Etheostoma osburni

Last updated

Etheostoma osburni
Etheostoma osburni.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Percidae
Genus: Etheostoma
Species:
E. osburni
Binomial name
Etheostoma osburni
Synonyms [4]
  • Poecilichthys osburni
    C.L. Hubbs & Trautman, 1932

Etheostoma osburni, the candy darter or finescale saddled darter, is a species of fish in the family Percidae, a member of the group known as darters. This species is endemic to the eastern United States where it is known only from the Kanawha River system in the states of Virginia and West Virginia. [1]

Contents

Description and natural history

E. osburni can reach a length of 10 cm (3.9 in), though most only reach about 7.3 cm (2.9 in). [4] This species has a lifespan of up to three years. It spawns in April and May. [5] It is an invertivore, feeding on aquatic insect larvae and water mites. [5]

Habitat and geographic distribution

E. osburni lives in a system of rivers, streams, and creeks in the central Appalachian Mountains. It can be found in rapid riffles in rocky riverbed habitat. It occurs in cold, cool, and warm waters, as long as the substrate is rocky and the water is clear. It tolerates fast currents. [1]

Conservation

E. osburni has a limited geographic range, it has been recorded in more than 10 locations and does not have a severely fragmented distribution, so it has been designated a near-threatened species on the IUCN Red List. [1] In 2018, US Fish and Wildlife Service designated it as a federally protected endangered species. [2] [3] [6] It is probably declining, however, due to threats from human activity. [7] It prefers clear, unsilted waters, and increases in silt and sediment may reduce populations by reducing tolerable habitat. [1]

Taxonomy and etymology

E. osburni was first formally described as Poecilichthys osburni in 1932 by the American ichthyologists Carl Leavitt Hubbs and Milton Bernhard Trautman with the type locality given as Stony Creek which is a tributary of the Greenbrier River in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. [8] The specific name honors the American zoologist Raymond Carroll Osburn (1872–1955). The candy darter is considered to be closely related to the variegated darter (E. variatum). [9]

In 2023 E. osburni was featured on a United States Postal Service forever stamp as part of the Endangered Species set, based on a photograph from Joel Sartore's Photo Ark. The stamp was dedicated at a ceremony at the National Grasslands Visitor Center in Wall, South Dakota. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Maryland darter is a 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 considered one of the rarest freshwater fish species in the world, due in part to its incredibly limited geographic range and difficulty of detection. The last sighting of one was in 1988. The Maryland darter is named after the only state in which it is known to occur. The species was long known only by two specimens until being "re-discovered" in 1962. From 1965 into the 1980s, the species was believed to have been confined to a single riffle in Deer Creek. Possible explanations for the decline of the species center around widespread habitat degradation and reduction in water quality resulting from increasing rates of urbanization within the watershed. While the IUCN has declared the species extinct, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service has not, and keeps it on the Endangered Species List.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watercress darter</span> Species of fish

The watercress darter is a 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 endemic to the eastern United States where it is only known from the Black Warrior River drainage basin near Birmingham, Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okaloosa darter</span> Species of fish

The Okaloosa darter is a 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 indigenous to freshwater streams and tributary systems in Okaloosa and Walton Counties in northwest Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kanawha darter</span> Species of fish

The Kanawha darter is a 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 endemic to the southeastern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boulder darter</span> Species of fish

The boulder darter is a 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 endemic to Alabama and Tennessee in the United States, where it occurs in the Elk River system and Shoal Creek. It is found in small rivers and fast-flowing streams, at least 2 ft (0.6 m) deep, with boulders or a rocky base. It feeds on aquatic insect larvae but little is known of its natural history. The population trend of this fish is unknown but it is affected by a rise in siltation and the impoundment of water within its range by the building of dams. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being "vulnerable".

<i>Dromus dromas</i> Species of bivalve

Dromus dromas, the dromedary pearlymussel or dromedary naiad, is a rare species of freshwater mussel in the family Unionidae. This aquatic bivalve mollusk is native to the Cumberland and Tennessee River systems in the United States, where it has experienced a large population decline. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

<i>Medionidus penicillatus</i> Species of bivalve

Medionidus penicillatus, the gulf moccasinshell, is a rare species of freshwater mussel in the family Unionidae, the river mussels. This aquatic bivalve mollusk is native to Alabama, Florida, and Georgia in the United States, where it is in decline and has been extirpated from most of the rivers it once inhabited. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Popeye shiner</span> Species of fish

The popeye shiner is a North American species of freshwater cyprinid fish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vermilion darter</span> Species of fish

The vermilion darter is a 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 endemic to the southern United States, where it only is found in Turkey Creek in Jefferson County, Alabama, part of the Mobile Bay drainage basin. It was first described by Herbert Boschung in 1992, who was the curator of ichthyology at the University of Alabama, along with biologist Richard Mayden and scientific illustrator Joseph Tomelleri. On December 7, 2010, the US Fish and Wildlife Service designated 13 mi (21 km) of Turkey Creek watershed as critical habitat for the darter. According to the IUCN, the population of this fish is declining.

The lollipop darter is a 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 endemic to the eastern United States. Lollipop darters are approximately 1.4 to 2.4 inches long.

The goldstripe darter is a 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 endemic to the southeastern United States where it is found in Gulf Slope streams from the Colorado River drainage in Texas to the Flint River in Georgia, the Atlantic Slope in Ocmulgee River system, Georgia, and the Mississippi embayment north as far as southeastern Missouri and western Kentucky. It is typically found in small springs, streams, and creeks with aquatic and marginal vegetation and detritus. The female spawns on multiple occasions between about mid-March and June, sticking the adhesive eggs to plants, gravel and the sides of rocks. The goldstripe darter is a common species with a wide range and numerous sub-populations, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

<i>Etheostoma rufilineatum</i> Species of fish

Etheostoma rufilineatum, the redline darter, is a 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 endemic to the southeastern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orangethroat darter</span> Species of fish

The orangethroat darter is a 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 endemic to the central and eastern United States where it is native to parts of the Mississippi River Basin and Lake Erie Basin. Its typical habitat includes shallow gravel riffles in cooler streams and rocky runs and pools in headwaters, creeks, and small rivers, with sand, gravel, rubble, or rock substrates. It forages on the bottom for the aquatic larvae of midges, blackfly, mayfly and caddisfly, as well as isopods and amphipods. Spawning takes place in spring, the selected sites often being the upper stretches of riffles with sandy and gravelly bottoms interspersed with larger cobble. Reproductive success is high in this species. No particular threats have been identified, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gilt darter</span> Species of fish

The gilt darter is a 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 can be found in a number of states in the Mississippi River drainage of the United States although it has been extirpated from some river systems in which it was at one time present, mostly due to siltation and pollution problems. Males are more colorful than females and can grow to a length of about 9 cm (3.5 in). It is a benthic fish that feeds primarily on small aquatic insect larvae. Males form territories during the breeding season in late spring and early summer. Spawning typically takes place at the upper ends of riffles with sandy and gravelly bottoms interspersed with larger cobbles. Some organisations are endeavouring to conserve populations of the gilt darter and re-introduce it to states where the fish has been extirpated but suitable habitat still exists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherokee darter</span> Species of fish

The Cherokee darter is a rare 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 endemic to Georgia in the United States, where it is limited to the Etowah River system. It inhabits creeks with rocky bottoms and little silt, typically occurring just above and below riffles. It is a whitish or yellowish fish with green and black spots on the flanks and eight dark saddle-like bars dorsally. It has a small range and its habitat is being degraded and fragmented, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being endangered.

<i>Etheostoma etowahae</i> Species of fish

Etheostoma etowahae, the Etowah darter, is a 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 a rare species which is endemic to Georgia in the United States, where it occurs only in the Etowah River and two of its tributaries. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rush darter</span> Species of fish

The rush darter is a rare and endangered 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 endemic to Alabama in the United States, where it occurs in three river systems. It was federally listed as an endangered species of the United States on August 9, 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christmas darter</span> Species of ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae

The Christmas darter i is a species of ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae which includes the perches, ruffes and pike-perches. It is found in the Savannah, Ogeechee and Altamaha catchment areas in South Carolina and Georgia. It is a small but colorful fish, typically less than 5 cm (2 in) in total length, with blackish, red and green streaks on its flanks. Green and red are associated with Christmas, hence the common name Christmas darter. Like other darters, it lives on or close to the stream-bed, in riffles and vegetation-laden stretches of small rivers, creeks and spring-fed streams. It feeds on aquatic insects and probably breeds in the spring, but its biology and behavior are poorly known.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenthroat darter</span> Species of fish

The greenthroat darter is a 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 Colorado, Guadalupe and Nueces River drainages in Texas; and in Pecos River system in New Mexico.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 NatureServe (2014). "Etheostoma osburni ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014: e.T8124A13387979. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T8124A13387979.en . Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Candy darter (Etheostoma osburni)". Environmental Conservation Online System. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  3. 1 2 83 FR 58747
  4. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2019). "Etheostoma osburni" in FishBase. December 2019 version.
  5. 1 2 NatureServe. (2017). Etheostoma osburni. NatureServe Explorer V.7.1 Accessed 8 August 2017.
  6. "Candy Darter Listed as Endangered Under Endangered Species Act". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 20 November 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  7. Hammack, Laurence (April 10, 2021). "Candy darter fish gets critical habitat designation, but remains in the path of a pipeline" . Roanoke Times. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
  8. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Poecilichthys osburni ". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  9. Hubbs, C.L. & Trautman, M.B (1932). "Poecilichthys osburni, a new darter from the upper Kanawha River system in Virginia and West Virginia" (PDF). Ohio Journal of Science. 32 (1): 31–38.
  10. "Postal Service Spotlights Endangered Species". United States Postal Service. April 19, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023.

Further reading