The Bayou darter (''Etheostoma rubrum'') is a rare

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

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 western

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

in the

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 only in Bayou Pierre and its

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 ...

. Its typical habitat is fast-flowing creeks and streams, in riffles and in areas between riffles with firm gravel bottoms. It feeds on small insects and their larvae. Breeding probably takes place twice a year, in spring and late summer. The population of this fish is declining due to loss of suitable habitat. This is caused by siltation and pollution, particularly erosion caused by changes in land use. 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

This species can reach a length of TL.

Distribution and habitat

The Bayou darter is endemic to the drainage of Bayou Pierre, a tributary 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 ...

. This fish is present in several tributaries flowing into Bayou Pierre including White Oak Creek, Foster Creek, and Turkey Creek. It lives in fast flowing, shallow areas of its native streams. It can be found in riffles and in the water between riffles in areas with firm gravel substrates.USFWS
''Etheostoma rubrum'' Recovery Plan.
July 1990. Associated fish species include brighteye darter (''Etheostoma lynceum''),

least madtom ''Noturus hildebrandi'', also known as the least madtom, is a species of catfish. Its native range stretches from the Obion River in Kentucky to the Homochitto River in Mississippi. Description The least madtom is a small slender-bodied fish w ...

(''Noturus hildebrandi''), bluntface shiner (''Cyprinella camura''), and redspot darter (''Etheostoma artesiae'').Ross, S. T., et al. (2001)
Stream erosion and densities of ''Etheostoma rubrum'' (Percidae) and associated riffle-inhabiting fishes: Biotic stability in a variable habitat.
''Copeia'' 4 916.

Behavior

Spawning occurs in April through May and sometimes into August.Knight, J. G. and S. T. Ross. (1992)
Reproduction, age and growth of the Bayou Darter ''Etheostoma rubrum'' (Pisces, Percidae): An endemic of Bayou Pierre.
''American Midland Naturalist'' 127(1) 91-105. The female lays up to 75 eggs, and probably spawns at least twice during the spawning season. The fish lives about 3 years, with the male living slightly longer than the female on average. This species has low

genetic diversity Genetic diversity is the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species, it ranges widely from the number of species to differences within species and can be attributed to the span of survival for a species. It is dis ...

.Slack, W. T., et al. (2010)
Conservation genetics of the threatened Bayou Darter (Percidae: ''Etheostoma rubrum'') in the Bayou Pierre System of Southwestern Mississippi.
''Copeia'' 1 176-180. The Bayou darter eats insects and their larvae, including caddisflies, blackflies,

midge A midge is any small fly, including species in several families of non-mosquito Nematoceran Diptera. Midges are found (seasonally or otherwise) on practically every land area outside permanently arid deserts and the frigid zones. Some mid ...

s, and

mayflies Mayflies (also known as shadflies or fishflies in Canada and the upper Midwestern United States, as Canadian soldiers in the American Great Lakes region, and as up-winged flies in the United Kingdom) are aquatic insects belonging to the orde ...

. It increases its food consumption in the time leading up to spawning.

Status

The main threat to the species is the alteration of its habitat by human beings. The Bayou Pierre is currently experiencing heavy

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distin ...

, particularly headcutting, in which erosion moves upstream in waves. Channeling,

dredging Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing da ...

and

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...

on the adjacent

floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...

s cause some alteration. These processes cause an increase in

sediment Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice or by the force of gravity acting on the particles. For example, sand an ...

. Petroleum exploration has affected the area.

Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

, especially silviculture affect the area by destroying riparian habitat, causing erosion and increasing sedimentation. This process destroys the riffles the fish occupies, and creates new riffles elsewhere, causing the fish population to move. Fertilizers and

herbicide Herbicides (, ), also commonly known as weedkillers, are substances used to control undesired plants, also known as weeds.EPA. February 201Pesticides Industry. Sales and Usage 2006 and 2007: Market Estimates. Summary in press releasMain page fo ...

s may enter the water. As a consequence of these factors, the

IUCN 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 listed the Bayou darter as "

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 ...

" and considers that further habitat and population monitoring programs should be undertaken to protect the fish and its habitat.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q305155 Natural history of Mississippi Etheostoma Fish described in 1966 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot ESA threatened species