TN00108 REDLINE DARTER ETHEOSTOMA RUFILINEATUM
Physical description: This is a barred or checkered darter with dark slashes and large spots on the head. They are usually from 45-70 mm SL. The body is moderate to moderately deep and compressed. The snout is sharp, and moderate in length and the frenum is present. The branchiostegal membranes are seperate or narrowly conjoined and the caudal fin is rounded or subtruncate. The female genital papilla is short and conical. The lateral line is complete or nearly so with (47)49-57(62) scales in the lateral series. There are (4)5-7(8) scales above the lateral line and (5)6-8(9) scales below the lateral line. There are (17(18-22(23) circumpeduncle scales (10)11-12(13) dorsal spines and (10)11-12(13) dorsal rays. There are 2 anal spines, (6)7- 8(9) anal rays and (11)13-14(15) pectoral rays. The nape, cheek and breast are naked and the opercle and belly are scaled. The breeding male has checks and lines on the body that are dark brown to black. Between the lines are numerous orange to red spots or blocks on a creamy or tan ground. The spots are single and round, with the blocks elongate. The venter is creamy tan to bright orange with intermediate stages of orange spotting on tan. The lips, cheeks and opercle often have a varying number of orange or red spots and dashes. The breast and pectoral base are blue-green, blue or blue-gray. The first dorsal fin is distally clear, subdistally orange-red and submarginally pale gradually darkening to the base. The rays have a hint of green in some species. The second dorsal fin is dark green to black, subdistally dark green to black, sub- marginally orange-red, medially olive-yellow and often continuing down the rays to the base along black membranes. The caudal is similar to the second dorsal with an orange-red band continuing around and connecting to an hourglass area at the base. The dorsal and vental bulb of the hour- glass are paler orange, similat to the venter. The anal fin is similar to the second dorsal but basically lighter with a hint of blue-green. The pelvic margin is clear and the submargin is orange-red with the median yellow-olive and the base dark, similar to the anal base. The pectoral is similar to the pelvic but lacking the basal darkening, and the mem- branes are usually pale. The breeding female has no bright colors except a yellow wash in all the fins *4205*. Reproduction: Spawning takes place from May-August under and around large rocks near the crests of riffles. Spawning behavior is relatively primitive. The female lays buried in the sand near the rock that the male has chosen while the male swims above. Both wave their tails synchronously to lay and to fertilize the eggs. The breeding male's vertical fins become edged with a dark green bank with inner bands of white and red. The basal portion of the vertical fin is dark green, the pelvic region becomes dark green and the abdomen turns a creamy white to yellow. The breeding female becomes darker. The female lays from 50-331 eggs with 23-131 usually hatching. The eggs are translucent, and indented with a large oil droplet with egg size average 1.73 mm *2287,2286,4205*. Behavior: There is no parental care of the eggs. 56% of the females are sexually mature at one year, and the males become mature at 2 years. The males defend a stationary territory around the female only during spawning *2287,2286*. Origin: This species is native in Virginia *4205*. Limiting factors: This species is restricted to swift water due to their intolerance to hypoxia *4205*. Population parameters: The annual survival rates for the male are 44% and 33% for female. The lower rate for the the female may be attributed to the energy demands of egg laying or may be due to the preponderance of males in the area in studied. The sex ratio is 2.7 males to 1 female, with a seasonal change of 2.5:1 during spawning *2286*. Aquatic/terrestrial associations: They have sympatric relationships with the bluebreast darter, spotted darter, and the greenside darter *2286*. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: THE HIWASSEE RIVER POPULATION HAS LOW SCALE AND HIGH VERTEBRAL COUNTS WHEN COMPARED TO POPULATIONS FROM ADJACENT DRAINAGES, ALSO THE COLOR PATTERN IN MANY HIWASSEE MALES IS DIFFERENT WITH A BROAD SPECTRUM OF SPOTTING OCCURING IN ALL FINS AND ESPECIALLY THE SECOND DORSAL, CAUDAL, ANAL, AND PECTORAL FINS *TN5181* AQUATIC AND TERRESTRIAL ASSOCIATIONS: HAS BEEN COLLECTED WITH E. ACUTICEPS, E. AQUALI, E. CHLOROBRANCHIUM, E. MACULATUM VULNERATUM, E. M. SANGUIFLUUM, E. MICROLEPIDUM, E. TIPPECANOE, AND IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR WITH E. CAMURUM ALSO, AMONG DARTERS OTHER THAN NOTHONOTUS IT HAS BEEN CAPTURED WITH THE MAJORITY OF SPECIES IN THE CUMBERLAND AND TENNESSEE BASINS *TN5018*
| Life History |
References for Life History Codes
2287, 2286, 819, 4205, TN5018, TN5181
Comments on Life History Codes