TN00092 FANTAIL DARTER ETHEOSTOMA FLABELLARE
Physical description: This darter has a low first dorsal fin and a typically barred side in the adult. The tail is round and predominently tessellated or marbled. The adults are usually from 35-60 mm SL. The body is somewhat elongate, nearly uniform in depth throughout with the anterior body shallow and the caudal peduncle rather deep. The snout is moderately short and slightly pointed or rounded. The large nuptial male is pugfaced and the lower jaw is sometime obliqu with the lower jaw exceeding the upper jaw. The frenum is present. The branchiostegal membranes are moderately to usually broadly conjoined. Both the dorsal and anal fins are low and the caudal fin is round. The nuptial male has a small to large knob on the tip of the first dorsal spines. The anal and pelvic spines and lower pectoral rays are ridged with thickened skin. In the male, the scales of the lowe side have a smoothly thickened ridge of skin. In large males in peak developement, all the body scales are heavily rugose with some rugae on the lower cheek. The head dorsum and the nape are rarely rugose. The skin is usually thickest on the anterior and medial exposed portions of the scales. The female genital papilla is a grooved broad, flat, bulbose pad. Some females have a slight knobbing on the dorsal spine tips and slightly thickened smooth-surfaced skin on the lower body scales. The lateral line is incomplete with (14)26-38(45) pored scales and a total of (40)46-54(60) midlateral scales. There are (6)7-9(10) scales above the lateral line, to the second dorsal origin and (6)8-11(13) scales below the lateral line. There are (19)22-26(30) circumpeduncle scales, (5)7-8(9) dorsal spines and (10)13-14(15) dorsal rays. There are (12)14-15(17) branched caudal rays, 1-3 anal spines, (6)7-9(10) anal rays, 11-13(14) pectoral rays and 33-36 vertebrae. The cheek and opercle are naked, and very rarely with a few scales. The belly is usually 100% scaled and the nape is usually naked, often 10-40% scaled, rarely 70-90% scaled. This is generally a drab darter with the ground shade of the back and side from tan to brown, sometimes yellow or orange toned. The marks are dark olive to black and the venter is pale gray to white. Wher not darkened, the fins often have a pale yellow tinge, and rarely all the fins are lemon yellow. The dorsal fin knobs are yellow, gold or orange. The blackness of the head of the nuptial male pales quickly in stressed fish *4205*. Reproduction: This species will sometimes reproduce at age I and always at age II *4205*. Spawning takes place in spring, and the eggs are deposited in nests which are guarded by the males. Several females may deposit their eggs in single nest, and large females may spawn up to 5 times in one season. A females is believed to contribute 34 eggs to a nest, and fecundity has been reported as from 40-586 eggs/female with averages of 169 *4205*. The number of eggs/nest ranges 62-298. Incubation was reported as 30-35 days at 17-20 degrees C, 21 days at 21-22 degrees C, 14-16 days at 23.5 degrees C *2977,2978,2284*. The eggs average 2.2-2.7 mm in diameter, and adhere to undersurface of stones *2978,2284*. Behavior: This species is elusive and shy, however easily approached during breeding season *2978*. At water temperatures from 7-14 degrees C, the males migrate from deeper faster riffles up to shallow, slow flowing riffles, where s*ationary territories are established *2978,2284*. When deep silt deposits cover the spawning site, darters spawn in faster riffles *1306*. If suitable habitat is unavailable the males range over the spawning area but do not establish territories. A hierarchy exists with the larger males taking the preferred sites *2978,2284,1200*. Territories are defended to establish nests and to protects the eggs after spawning *2978*. The male guards a 0.3 meter diameter area with the nest in the center. They become intensely dark when chasing intruders, and drives away intraspecifis males and other species of its own size. The show no territorial defense at night *1200*. The females arrive at the spawning area one week later and remain in raceways and smaller pools with the juveniles *2978,2284,1200*. Nest cavities are usually half way from the shore to the middle of the creek where the bottom is hard. Cavities located under rocks are 13-25 mm deep *2978,2284,1200*. The male prepares a nest by cleaning off the debris and sediment from the rock using the fleshy bulbs on his spiny dorsal fin and thickened flesh on top of his head *2284,1200*. Most nests are 1.2 meters apart *2978*. Ripe females enter the cavities, turn upside down, and remain inverted for as long as 2 hours, during which time the adhesive eggs are laid singly but in a concentrated patch on the underside of the stone. The eggs are laid every 1-3 minutes *2978*. The male periodically , but briefly, inverts to position himself alongside the female in a head-to-tail position. The sperm is released, and the male returns to an upright position *2978*. The female leaves the nest after depositing the eggs *2978*. The male guards the nest and moves around under the eggs, brushing them with the bulbous tips of the dorsal spines and the soft dorsal fin. He also aerates the eggs by fanning them with his pectoral fins. The unattended eggs quickly become infected *2978*. Mucus from the male may have a bactericidal and fungicidal affect since the males are especially slimey during spawning *2980*. Several females may contribute to the nest of one male *2978,2284*. After spawning, the darters move into larger, deeper waters, where they overwinter *1306*. The larvae are very active after hatching and rest for only short periods of time, soon dispersing throughout stones and weeds *2978*. The base color of individual darters changes according to the shade of substrate and the time of day, becoming darker at night *1200*. ORIGIN: This species is native in Virginia *4205,816*. Limiting factors: This species is sensitive to the influx of strip mine waste *2236*. Population parameters; This species sometimes reproduces at age I, always by age II *4205,2978*. Longevity is usually 4 years (female) to 5 years (male) *4205*. Fecundity averages from 169-449 eggs/female *2978,2284,4205*. The sex ratio was reported as 2:1 and 1.2-1.5:1 (females to males) and also as 1.5:1 (males to females) *2978,2210,2211*. Aquatic/terrestrial associations: Egg predators include crayfish, and mottled sculpin (Cottus bairdi) *2978,2154*. They are associated with Notropis cornutus, Hyborynchus notatus, Rhinichthys cataractae, Nocomi biguttatus, Hypentelium nigricans, Noturus flavus, Micropterus salmoides, Lepomis gibbosus, Ambloplites rupestris, Boleosoma nigrum, Etheostoma blennioides, E. podostemone, Percina roanoka, and P. maculatus *2978,2239,2217*. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: NAPE, CHEEK, OPERCLE, BREAST, AND PREPECTORAL AREA UNSCALED, BELLY FULLY SCALED OR MISSING A FEW ANTERIORLY, LATERAL SCALES = 45-60, 11-36 (20-30), PORED, DORSAL SPINES = 6-10 (7-8), DORSAL RAYS = 12-14, PECTORAL RAYS = 11-13, ANAL SPINES = 2, ANAL RAYS = 7-9 (8), VERTEBRAE = 32-35 (5017), SEXUAL DIMORPHISM UNIQUE, TIPS OF DORSAL FIN RAYS OF MALES EXPANDED INTO FLESHY PADS *2284* REPRODUCTION: FOR BREEDING, CAVITIES BENEATH ROCKS THAT ARE ABOUT 0.5-0.75 INCHES HIGH AND WITH ONLY A FEW POSSIBLE ENTRANCES ARE PREFERRED, THICKENED FLESHY KNOBS ON THE DORSAL SPINES OF THE MALE ARE ALSO USED IN CLEANING THE LOWER SURFACE OF THE ROCK PRIOR TO SPAWNING *TN5071* BEHAVIOR: IS STRONGLY TERRITORIAL *TN5058*
| Life History |
References for Life History Codes
2977, 2978, 2284, 789, 2236, 2217, 1306, 2210, 2980, 2211, 1200, 2239, 849, 2154, 2214, 4205
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