The saffron darter (''Etheostoma flavum'') is a 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 ...

to the eastern

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, where it is found in streams and creeks in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

and

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

Appearance and Anatomy

The saffron darter, like many snubnose darters, has a blunt snout. Typically, nuptial males have a uniformly yellow lower side and olive upper side as compared to the black darter (''

Etheostoma duryi ''Etheostoma duryi'', the black darter, is a species of darter endemic to the eastern United States, where it occurs in the drainage of the Tennessee River in the states of Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anth ...

''), which has an orange to red lower and upper side. 'The adult males have yellow to orange lips while ''E. duryi'' has green or gray lips. Lastly, the mid-lateral stripe pigmentation in the saffron darter is nearly as dark as the 7-9 black lateral blotches. This species attains a maximum

total length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish ...

of .

Distribution

The saffron darter can be found in the lower Cumberland and Tennessee river drainages in Kentucky and Tennessee, upstream in Cumberland River drainages to Harpeth River, upstream in Tennessee River drainages (east side only), to upper Duck River, upper Buffalo River, and Indian River.

Ecology

The saffron darter inhabits rocky pools and adjacent riffles of headwaters, creeks, and small rivers. Some biologists believe that the saffron darter is one of the most abundant darters in the second and fourth order streams.

Taxonomy

The saffron darter was first formally described in 1989 by David A. Etnier and Reeve Maclaren Bailey (1911-2011) with the type locality given as Kentucky. It is a member of the

subgenus In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...

''Ulocentra'' and is closely related to the black darter and they have been known to both hybridize with each other and to competitively exclude each other, the saffron darter generally being found upstream of barriers and the black darter below them.

References

{{Authority control Etheostoma Fish described in 1989