TY - JOUR T1 - Bigmouth Buffalo Ictiobus cyprinellus sets freshwater teleost record as improved age analysis reveals centenarian longevity JF - Communications Biology Y1 - 2019 A1 - Lackmann, Alec R. A1 - Andrews, Allen H. A1 - Butler, Malcolm G. A1 - Bielak-Lackmann, Ewelina S. A1 - Clark, Mark E. KW - Ageing KW - Conservation biology KW - Freshwater ecology KW - Ichthyology AB - Understanding the age structure and population dynamics of harvested species is crucial for sustainability, especially in fisheries. The Bigmouth Buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus) is a fish endemic to the Mississippi and Hudson Bay drainages. A valued food-fish for centuries, they are now a prized sportfish as night bowfishing has become a million-dollar industry in the past decade. All harvest is virtually unregulated and unstudied, and Bigmouth Buffalo are declining while little is known about their biology. Using thin-sectioned otoliths and bomb-radiocarbon dating, we find Bigmouth Buffalo can reach 112 years of age, more than quadrupling previous longevity estimates, making this the oldest known freshwater teleost (~12,000 species). We document numerous populations that are comprised largely (85-90%) of individuals over 80 years old, suggesting long-term recruitment failure since dam construction in the 1930s. Our findings indicate Bigmouth Buffalo require urgent attention, while other understudied fishes may be threatened by similar ecological neglect. VL - 2 UR - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31149641/ IS - 1 ER -