''Percina maculata'', the blackside darter, 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 a widespread inhabitant of streams and rivers 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 ...

watershed. Like other darters it prefers rocky riffles and sandy runs, but is tolerant of pools and still water as well. It is one of the 324 fish species found in

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 ...

Physical characteristics

The Blackside darter is easily distinguishable by its olive coloration. The Blackside darter tends to have darker colors, primarily dark browns, olives and blacks, with occasional white parts. A prominent feature on the fish is a strip along the sides made up of 6-9 black spots. Black spots can also be found below the eyes and on the caudal fin. On average Blacksides are around two or three inches in length but have the potential for sizes of 4 inches. The Blackside darter has two dorsal fins and a rounded

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

. The first dorsal fin has spinous rays while the second has soft rays. The mouth of the Blackside darter is in a terminal position, which means the mouth opens at the

anterior Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

side of the snout.

Habitat and Geographic distribution

Blackside darter is found in areas of small to medium-sized rivers and streams, that are clean and free of most pollution. The areas they are found will have slower current and have spaces to hide like roots and natural debris. These fish are widespread in the United States and can be found in the

Hudson Bay Hudson Bay ( crj, text=ᐐᓂᐯᒄ, translit=Wînipekw; crl, text=ᐐᓂᐹᒄ, translit=Wînipâkw; iu, text=ᑲᖏᖅᓱᐊᓗᒃ ᐃᓗᐊ, translit=Kangiqsualuk ilua or iu, text=ᑕᓯᐅᔭᕐᔪᐊᖅ, translit=Tasiujarjuaq; french: b ...

basin, and the Gulf drainages from Mobile Bay in Alabama to the Calcasieu River in Louisiana. They have also been found in the Minnesota river basin, Whetstone Creek, Big Sioux basin, Pipestone, and other areas around the Great Lakes. They were present in the Big Sandy drainage in the early 1900s, but have not been found recently in any Virginia drainages.

Reproduction

Spawning season for Blacksides starts in spring, starting around April and lasting to late June or early July. The fish start by moving up stream then they spawn over sand and gravel around slow riffles, and then bury the eggs. The parents provide no additional care for eggs or young. The young are born and will mature by the age of one or two, living up to five years.

Diet

The Blackside darter mainly feeds on insects, like

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 ...

and midge larve but has also been known to ingest other small fish and plant material. Blackside darters will also eat small crustaceans and other small aquatic animals.

Conservation

Since the Blackside darter lives in clean streams it can be detrimental if anything alters its habitat. Garbage and pollution can wipe out populations of Blacksides if the change is too sudden and is persistent in their home. Although overall they are in no real threat, and as a species are doing well.

Etymology of scientific name

''Percina'' is the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

diminutive A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A (abbreviated ) is a word-formati ...

for

, and ''maculata'' is from the Latin word ''maculatus'' meaning “spotted”.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3752424 maculata Fish of the United States Fish described in 1859