ORCID

Fast: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5476-5330; Pounders: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1523-5761; Peterson: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-4664-1722; Sandel: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9083-9202

MSU Affiliations

Forest and Wildlife Research Center; College of Forest Resources; Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture

Item Type

Research Data

Abstract

The Spring Pygmy Sunfish, Elassoma alabamae (Mayden, 1993), is a small species of sunfish (Centrarchiformes: Centrarchidae) endemic to tributaries to the middle Tennessee River in north Alabama. Elassoma alabamae is the most geographically restricted member of Elassoma and the only species found above the fall line. This species was twice considered extinct and was listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as threatened in 2013. To date, surveys for this species have been limited to traditional invasive methods using dipnets and seines. In order to reduce impacts on sensitive populations, we sequenced the mitochondrial genome with the intent of developing a species-specific noninvasive environmental DNA (eDNA) assay. Mitochondrial genomes were sequenced from two specimens collected from Blackwell Swamp, Alabama, U.S.A. using Oxford Nanopore Technology. We present a circular mitochondrial genome map of E. alabamae containing two ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), and one control region (D-loop). Maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis of E. alabamae supports membership in the family Centrarchidae, corroborating published research. The mitochondrial genome sequence of E. alabamae will serve as a resource for conservation managers seeking to obtain noninvasive survey data from eDNA.

Creation Date

5-8-2026

Publication Date

2026

Download

Share

COinS