By Shoshana Davis
[dropcap]S[/dropcap]cientists announced that they discovered a new species of black bass that resides in the southeastern United States.
The bass was uncovered by researchers at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Researchers believe that the newly discovered fish only lives in the coastal river systems in Alabama and along the western Florida panhandle, including the Choctawhatchee River.
The Choctaw Bass was found as part of a larger genetic study of bass. / FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION
The recommended scientific name of the new fish is Micropterus haiaka, but scientists have proposed calling it the Choctaw bass, after the area the fish inhabit. The names will not become official until the American Fisheries Society approves them.
“We chose the name ‘Choctaw bass’ because the species’ range overlaps the historic range of the Choctaw Indians,” Mike Tringali, who heads the genetics laboratory at the FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute said in a statement. “As for our recommended scientific name, Micropterus haiaka, ‘haiaka’ is a Choctaw word that means ‘revealed.'”
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