The Okaloosa darter (''Etheostoma okaloosae'') 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 indigenous to freshwater streams and tributary systems in Okaloosa and Walton Counties in northwest

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Description

The Okaloosa darter is a small slender fish with a maximum length of but a more common adult size is . It is a silvery brownish-green in color with irregular dark mottling and longitudinal lines of tiny dark spots.

Distribution and habitat

The Okaloosa darter is restricted to six small river systems draining into the

Choctawhatchee Bay Choctawhatchee Bay is a bay in the Emerald Coast region of the Florida Panhandle. The bay, located within Okaloosa and Walton counties, has a surface area of . It is an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, connected to it through East Pass (also known ...

drainage system in Okaloosa and Walton counties in the panhandle of Florida. Ninety percent of its range is within the

Eglin Air Force Base Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida Panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County. The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing). The ...

. It is found in shallow clear creeks among vegetation over sandy bottoms. Eggs are deposited on the bed of the creek and are not guarded by an adult fish as happens in some members of this family.

Status

Because of extensive habitat improvement and efforts by the Jackson Guard at Eglin Air Force Base, the

US Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

downlisted the species from endangered to threatened status in 2011.USFWS
Final Reclassification of the Okaloosa Darter From Endangered to Threatened and Special Rule.
''Federal Register'' April 1, 2011. 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 classified this species as being "

Least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

". All known habitats of the fish (tributaries of Rocky, Toms, and Boggy Bayou) are presently being affected by commercial development and/or road construction.

References

Collette, B.B., and R.W. Yerger. 1962. The American Percid Fishes of the Subgenus ''Villora''. ''Tulane Stud. Zool.'' 9:213-230. Jelks, H.L., and F. Jordan. 2010.
Okaloosa darter research at Eglin Air Force Base.
Mettee, M.F., and E. Crittenden. 1979. ''A study of'' Etheostoma okaloosae ''(Fowler) and'' E. edwini ''(Hubbs and Cannon) in Northwestern Florida'', 1975-78. Rep. to U.S. Fish and Wild. Serv., Atlanta, GA. Ogilvie, V.E. 1980. ''Endangered Wildlife Project. E-1, Study I-J: Okaloosa darter investigation. Completion report, October 1, 1977-June 3O, 1980.'' Fla. Fresh Water Fish Comm., Tallahassee. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1981. ''Recovery Plan for the Okaloosa Darter'' (Etheostoma okaloosae). Prepared by the Okaloosa Darter Recovery Team for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Atlanta Georgia. 24 pp. Yerger, R.W. 1978. Okaloosa Darter, pp. 2–4. In C.R. Gilbert (ed.). ''Rare and endangered biota of Florida. Vol. 4, Fishes.'' Univ. Press. Fla., Gainesville.'' {{Taxonbar, from=Q3756720 Etheostoma Endemic fauna of Florida Fish described in 1941 ESA threatened species