Etheostoma microperca
Least Darter
NS
G5
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Percidae (Perches)
Etheostoma
Etheostoma microperca (Least Darter)
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
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Characters
Body shape: elongated.
Distribution
North America: Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins from eastern Ontario in Canada and from Minnesota south to southern Ohio, central Indiana and central Illinois in the USA; Ozarks-Ouachita drainages of southern Missouri, southeastern Kansas, northwestern Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma in the USA.
Habitat Associations
Freshwater. benthopelagic. Found in: streams, lakes.
Biology
Occur in quiet, vegetated lakes, headwaters, creeks and small rivers (Ref. 5723); also found in streams and springs to ponds (Ref. 10294). Usually found over mud and sand (Ref. 5723, 10294). Adults feed on midge larvae, isopods, and microcrustaceans, particularly copepods (Ref. 10294). Eggs are found attached to the substrate unguarded (Ref. 7043).
Max length: 4.4 cm TL; common length: 3.1 cm TL; max age: 2 years.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; mating system: polygyny; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none. Eggs are found attached to the substrate unguarded (Ref. 7043). From Ref. 7043, 'a ripe female is courted by males and when ready to spawn positions herself on vegetation, often vertically. A male mounts the female and clasps her back with his enlarged pelvic fins. The two fish vibrate and one to three eggs are deposited on living or dead vegetation.The pair moves to another spot and more eggs are laid.'
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2011-12-21. Resilience: High (tm=1; tmax=2; Fec=31-240).
References
Scott, W.B. and E.J. Crossman (1973) Freshwater fishes of Canada. Bull. Fish. Res. Board Can. 184: xi+1-966.
Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr (1991) A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 432 p.
Page, L. (1983) Handbook of darters. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. USA. 271 p.
Coker, G.A., C.B. Portt and C.K. Minns (2001) Morphological and ecological characteristics of Canadian freshwater fishes. Can. MS Rpt. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2554:iv+89p.
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