Two University researchers discovered a new fish species while surveying the finned inhabitants of Flint River in Americus.

Byron and Mary Freeman, researchers in the Odum School of Ecology, spotted a darter fish with a “striking orange color in its fins” that differed from the Blackbanded darter typically found in the southwest Georgia River, according to a University press release.

Dubbed the Halloween darter, this fish claims its habitat in shoals – or rapid water currents over rocky areas.

As shoals disappear with the rise of dams and the removal of rock shoals for easier river navigation, tracking the Halloween darter will provide “definite implications for preservation strategies,” Mary Freeman said in a news release.

The fish is common to only a few areas of the Chattahoochee and Flint River systems because it requires habitats with swift water currents over rocky areas.

In addition to the Freemans, the research team included Noel Burkhead of the U.S. Geological Survey and Carrie Straight, a Ph.D. student at the Odum School of Ecology.

Landscape architecture tops rankings

The University’s landscape architecture programs in the College of Environment and Design received top national rankings, continuing a five-year streak of landing in the top five.

The bachelor’s program ranked first in the nation and the master’s program ranked second in the 2009 edition of America’s Best Architecture Design and Schools.

America’s Best Architecture Design and Schools’ ranking system is equivalent to the U.S. News and World Report’s college rankings, according to a Jan. 5 news release.

Graduates of the College of Environment and Design also placed first in three of seven skill assessments including sustainable design, security design and computer applications, according to the release. Graduates also ranked high on assessments-analysis and construction methods.

- University News Services