Cherry darter

Cherry darter
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Percidae
Genus: Etheostoma
Species: E. etnieri
Binomial name
Etheostoma etnieri
Bouchard, 1977

The cherry darter (Etheostoma etnieri) is a ray-finned fish in the perch family, Percidae. It is only found in the upper Caney Fork system of the Cumberland River drainage in the U.S. state of Tennessee.

Appearance and anatomy

The largest males have a standard length of 63.7 mm (2.51 in) and the largest females 54.7 mm (2.15 in).[2]

Distribution

The cherry darter is endemic to the upper Caney Fork system of the Cumberland River drainage, central Tennessee. The species is limited to streams flowing over limestones of the Mississippian Eastern Highland Rim. They do not occur in cool, slightly acidic headwaters or in the lower portion of Caney Fork River system.[2] The range includes White, Putnam, Warren, Van Buren, and Grundy Counties.[3]

Ecology

Cherry darters feed primarily on aquatic invertebrates and insects, and are known to inhabit a wide range of habitats from springs and small creeks to large rivers. This species has a preference for small- to medium-sized creeks or streams and is usually collected in riffles and runs of moderate to low turbulence, especially over a gravel substrate. In larger streams and rivers, the species is typically found along the margins.[2]

Life history

Cherry darter spawning peaks in April and early May,[4] and they reach sexual maturity at the age of two.[5] The cherry darter has not been studied extensively, so little else is known of its life history.

Status

Currently, no management plan is in place for this species. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency evaluated the cherry darter in 2001 and deemed it stable and not a great conservation need for the agency.[6] Although this fish is present only within a restricted range, it is common in some parts of that range and no evidence indicates populations in general are dwindling or it is in immediate danger of extinction. For these reasons, the IUCN lists this species as being of "Least Concern".[1] The major potential threat is habitat degradation due to chemical runoff from agriculture, siltation, and in some cases effluent from mining.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 NatureServe (2013). "Etheostoma etnieri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 3.1 (3.1). International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Bouchard, R. W. (1977). "Etheostoma etnieri, a new percid fish from the Caney Fork (Cumberland) River system, Tennessee, with a redescription of the subgenus Ulocentra.". Tulane Stud. Zool. Bot (19): 105–130.
  3. 1 2 Hicks, D. T. (1990). "Distribution and life history aspects of the cherry darter, Etheostoma etnieri (Osteichthyes: Percidae)". Unpublished thesis: 56.
  4. ↑ Kuehne, R. A.; R. W. Barbour (1983). The American Darters. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. p. 177.
  5. ↑ Etnier, D. A.; W. C. Starnes (1993). The fishes of Tennessee. Knoxville, Tennessee: University of Tennessee Press. pp. xiv + 681 pp.
  6. ↑ "TWRA Fish Web File" (PDF).
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/7/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.