Tessellated darter

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Tessellated darter
Tesselated darter (Etheostoma olmstedi).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. olmstedi
Binomial name
Etheostoma olmstedi

The tessellated darter (Etheostoma olmstedi) 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 Canada and the United States. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the johnny darter, which it greatly resembles in general appearance.

Contents

Description

Both the tessellated darter and johnny darter are rather pale with small, X- or W-shaped markings on the back and upper sides. Both have only a single anal fin spine whereas all other darters in their range have two. Tessellated darters have somewhat sharper snouts than johnny darters, more dorsal soft rays, and more pectoral fin rays. The suborbital sensory canal is complete in most tessellated darters, usually broken into two sections in johnny darters. Their nape is usually naked, and their cheeks are partly too completely scaled. The breast is usually naked and the belly partly scaled. The body of the tessellated darter is elongate, but a little compressed. In breeding males, the spines have fleshy knobs although they are not as well developed as in the fantail darter. They are a pale, sandy color shading to whitish along the body ventrally. Some scales of the upper sides have dark margins forming wavy bars of varying lengths and different angles. Their sides have X- and W-shaped marks, of which 9 to 11 are prominent along the midside. Dorsal fins have a dark pigment spot on the first interradial membrane, and the rest of the fin is clear or slightly dusky. the snout has a dark line from each eye to the nostrils. Juveniles and breeding adults develop 12 or 13 rather even vertical bands along their sides while losing the wavy lines and X-shaped markings as the scales of the upper sides become quite dark with pale tips on the pectoral and pelvic fins. The unpigmented areas of the second dorsal, anal, and caudal fins stand out so that the fin has the appearance of having white bands on a dark background, which is a reversal of the appearance in non-breeding adults. In this color phase, they are sometimes mistaken for a species of Percina .

Ecology

Tessellated darters eat crustaceans and small insects when they are small, gradually shifting to larger insects as the fish get bigger. Male tessellated darters guard nests of fertilized eggs until the fry (young) are free-swimming, and have been observed to engage in alloparental (adoptive) care of previous nest inhabitants' eggs. Alloparental care is associated with increased male reproductive success in this species. [2] Males frequently engage in filial cannibalism (consumption of their own offspring). [3]

Taxonomy and etymology

The tessellated darter was first formally described in 1842 by the American ichthyologist David Humphreys Storer with the type locality given as the Connecticut River at Hartford, Connecticut. [4] The specific name honors the collector of the type, Charles H. Olmsted who was president of the Hartford Natural History Society. [5] It is closely related to the Johnny darter E. nigrum and has been considered synonymous with it. [4]

Related Research Articles

This glossary of ichthyology is a list of definitions of terms and concepts used in ichthyology, the study of fishes.

<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">Johnny darter</span> Species of fish

The johnny 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 shallow waters throughout North America east of the Rocky Mountains.

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

The blenny 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 poorly known species which occurs in Alabama and Tennessee where it inhabits swift riffles.

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

The greenside 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 inhabits swift riffles in the eastern United States and southern Ontario.

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

Etheostoma exile, the Iowa 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, along with about 17 other species of darters, is native to the lakes and streams of Iowa.

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

The bluntnose 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 eastern North America where it is found in slower moving and still waters.

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

The Coosa 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.

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

The swamp 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.

The least 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 generally found in lakes and streams in northeastern part of the United States and along the Mississippi River systems.

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

The speckled 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 southeastern United States. It occurs in the Mississippi River basin and through the Gulf Coast drainages. It is also found in the Clinch River and the Powell River. This species inhabits rocky or sandy pools in flowing waters up to the size of medium rivers with fast currents. It can reach a length of 6.1 centimetres (2.4 in) TL though most only reach about 4 centimetres (1.6 in).

<i>Stegastes pictus</i> Species of fish

Stegastes pictus, the yellowtip damselfish, is a species of damselfish found near the sea bed on shallow rocky reefs off the coast of Brazil, where it is endemic. It is a small, laterally-compressed, dark brown fish with yellow pectoral and caudal fins. It feeds on algae and detritus and is often found in the vicinity of the fire coral Millepora alcicornis. It is a territorial fish and forms a pair bond in the breeding season. The eggs are laid in a shallow scoop on the seabed and the male tends them to keep them well-aerated.

<i>Chaetodon hoefleri</i> Species of fish

Chaetodon hoefleri, the four-banded butterflyfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish from the family Chaetodontidae. It is native to the tropical eastern Atlantic and has been recorded in the Mediterranean.

Halichoeres zulu, the Kwa-Zulu Natal wrasse, is a species of ray-finned fish from the family Labridae, the wrasses. It is native to the south western Indian Ocean. It was first described in 2010.

<i>Polydactylus sextarius</i> Species of fish

Polydactylus sextarius, the blackspot threadfin, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a threadfin from the family Polynemidae which is native to the western Pacific and eastern Indian Oceans.

<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">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">Savannah darter</span> Species of fish

The Savannah 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 occurs in the Edisto, Combahee, Broad and Savannah River drainages in South Carolina and Georgia. It inhabits gravel riffles, gravel and sand runs of creeks and small rivers. This species can reach a length of 7.4 cm (2.9 in).

<i>Chromis hangganan</i> Species of fish

Chromis hangganan, the dark margin chromis, is a species of marine fish of the damselfishes in the family Pomacentridae belonging to the genus Chromis. This species was first described in 2019, along with Chromis bowesi and Chromis gunting, discovered and known only from Lubang Island, in the Philippines. It is characterized by 10–12 dorsal fin rays, 11–12 anal fin rays, 18 pectoral fin rays, 3 caudal fin rays that are procurrent, 16 lateral line scales that are tubed, 23–26 gill rakers, and a body depth of 1.9–2.0 in standard length(5.78 cm in length) as differed from other congeners. The adult fish's color when fresh is yellowish having dark black margins on the dorsal and anal fins.

Placidochromis boops is a species of deep-water African cichlid endemic to the southern portion of Lake Malawi. This species can reach a length of up to 11.2 centimetres (4.4 in) SL.

References

  1. NatureServe (2013). "Etheostoma olmstedi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2013: e.T202510A2745422. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T202510A2745422.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. Stiver, Kelly; Alonzo, Suzanne (January 1, 2011). "Alloparental care increases mating success". Behavioral Ecology. 22 (1): 206–211. doi: 10.1093/beheco/arq186 .
  3. DeWoody, Andrew; Fletcher, Dean; Wilkins, David; Avise, John (April 24, 2001). "Genetic documentation of filial cannibalism in nature". PNAS. 98 (9): 5090–5092. Bibcode:2001PNAS...98.5090D. doi: 10.1073/pnas.091102598 . PMC   33168 . PMID   11309508.
  4. 1 2 Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Etheostoma olmstedi". Catalog of Fishes . California Academy of Sciences . Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  5. Storer, D. H. (1842). "Descriptions of two new species of fishes". Boston Journal of Natural History. 4 (1): 58–62.