Appalachia darter

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Appalachia darter
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Percidae
Genus: Percina
Species:
P. gymnocephala
Binomial name
Percina gymnocephala
Beckham, 1980

The Appalachia darter (Percina gymnocephala) is a small 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 found in the New River system above Kanawha Falls. [2]

Contents

Habitat and Ecology

It exists only in small to medium rivers, and lives in gravel, rubble riffles, and raceways in spring and early summer, in moves to slower deeper waters for remainder of year. [1]

Threats and Conservation

Localized threats may exist, but on a range-wide scale no major threats are known. Listed as Least Concern in view of the large extent of occurrence, large number of subpopulations, large population size, and lack of major threats. The trend over the past 10 years or three generations is uncertain but likely relatively stable, or the species may be declining but not fast enough to qualify for any of the threatened categories under Criterion A (reduction in population size). Currently, this species is of relatively low conservation concern and does not require significant additional protection or major management, monitoring, or research action. [1]

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The Halloween darter is a small freshwater fish native to North America. It is found in Georgia and Alabama in the drainage basin of the Apalachicola River, specifically in the Flint River system and the Chattahoochee River system. It prefers shallow, fast-flowing areas with gravel bottoms in small and medium-sized rivers. It was first described in 2008, having not previously been distinguished from the blackbanded darter (P. nigrofasciata), which occurs in the same watershed. The color is somewhat variable, being generally blackish dorsally, with some individuals having indistinct saddle-like barring. Males have orange and dark lateral striping while females have dark stripes and a yellowish-green belly. At a maximum standard length of 101 mm (4 in), males are slightly larger than females, and both sexes develop distinctive orange barring on the edge of the first dorsal fin during the breeding season.

References

  1. 1 2 3 NatureServe (2013). "Percina gymnocephala". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2013: e.T202579A18233373. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T202579A18233373.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2019). "Percina gymnocephala" in FishBase . December 2019 version.