Continued:  (Barrens topminnows do not compete well in the presence of mosquitofish.) We had undertaken to remove as many mosquitofish as possible on a more or less annual basis. With the mosquitofish population under control the topminnows have persisted at this site. A barrier now prevents mosquitofish from re-entering the spring.  Numerous reintroduction efforts are currently underway on the Barrens Plateau. Unfortunately, suitable reintroduction sites not already infested with mosquitofish are rare.  Because its range is extremely restricted local extinctions threaten the continued survival of the Barrens topminnow.
 

The Barrens topminnow was the subject of Pat Rakes' thesis at the University of Tennessee.  Restricted to only a few localities on the Barrens Plateau in Cannon, Coffee, and Warren counties, Tennessee, the Barrens topminnow inhabits clear, spring-fed streams and relies on aquatic vegetation for spawning.  Now common at only a few localities, this fish is constantly threatened by habitat destruction and drought.  Barrens topminnow is considered threatened by the state of Tennessee, but enjoys no Federal protection status.

(left) Pat Rakes takes a dissolved oxygen reading at the type locality for Fundulus julisia.

 

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