Acipenser brevirostrum (Shortnose Sturgeon) is an endangered fish found in eastern North American rivers. Age data are largely lacking for the species, particularly in southern rivers. Such data can be acquired by examining the annuli of the pectoral fin rays. This study's objective was to compare ages derived from the first versus second pectoral fin rays. In 2020, we obtained paired pectoral ray samples from 59 Shortnose Sturgeon from 2 Georgia rivers. After processing, 35 ray pairs were examined by 3 independent readers. Only 21% of ray pairs were assigned the exact same age; 56% of pairs were assigned ages within 1 year. There was considerable overlap in length at assigned age for both first and second pectoral rays.

Food availability resulting from anthropogenic land-use changes may have contributed to the recent increase of Cathartes aura (Turkey Vulture) and Coragyps atratus (Black Vulture) populations. We assessed anthropogenic contributions to diets of these species by analyzing 176 pellets collected from communal roosts in coastal South Carolina. To provide further insight into diets, we conducted a literature review of pellet-based studies for both species. Our pellet analyses demonstrated consumption of 12 mammal species with Odocoileus virginianus (White-tailed Deer) as the primary food item, present in 65% of samples and constituting 35% average percent volume in pellets. Mephitis mephitis (Striped Skunk) and Procyon lotor (Raccoon) were also commonly consumed. Presence of anthropogenic items in 47% of pellets indicated substantial garbage consumption. Our review consisted of 14 studies and revealed wide variability in diet across study sites, with large mammals (>15 kg) typically comprising the majority of species consumed. We suggest that increasing deer populations provide an important source of carrion for vultures in this area and likely throughout eastern North America. Ungulate populations, roadkill, and garbage appear to contribute considerably to Turkey Vulture and Black Vulture diets. As such, mitigation of human–vulture conflict will require effective garbage and roadkill management as Turkey Vulture and Black Vulture populations increasingly expand.

Platanthera integrilabia (White Fringeless Orchid) has a relatively broad but sporadic distribution across the mountainous region of the southeastern United States. Prior to this project, extant occurrences in Alabama were only documented from 9 sites, although there appears to be a large amount of suitable habitat across north Alabama. We created habitat-suitability models and selected a total of 71 medium- and high-suitability sites for surveying. We identified 3 new occurrences of this orchid. We then added these 3 occurrences and 4 additional occurrences that were part of a separate survey effort to the presence locations for creating a post-survey model. This post-survey model performed best overall and may be useful for guiding future White Fringeless Orchid surveys.

Florida scrub is a unique habitat type in the Southeastern United States. Once thought completely barren and undeserving of protection, it is now recognized for its unique geological history and high levels of endemism. Very few intact stands of Florida scrub remain today. Despite the attention given to certain taxa in this unique system, there exists a gap in the literature on the invertebrate communities in scrub wetlands, the dynamics of which are highly important for many threatened species. Herein, a list of aquatic invertebrate species from wetlands surveyed in 2017 in Martin County, FL, is presented. Several of these species represent new county records. This report provides a snapshot of the invertebrate community structure in remnant Florida Scrub habitat.

The prevalence of leech attachment on anuran taxa is largely uncharacterized. When parasitic, such relationships may regulate amphibian populations and function as an obstacle to the recovery of imperiled species. We evaluated the prevalence of leech attachment in a population of endangered Bufo (= Anaxyrus) houstonensis (Houston Toad) in Bastrop County, TX, during the spring of 2021. Of 191 toads examined, 2 (1%) were each infested with a single leech. Molecular analysis of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene identified 1 of those leeches as Helobdella austinensis. This constitutes the first reported association of H. austinensis with a vertebrate host and extends the known range of H. austinensis ∼50 km eastward. Leech attachment in this Houston Toad population is rare and the nature of the association remains unclear.

Steele Creek Park, a large municipal park in Sullivan County in northeastern Tennessee, has had nearly continuous observations of natural history data from trained naturalists for more than half a century. Here, we present a herpetofaunal list of species for the park that comprises: 10 species of frogs, 11 species of salamanders, 2 species of lizards, 11 species of snakes, and 7 species of turtles. The inventory includes 10 species previously unreported in Sullivan County. We then compared the park data with increasingly larger land areas in eastern Tennessee to establish a regional species–area curve for herpetofaunal richness that could have predictive capabilities for similar sites in the southern Appalachians.

Non-native Corbicula (Asian clam) bivalves have become established in many states across the United States. While these invasive organisms are prevalent in many areas, little is known about the distribution of the genetically and morphometrically distinct forms within the Corbicula genus. Although Corbicula have been found throughout Florida, we recorded the first known observation of Form D Corbicula in both Florida and the Atlantic watershed. Distribution information on Corbicula forms is important information for managers attempting to understand and control these invasive bivalve populations.

Reptiles exhibit a wide diversity of social systems, and while not very common, exclusive and consensual mating relationships have been documented in several lizard species including lizards from the Teiidae family. Here, we document dyadic movement behavior between an adult male and female Salvator merianae (Argentine Black and White Tegu), a large, omnivorous lizard native to Brazil, Uruguay, eastern Paraguay, and Argentina that became established as an invasive species in Florida, in the southeastern United States. Using global positioning system and very high frequency telemetry data, we documented 8–9 days of joint movement between a reproductively active male and female Tegu in Miami-Dade County, FL.

We present a new population of the fairy shrimp Eubranchipus stegosus from a property in Taylor County, FL, protected by conservation easement. This is the first record in the state and represents a substantial increase in the known distribution of the species. Eubranchipus stegosus meets the definition of critically endangered by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria, and its discovery highlights the value of conservation easements and the need for additional surveys targeting large branchiopod crustaceans in the southeastern US.

Gerreid fishes are largely thought to not exhibit sexual dimorphism or dichromatism. I describe differences in coloration that may distinguish sexes of Eugerres plumieri (Striped Mojarra) based on observations of an aggregation of smaller, more darkly colored males courting a single, larger, less boldly colored female during spawning, This record highlights the potential for sex-specific external appearances to be more widespread within the family than previously recognized.