The speckled darter (''Etheostoma stigmaeum'') 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 central and southeastern

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 ...

. It occurs in 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 ...

basin and through the

Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Mississ ...

drainages. It is also found in the

Clinch River The Clinch River is a river that flows southwest for more than through the Great Appalachian Valley in the U.S. states of Virginia and Tennessee, gathering various tributaries, including the Powell River, before joining the Tennessee River in Ki ...

and the Powell River. This species inhabits rocky or sandy pools in flowing waters up to the size of medium rivers with fast currents. It can reach a length of TL though most only reach about . In 2012, studies found five distinct species that were formerly included in ''E. stigmaeum''. In a paper published in the ''Bulletin of the Alabama Museum of Natural History'', Mayden and Layman described five new species, all named after former U S presidents and one vice president, based on their "leadership in conservation policies": * '' Etheostoma teddyroosevelt'' (highland darter) * '' Etheostoma jimmycarter'' (bluegrass darter) * '' Etheostoma clinton'' (beaded darter) * '' Etheostoma gore'' (Cumberland darter) * '' Etheostoma obama'' (spangled darter)

Description

Speckled darters, ''Etheostoma stigmaeum,'' are a member of the family Percidae. They have a moderately blunt snout, with no premaxillary frenum. They can reach a maximum length of about 2.2 inches. They have both spines and rays, their lateral line is incomplete, and their gill covers are slightly connected by a membrane across their throat. The midline of their belly does not have enlarged scales. They have a sandy colored dorsal side and a yellow or white ventral side. There are 6 dark brown saddles and large specks on the dorsum, with 7-11 dark brown blotches down their body. Mating males have turquoise colored bands on their sides and in their fins, as opposed to the typical dark blue. Breeding females are much less brightly colored than the males. They develop extended genital papilla.

Habitat

Speckled darters are freshwater fish. They prefer clear pools of up to 1 m deep, with moderately swift streams. They typically prefer a bottom of sand or sand and gravel.

Reproduction and Life Cycle

Spawning in Missouri begins as early as March and ends as late as May, at temperatures between 57°F and 62°F. The eggs are buried in substrate, where there is a relationship between temperature and incubation period, with higher temperatures lessening the time. Typical incubation period is about 9–10 days at about 62-68°F. Larvae hatch at about 4.2-5.2 mm with a functional jaw and well developed pectoral fins.

Distribution

The speckled darter is found in eastern Oklahoma, southeastern Kansas, western Louisiana, Virginia, northwestern Georgia, western Florida, and in the Gulf drainages from the Sabine River to the

Pensacola Bay Pensacola Bay is a bay located in the northwestern part of Florida, United States, known as the Florida Panhandle. The bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, is located in Escambia County and Santa Rosa County, adjacent to the city of Pensacol ...

Etymology

The scientific name for the speckled darter is ''Etheostoma stigmaeum''. ''Etheostoma'' is derived from the , the Greek word for "to strain", and the Greek word for "mouth". ''Stigmaeum'' is the Greek word for "speckled".

References

* Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr, 1991. A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 432 p. (Ref. 5723) * "Etheostoma Stigmaeum Summary Page." ''FishBase''. Catalog of Fishes (gen., Sp.), n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2017. * H. Dickson Hoese, Richard H. Moore, V. Farley Sonnier. 1992. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, and adjacent waters 3rd Edition, Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data * Neil H. Douglas. Freshwater Fishes of Louisiana. Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, Claitor's Publishing Division. * Dr. Lawrence M. Page. 1983. Handbook of Darters. T.F.H. Publications, Inc.

Notes

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2117906 Etheostoma Fish described in 1877 Taxa named by David Starr Jordan