The western sand darter (''Ammocrypta clara'') is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Etheostomatinae Etheosomatidae is a species rich subfamily of freshwater ray-finned fish, the members of which are commonly known as the darters. The subfamily is part of the family Percidae which also includes the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. The famil ...

, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is native to the central United States.

Distribution

The western sand darter occurs in river systems from

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

to Texas, including several sections of the Mississippi Basin. Its range extends as far east as the Elk River in West Virginia. The general habitat of the Western Sand Darter

The general habitat of the Western Sand Darter

Description

This species is up to 7.1 centimeters in length. It is slender and nearly cylindrical in shape. It is pale, translucent silvery white with yellowish coloration along the back. It is distinguished from other sand darters the lack of dark bands or blotches, and by a spine on its operculum.

Biology

This fish lives in medium and large rivers, over sandy and gravel substrates. It requires loose substrate, because it spends much of its time buried in the sand with just its head protruding. This behavior helps it reach cooler temperatures. It feeds on invertebrates, especially the larvae of aquatic insects. It spawns in summer, starting in June in northern regions and May farther south. Females produce an average of 57 eggs at a time, with larger females producing more eggs.

Taxonomy

The Western sand darter was first formally described in 1885 by the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

ichthyologist Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish ( Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 33,400 species of fish had been described as of Octobe ...

s David Starr Jordan (1851-1931) and Seth Eugene Meek (1859-1914) with the

type locality Type locality may refer to: * Type locality (biology) * Type locality (geology) See also * Local (disambiguation) * Locality (disambiguation) {{disambiguation ...

given as the Des Moines River at

Ottumwa, Iowa Ottumwa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Wapello County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,529 at the time of the 2020 U.S. Census. Located in the state's southeastern section, the city is split into northern and southern halves b ...

. This species forms a

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

with the

naked sand darter The naked sand darter (''Ammocrypta beanii'') is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the Family (biology), family Percidae, which also contains the perches, Gymnocephalus, ruffes and Sande ...

(''A. beanii'') the

Florida sand darter The Florida sand darter (''Ammocrypta bifascia'') is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is endemic to Gu ...

(''A. bifascia'').

Conservation

This is considered to be a vulnerable species because it has a fragmented distribution and its habitat is degraded in many areas. Increased silt and pollution in river systems reduces the quality of its habitat. The Mississippi River and associated streams and tributaries are heavily channelized and partitioned by locks and dams, eliminating sites where the fish might live.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2044449

External links

''Ammocrypta clara''.
Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database. USGS. Ammocrypta Freshwater fish of the United States Fish of the Great Lakes Fish of the Eastern United States Taxa named by David Starr Jordan Taxa named by Seth Eugene Meek Fish described in 1885