TN00304 TANGERINE DARTER PERCINA AURANTIACA
Physical description: This is a very large darter with the adults usually from 90-130 mm SL. They have broadly conjoined lateral blotches that usually form a stripe. The body is moderately elongate and the snout is moderately short and moderate in shape. The frenum is well developed and the branchiogtegal membranes are seperate to slightly conjoined. The caudal fin is slightly emarginate. The breeding male has keratinized ridges on the spines and rays of the anal and pelvic fins. Larger specimens have ridges on the lower 4 rays of the pectoral fin. There is a pad formed by epidermal thickening on the dorsal portion of the caudal peduncle of the large nuptial males. The female genital papillia is moderately short, bulb-shaped, rugose, with terminal finger- like projections. The lateral line is complete with (84)86-93(99) scales. There are 11-16 scales above the lateral line and 15-21 below the lateral line. There are (31)32-37(38) circumpeduncle scales, (13)14-15(16) dorsal spines and (12)13-14(15) dorsal rays. There are 2 anal spines, (9)10-11(12) anal rays and (13)14-15(16) pectoral rays. The belly, nape, cheek and opercle are fully scales and the breast is partly or fully scaled. The midventral scales of the male are weakly modified in the interpelvic area and along the belly. Some ctenii are slightly to well erected. The female usually has few, bairly modified interpelvic scales. The dorsum of the juvenile and adult female are light olive with brown to black markings. The side and venter of the small juvenile are creamy and the those of the adult female are pale to moderate yellow. The juvenile may have a pale yellow gular. The adult female opercle has a yellow luster. The first dorsal fin has a pale orange submarginal band and the distal 2/3 of the second dorsal and caudal rays are yellow-olive. The nuptial male has dark olive to black dorsal and lateral blotches. The areas between and below the blotches have a blue-green iridescense and accentuating blotches. The lower side and venter are bright tangerine, the breast is black and the gular area is brilliant orange-red. The lower side of the head is yellow to red and the pectoral base is silky sky blue. The first dorsal sub- marginal band is bright burnt orange, and the medial band is orangish olive or black. The second dorsal fin is basally olive, becoming rust orange distally. The distal half of the caudal fin is olive-orange. The pelvic and anal membranes are silky sky blue over black *4205*. Reproduction: The males mature at 1 year, and females develope mature ova at 2 years *4205*. They spawn in May in the North Fork Holston in water 21 degrees C. In Little Pigeon River, Tennessee, they spawned the end of June in water 23 degrees C. Spawning occurs in areas of moderate and swift current at shallow sites of mostly gravel intermixed with sand and on sandy patches. They show no parental care or territoriality. Fecundity ranges from 120-578 mature ova *4205*. During a spawning act observed in a holding tank, the female prepared the spawning area by clearing off the substrate with motions of the body. The male hovers over the female then lowers onto her. Both quiver and the eggs are released (less than 5 at a time) and fertilized. The sequence is then repeated. The eggs average 2.1 mm in diameter *2670*. Behavior: This species is most active from 0600-2030 hours, with peak activity at 1300 hours. There is no long distance migration, but they move into deeper water to overwinter. They typically forage by picking immature insects from bottom rocks and clumps of riverweed. There is no parental care of the eggs *2670*. The primary dietary items are immature midges and mayflies for juveniles and caddisflies and mayflies for adults. They roll small gravel and snail shells, feeding on the exposed prey *4205*. Origin: This species is native in Virginia *812*. Limiting factors: Populations are depleted in sections of the river stressed by chemical effluents from industry *2301*. Population parameters: The sex ratio of females to males (N=101) was reported as 1.2:1, however the sample is biased towards females. Longevity of theis species is 4 years and age has no influence of sex on growth *2670*. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: A LARGE DARTER (MAXIMUM LENGTH 6 INCHES), NUPTIAL MALES ARE BRIGHT ORANGE ON THE LIPS, CHEEKS, BRANCHIOSTEGAL MEMBRANES, CAUDAL AND DORSAL FINS, AND ON THE AREA BELOW THE LATERAL BAND FROM THE PELVIC FIN BASE TO THE CAUDAL FIN, FEMALES AND JUVENILES ARE YELLOW IN THESE AREAS, A BLACK LATERAL BAND IS FORMED FROM ABOUT 8 FUSED LATERAL BLOTCHES, ABOVE THIS BAND THERE IS A ROW OF SMALL BLACK SPOTS, EXTENDING FROM THE HEAD TO THE ANTERIOR PORTION OF THE SOFT DORSAL FIN ABOUT MIDWAY BETWEEN THE LATERAL BAND AND THE DORSAL MIDLINE, DURING THE BREEDING SEASON, ADULT MALES HAVE IRRIDESCENT BLACK MEMBRANES AND PALE RAYS IN THE PELVIC AND ANAL FINS, LATERAL LINE COMPLETE WITH 86-95 SCALES, DORSAL FIN SPINES = 14-16, DORSAL SOFT RAYS = 14-15 *TN5002*, BELLY, NAPE, CHEEK, AND OPERCLE FULLY SCALED, BREAST FULLY OR PARTLY SCALED, MODIFIED SCALES PRESENT ON BREAST AND ON BREEDING MALE IN A ROW ALONG THE MIDLINE OF THE BELLY, PECTORAL RAYS 13-16 (14-15), ANAL SPINES 2, ANAL RAYS 9-12 (10-11), BRANCHIOSTEGAL RAYS 6, VERTEBRAE 43-46 (44-45), GENITAL PAPILLA OF BREEDING FEMALE IS SHORT, BROAD, AND VILLOUS *TN5017* REPRODUCTION: ALTHOUGH SOME MALES REACH SEXUAL MATURITY IN THEIR FIRST YEAR, MOST SPAWNING INVOLVES 3 AND 4-YEAR-OLD FISH, FEMALES DO NOT SPAWN UNTIL THEIR SECOND YEAR, MALES ARE TERRITORIAL ONLY DURING BREEDING SEASON, EGGS ARE DEPOSITED IN SUBSTRATES OF FINE GRAVEL IN DEPRESSIONS CONSTRUCTED BY THE FEMALE, BREEDING SEASON IS FROM MID- APRIL TO LATE JUNE *TN5002*, FEMALE PREPARES SUITABLE SPAWNING AREA BY CLEARING SUBSTRATE WITH MOTIONS OF HER BODY, MALE HOVERS OVER FEMALE AND AS SHE REMAINS MOTIONLESS, LOWERS HIS BODY ONTO HERS, BOTH QUIVER AND IN SO DOING RELEASE EGGS (<5 AT A TIME) AND SPERM, THE SEQUENCE IS REPEATED, EGGS AVERAGE 2.1 MM DIAMETER *TN5017*, FEMALES PRESUMABLY SPAWN WITH MORE THAN ONE MATE *TN5018* BEHAVIOR: MOST ACTIVE BETWEEN 0600-2030 HOURS, WITH ACTIVITY PEAKING AT 1300 HOURS, THERE ARE NO LONG DISTANCE MIGRATIONS, BUT BOTH MALES AND FEMALES MOVE TO DEEP WATER TO OVERWINTER *TN5017*, MALES USUALLY REMAIN IN VERY SWIFT WATER FROM JULY TO OCTOBER, THE YOUNG CHOSE SHALLOW, RELATIVELY QUIET AREAS MARGINAL TO MAIN CHANNEL, NO OTHER DARTER IN UPPER TENNESSEE BASIN SEEMS SO WELL SUITED TO TORRENTIAL FLOW *TN5018* POPULATION PARAMETERS: LIFE SPAN IS AT LEAST 4 YEARS, LARGE FEMALES MAY PRODUCE OVER 700 EGGSYEAR *TN5002*, SEX RATIO IN AN EAST TENNESSEE STUDY WAS 1.2 FEMALESMALE, NUMBER OF EGGS RANGES FROM 5-750 *TN5017*
| Life History |
References for Life History Codes
816, 2670, 2203, 2669, 4205, TN5002
Comments on Life History Codes