22 



Frank J. Schwartz, William T. Hogarth, Michael P. Weinstein 



species were freshwater fishes that had been flushed or moved into the 

 river usually following extensive rain and freshwater incursions. 

 Schwartz (1981) provided a list of such fishes. Anadromous fishes 

 ascending the river to spawn in inland freshwaters were: American shad, 

 Alosa sapidissima; alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus; blueback herring, 

 Alosa aestivalis', and hickory shad, Alosa mediocris. The diadromous 

 Americal eel, Anguilla rostrata, was widely distributed within the estu- 

 ary, whereas the conger eel, Conger oceanicus, was usually collected in 

 its higher saline parts. The bulk of the fishes collected were estuarine- 

 dependent forms (Clark et al. 1974), such as spot, Leiostomus xanthu- 

 rus; Atlantic croaker, Micropogonias undulatus; weakfish, Cynoscion 

 regalis\ flounders, Paralichthys spp.; mullets, Mugil spp., and others 

 that usually spawned offshore but used various areas of the estuary as a 

 nursery ground (Weinstein 1979; Weinstein et al. 1980, 1980). 



Adults of many species overwintered within the system (Atlantic 

 menhaden, Brevoortia tyrannus; spot; etc.), or passed north and south 

 (cownose ray, Rhinoptera bonasus; cobia, Rachycentron canadum), 

 during spring and fall migrations. The scalloped hammerhead, Sphyrna 

 lewini, and spiny dogfish, Squalus acanthias, also exhibited inshore or 

 offshore seasonal migrations. A few fishes (gobies; blennies; bay 

 anchovy, Anchoa mitchilli; killifishes, Fundulus spp.; and silversides, 

 Menidia spp.) were residents. Several species were sporadic captures 

 that either entered the river in association with sargassum (yellow chub, 

 Kyphosus incisor; Bermuda chub, Kyphosus sectatrix; planehead file- 



Table 1 . Species incorrectly reported from the Cape Fear River estuary. 



Species 



Achirus fascia tus 

 Achirus lineatus 

 Calamus leucosteus 

 Dasyatis violacea 

 Diapterus olisthostomus 

 Etheostoma nigrum 



Etropus microstomus 

 Eucinostomus lefroyi 

 Fundulus notti 



Gerres cinereus 

 Gobionellus oceanicus 

 Moxostoma pappillosum 



Rissola marginata 



Probable Species 



Trinectes maculatus 

 Trinectes maculatus 

 Calamus sp. * 

 Dasyatis sabina 

 Diapterus auratus 

 Etheostoma olmstedi 



Etropus crossotus 

 Eucinostomus argenteus 

 Fundulus lineolatus 



Diapterus auratus 

 Gobionellus boleosoma 

 Moxostoma anisurum 



Ophidion welshi 



Reference 



Smith 1907 



Louder 1963 



Smith 1907 



Lawler 1975 



Birkhead et al. 1977, 1979 



Bayless 1963; Louder 



1963; Smith 1907 



Lawler 1975 



Lawler 1975 



Bayless 1963; Copeland 



and Birkhead 1973 



Lawler 1975 



Louder 1963 



Bayless 1963; Smith 



1907; Jenkins 1970 



Lawler 1975 



* Mounted specimen at N. C. State Museum, fell apart 24 September 1975; identification doubtful. 



