussel (Unionacea) Community Inhabiting Big Piney Creek, Newton, Johnson and
Pope Counties, Arkansas

Davidson, C., Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, Box 8913, 8001 National Dr., Little Rock, AR 72219

Antwine, M., C. Jones, and J. Stoeckel, Arkansas Tech University, Department of Biological Sciences, Russellville, AR 72801

Hilburn, C., U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, Russellville, AR 72801

Qualitative and quantitative data on the mussel community of the upper and middle reaches of Big Piney Creek, Arkansas do not exist. During August and September, 1999, we surveyed from approximately 3.2 km downstream of Limestone, Arkansas to the Highway 164 bridge, and collected 343 mussels (259 live and 84 relict individuals) from 10 beds and 12 aggregations. Twenty species were identified during our survey, and an additional five species are known to occur in Piney Bay, a lower portion of Piney Creek flooded by Lake Dardanelle. The predominant species of mussel found was Actinonaias ligamentina (48.3% of the total number). Areas of mussel beds ranged from 10 m² to 525 m², densities of mussels within beds ranged from 0.9 mussels/m² to 6.4 mussels/m² . Shell dimensions were indicative of a mature mussel population, but no juvenile mussels were collected. However, we observed gravid females of several species. Information on species composition, locations of mussel aggregations, and densities of mussels within the beds provides base-line data for long-term tracking of trends within the mussel community, and can be used to more effectively manage Big Piney Creek and its watershed.

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