The Cherokee darter (''Etheostoma scotti'') is a rare species of freshwater

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or hor ...

, 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 family i ...

, part of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Percidae The Percidae are a family of ray-finned fish, part of the order Perciformes, which are found in fresh and brackish waters of the Northern Hemisphere. The majority are Nearctic, but there are also Palearctic species. The family contains more than ...

, which also contains the

perch Perch is a common name for fish of the genus ''Perca'', freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which three species occur in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Percif ...

es, ruffes and pikeperches. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

in the United States, where it is limited to the

Etowah River The Etowah River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 27, 2011 waterway that rises northwest of Dahlonega, Georgia, north of Atlanta. On Matthew Carey's 1795 ...

system. It inhabits creeks with rocky bottoms and little silt, typically occurring just above and below riffles. It is a whitish or yellowish fish with green and black spots on the flanks and eight dark saddle-like bars dorsally. It has a small range and its habitat is being degraded and fragmented, and the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has assessed its conservation status as being

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

Description

The fish is whitish to yellowish with olive green and black spots on the sides which become larger during the breeding season. Eight dark saddle-like markings are on the back. The male is a maximum of about 5 cm in length.Barton, S. D. and S. L. Powers. (2010)
Life-history aspects of the Cherokee Darter, ''Etheostoma scotti'' (Actinopterygii: Percidae), an imperiled species in northern Georgia.
''Southeastern Naturalist'' 9(4) 687. Spawning occurs from March through June, with the females depositing the eggs in

gravel Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gravel is classifi ...

or sometimes

bedrock In geology, bedrock is solid Rock (geology), rock that lies under loose material (regolith) within the crust (geology), crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet. Definition Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface mater ...

or wood debris.Storey, C. M., et al. (2006)
Analysis of spawning behavior, habitat, and season of the federally threatened ''Etheostoma scotti'', Cherokee Darter (Osteichthyes: Percidae).
''Southeastern Naturalist'' 5(3) 413. The fish becomes sexually mature at one year and it does not appear to live more than two years.

Distribution

The Cherokee darter is

in the United States, where it is limited to the

system. It lives in creeks with rocky bottoms, staying mostly in clear parts of the stream with little

silt Silt is granular material of a size between sand and clay and composed mostly of broken grains of quartz. Silt may occur as a soil (often mixed with sand or clay) or as sediment mixed in suspension with water. Silt usually has a floury feel when ...

. The fish can be found in several

tributaries A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage b ...

of the Etowah River, but few of the populations are large or very healthy. The larger populations can be found in the northern tributaries above

Lake Allatoona Lake Allatoona (officially called Allatoona Lake) is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Etowah River in northwestern part of the State of Georgia. This reservoir is mostly in southeastern Bartow County and southwestern Cherokee ...

. This reservoir is in the center of the fish's distribution, dividing it in two and causing fragmentation of the population.

Status

This fish was not formally described as a new species until 1995,Bauer, B. H., et al. (1995). ''Etheostoma'' (''Ulocentra'') ''scotti'' (Osteichthyes: Percidae), a new darter from the Etowah River System in Georgia. ''Bulletin of the Alabama Museum of Natural History'' 17:1–16. but it was federally listed as a threatened species of the United States in 1994.USFWS
Determination of Threatened Status for the Cherokee Darter and Endangered Status for the Etowah Darter.
''Federal Register'' December 20, 1994. The population of this fish is declining due to loss of suitable habitat because of stream impoundment, siltation and pollution. The

has assessed its conservation status as being

References

External links

''Etheostoma scotti''.

FishBase FishBase is a global species database of fish species (specifically finfish). It is the largest and most extensively accessed online database on adult finfish on the web.

. {{Taxonbar, from=Q2118110 Etheostoma Natural history of Georgia (U.S. state) Fish described in 1995 Endemic fauna of Georgia (U.S. state)