Percina roanoka

Last updated

Percina roanoka
Percina roanoka.PNG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Percidae
Genus: Percina
Species:
P. roanoka
Binomial name
Percina roanoka
(Jordan & Jenkins, 1889)
Synonyms [2]

Etheostoma roanokaJordan & Jenkins, 1889

Percina roanoka, the Roanoke 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 native to Virginia and North Carolina in the United States [1] and is present in West Virginia, possibly from introduction. [3] It is found in the Roanoke, Tar, and Neuse river systems, typically in small to medium size rivers. It is a colorful species with an average length of 4.3 centimeters (1.7 in). It feeds on insect larvae and other small invertebrates, and spawns in late May and June. It is a common fish with a very wide range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified its conservation status as being of "least concern".

Contents

Description

Breeding males have black heads and red or orange jaws. They have black spinal fins with orange bands. Their anal, pelvic and pectoral fins are white with transparent membranes. They have sides whose coloration ranges from dark brown to back, with blue, yellow or green highlights. Females and nonbreeding males are colored similarly, although their colors are less intense than those of breeding males. [3]

The darter has from nine to twelve dorsal fin spines, seven to nine anal fins and nine to twelve dorsal fin rays. [3] The darter has an average length of 4.3 centimeters (1.7 in), although the maximum reported length of a specimen of P. roanoka is 7.8 cm (3.1 in). The darter has a maximum life span of three years. [4]

Distribution and habitat

The darter lives in the drainage basin of the Roanoke, Tar, and Neuse rivers in Virginia and North Carolina. It is also found in the northern sections of the James River in Virginia and the New River in West Virginia and Virginia, [1] to the latter of which it may have been introduced. [3]

The darter prefers to live in small to medium-sized rivers. Adults and juvenile Percina roanoka tend to live in streams and riffles with gravel level substrate. Younger juveniles tend to live in pools near the riffles. [1]

Behavior

The darter spawns from late May to late June. In the New River, the darter has been observed reproducing with the sharpnose darter (Percina oxyrhynchus) to produce hybrids. [3]

The darter is a carnivore. It primarily consumes chironomids, mayflies and black flies. [3]

Conservation status

The darter is ranked as least-concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. [1] Reasons for this ranking include the darter's large habitat range, stable population size, large number of sub-populations and lack of major threats to its survival. [1]

Related Research Articles

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

The leopard 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 native to the United States, where it can be found only in the Little River drainage in Oklahoma and Arkansas. Its typical habitat is medium to large streams with rubble and boulder substrate. It feeds on small invertebrates on the riverbed and spawns mainly in March and April. It is threatened by impoundment, habitat loss and runoff from agricultural activities. It has never been a common species and has been listed as a threatened species in the United States since 1978, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists it as a "vulnerable species".

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

The amber darter is a small, 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 native to the Conasauga River and Etowah River in Georgia and Tennessee in the United States. It typically inhabits riffle areas over gravel and sand bottoms, hiding in aquatic vegetation when present. It feeds on small invertebrates and probably breeds between late fall and early spring. It is an uncommon fish with a small range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified its conservation status as being "endangered".

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

The tangerine darter or river slick 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 eastern United States. It grows to a length of 4.3 to 7.1 inches, males being bright orange-red while females are yellow. It is insectivorous, picking insect larvae off aquatic plants and the riverbed, and sometimes rolling small stones over to expose prey. It breeds in late spring and early summer, typically in shallow sandy or gravelly riffles. Pollution and habitat degradation may be a problem in parts of its range, however it is a fairly common fish with a wide range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified its conservation status as being of "least concern".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roanoke logperch</span> Species of fish

The Roanoke logperch 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 the Roanoke and Chowan drainages in Virginia and North Carolina in the United States. It inhabits low and moderate-gradient streams and rivers in warm, clear water in mostly unsilted gravel and rubble in runs, pools, and riffles. It is primarily insectivorous. This fish is a federally listed endangered species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conasauga logperch</span> Species of fish

The Conasauga logperch 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 United States. It is one of 184 species of darters in North America. It has been listed as endangered throughout its range with critical habitat under the U.S. Endangered Species Act since August 5, 1985.

The longnose 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 United States.

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

The channel 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 native to North America where it typically occurs in the sandy or gravelly shallows of lakes and in small and medium-sized rivers in riffles over sand, gravel or rock bottoms. It is a small fish ranging from 34 to 72 mm in length, olive brown with darker speckles and sometimes with a dark spot below the eye and dark blotches along the flank. It feeds mostly on insect larvae and other small invertebrates and breeds in small streams. This species is listed as threatened by the Canadian Species at Risk Act (SARA) but overall it has a wide range and numerous sub-populations and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as a "least concern species".

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

The bluebreast darter 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 endemic to the eastern United States from New York and Illinois to Tennessee and North Carolina.

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

The snubnose 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">Gulf darter</span> Species of fish

The gulf 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 Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, and Kentucky. It is a colorful fish, males having vertical barring of red-orange and blue-green near the tail, growing to a length of about 7.8 centimeters (3.1 in). It is typically found in small and medium-sized creeks, often in very shallow water. It occurs over sandy bottoms and among aquatic vegetation such as Sparganium americanum, foraging among the plants and organic debris for insect larvae and small invertebrates. 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.

<i>Percina maculata</i> Species of fish

Percina maculata, the blackside 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 widespread inhabitant of streams and rivers in the Mississippi River 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.

Percina phoxocephala, the slenderhead 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 North America in the central Ohio and Mississippi River basins, to northeastern South Dakota and the Lake Winnebago system in Wisconsin, and as far south as the Red River in eastern Oklahoma and northeast Texas, typically in small to medium size rivers. It is a colorful species, with an average length of 6 to 9 centimeters. Males take on a deeper hue during the breeding season. It feeds on insect larvae and other small invertebrates, and spawns between April and June. It is a common fish with a very wide range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified its conservation status as being of "least concern".

Percina shumardi is a benthic 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 native to North America. It is an inhabitant of small and medium rivers where it occurs in rocky riffles with clear, fast-flowing water. The river darter can reach up to 7.3 cm in length and has an average lifespan of three years. It can be distinguished from other darters by its unique front and rear spots on the dorsal fin.

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

Etheostoma variatum, the variegate 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 native to the eastern United States where it occurs primarily in the Ohio River basin; it is present in the states of Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana, West Virginia and Kentucky with a small population in Virginia. It is a large darter, growing to 10 cm (4 in) long, orange-red with black vertical barring on its body, and horizontal barring on its front dorsal fin. Its typical habitat is swift-flowing riffles with rubble, boulder and gravel. No major threats have been identified for this fish and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

The bigmouth chub is a species of fish native to West Virginia.

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

The redfin 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 native to the south-central United States, where it occurs in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, and eastern Oklahoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chesapeake logperch</span> Species of fish

The Chesapeake logperch 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 Chesapeake Bay drainages. It prefers gravel runs and riffles of small to medium-sized rivers.

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

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), formerly though to occur in the same watershed. Blackbanded darter has since been split again with Westfall's darter now recognised from the Apalachicola drainage. The species 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.

The chainback 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 North America where it occurs in the Roanoke-Chowan river drainage in Virginia south to the Neuse River drainage in North Carolina. It prefers gravel runs and riffles of small to medium-sized rivers.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 NatureServe (2013). "Percina roanoka". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2013: e.T202591A18236749. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T202591A18236749.en .
  2. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2019). "Percina roanoka" in FishBase. December 2019 version.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Stauffer, Jay (December 1, 2007). Fishes of West Virginia. Academy of Natural Sciences. pp. 334–336. ISBN   9781422317839 . Retrieved 20 April 2023 via Google Books.
  4. Froese, Rainer. "Percina roanoka (Jordan & Jenkins, 1889)". Fish Base. Retrieved 9 May 2015.