The brighteye darter (''Etheostoma lynceum'') 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 ...

. The brighteye darter was first described by Oliver Perry Hay in 1885. He noted it is closely related to the banded darter (''E. zonale''). Until the 1970s, the brighteye darter was generally believed to be a genetic variation of the banded darter.

Distribution

The brighteye darter inhabits the lower, benthopelagic areas of freshwater streams and rivers. The brighteye darter is distributed in eastern

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

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

from

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

north to western

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 ...

and eastward along the Gulf Coast to the

Escatawpa River Escatawpa River is a river in the states of Alabama and Mississippi. It is a tributary of the Pascagoula River. ''Escatawpa '' is a name derived from the Choctaw language meaning "where Canebrake, cane is cut". See also *List of rivers of Alaba ...

system in Mobile County. It can also be found in the former

Mississippi embayment The Mississippi embayment is a physiographic feature in the south-central United States, part of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. It is essentially a northward continuation of the fluvial sediments of the Mississippi River Delta to its conflu ...

in the western part of

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 in coastal drainages from the Escatawpa River in

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

to the Mississippi River in Louisiana. Rechannelization may have extirpated them from some of their natural ranges into Alabama, but brighteye darters have been able to find more suitable streams as they travel up the Mississippi River system.

Ecology

The brighteye darter feeds primarily on invertebrates, mainly flies in the family Chironomidae. The

larval A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The l ...

stages of these flies are an important component of the bottom of the aquatic ecosystem in which the brighteye darter resides. The darter will watch for the larval stage to erupt from its egg casing and eat it before it has time to swim off. These flies hatch year-round and make up 75-80% of the darters' diets. In comparison to other darters to which the brighteye is related, it does not change food source from season to season. Other darters, such as the

blackbanded darter The blackbanded darter (''Percina nigrofasciata'') 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 native to the ...

(''Percina nigrofasciata''), can change their diets with every season, thus having much more diverse diets. The brighteye darter prefers clear, fast-flowing water, with gravel riffles. This type of habitat can be found in several places around the Mississippi River Basin.

Lifecycle

The brighteye reproduces from late February to May. The bright male coloring emerges then, as well as female maturity. The algae forming on the rocks of the streams makes a great adhesive area for the eggs of the female to attach. The clutch size and mass increases significantly in the spawning season, unlike the size of the egg. Ovulated eggs can be in size.Heins, D. C. and Baker, J. A. 1993. Reproductive biology of the brighteye darter, Etheostoma lynceum (Teleostei: Percidae), from the Homochitto River, Mississippi. Ichthyological Explorations of Freshwaters 4: 11–20. SA/ref> After the darter hatches, growth is quick, and it reaches a maximum length of . It takes the brighteye an average of one year for it to grow to maturity and be able to reproduce.Ross, et al. 2001. Etheostoma lynceum. Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks.

Taxonomy and etymology

The brighteye 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 ...

Oliver Perry Hay (1846-1939)/ with the type locality given as a shallow rocky branch of the Chickasawha River at

Enterprise, Clarke County, Mississippi Enterprise is a town in Clarke County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 526 at the 2010 census. History Enterprise was so named "to denote the policy of their inhabitants". Geography Enterprise is located in northwestern Clarke ...

. The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

''lynceum'' refers to

Lynceus of Messenia In Greek mythology, Lynceus (; Ancient Greek: Λυγκεύς "lynx-eyed") was a Messenian prince and one of the Argonauts'' Bibliotheca'' I, ix, 16 who served as a lookout on the Argo. He also participated in the hunt for the Calydonian boar.'' Bi ...

, one of the

Argonauts The Argonauts (; Ancient Greek: ) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology, who in the years before the Trojan War (around 1300 BC) accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, '' Argo'', ...

who took part in a mythical voyage on board the ''

Argo In Greek mythology the ''Argo'' (; in Greek: ) was a ship built with the help of the gods that Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcos to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece. The ship has gone on to be used as a motif in a variety of sour ...

'' with Jason. Lynceus was known for his acute vision.

Management

Currently, no management plan is in place for the brighteye darter, mainly due to its ability to react to environmental stressors easily and its widespread distribution. It is also placed on the "Least Concern" list of the federally endangered species of United States. The brighteye darter is protected in the states where it is found, especially in Mississippi.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2044048 Etheostoma Fish described in 1885