Overview
Interesting Facts
Common Names
Click on the language to view common names.
Common Names in Danish:
Lille smutte
Common Names in English:
least darter
Common Names in German:
Minispringbarsch
Common Names in Mandarin Chinese:
小鏢鱸, 小镖鲈
Description
Physical Description
Species Etheostoma microperca
Body: Mouth
and snout: Mouth terminal, oblique
, small teeth on jaws
.
No barbels
. Body patterning, color, and scales
: Back dark olive or
brown with faint blotches. Sides mottled
with 7-12 dark blotches.
Belly cream. First dorsal mottled, often with dark band
at margin
;
second dorsal and caudal with several rows
of spots or horizontal
bands; other fins
lightly pigmented
. 32-38 ctenoid lateral
scales.
Body shape
and size: Body fusiform
to cylindrical and slightly elongated;
slightly laterally compressed
anteriorly; round
to oval
in cross
section
. Typically 25-35 mm (1-1.5 in) TL
; maximum about 45 mm (1.8
in).
Fins: Tail, dorsal and other fins: Rounded
or square
tail. Dorsal
fin
with 2 lobes
, slightly separated, the first with 5-7 (usually
6) spines and the second with 9-10 rays. Pelvic fins thoracic
. Adipse
fin absent. Anal fin with 1 or 2 spines and 5-6 (usually 6) rays.
Distinguishing characteristics: The least darter
can be distinguished
by its combination
of 38 or fewer lateral-line scales with only 0-7
pored, 5-6 anal
rays, its lack of a modified scale between the pelvic
fins, and its pigment/color pattern
. See also similar species information.
Breeding adults
: Males with enlarged pelvic fins, orange-red pelvic
and anal fins, red spots on membranes
of first dorsal fin, and small
tubercles
on pelvic and anal fins.
Juveniles
: Similar to adults.
Size/Age/Growth
Males are commonly 3 cm (Total Length) in length when caught/marketed, but may be as large as 4 cm (Total Length).
Habitat
Occurs in quiet, vegetated lakes , headwaters , creeks and small rivers . Usually found over mud and sand .
Biome: Marine .
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Animalia
()
- C. Linnaeus, 1758
- animals
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
()
- (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
- Branch:
Deuterostomia
()
- Grobben, 1908
- Infrakingdom:
Chordonia
()
- (Haeckel, 1874) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Phylum:
Chordata
()
- Bateson, 1885
- Chordates
- Subphylum:
Vertebrata
()
- Cuvier, 1812
- Vertebrates
- Infraphylum:
Gnathostomata
()
- auct.
- Jawed Vertebrates
- Superclass:
Osteichthyes
()
- Huxley, 1880
- Class:
Osteichthyes
()
- Huxley, 1880
- Subclass:
Actinopterygii
()
- Infraclass:
Actinopteri
()
- Cohort:
Clupeocephala
()
- Superorder:
Acanthopterygii
()
- Order:
Perciformes
()
-
- Suborder:
Percoidei
()
-
- Family:
Percidae
()
- Genus:
Etheostoma
()
- Rafinesque, 1819
- Specific name:
microperca
- Jordan and Gilbert in Jordan, 1888
- Scientific name: - the United states, Canada, and Mexico Sixth Edition. Special Publication 29.
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Service
- Specific name:
microperca
- Jordan and Gilbert in Jordan, 1888
- Genus:
Etheostoma
(
- Family:
Percidae
(
- Suborder:
Percoidei
(
- Order:
Perciformes
(
- Superorder:
Acanthopterygii
(
- Cohort:
Clupeocephala
(
- Infraclass:
Actinopteri
(
- Subclass:
Actinopterygii
(
- Class:
Osteichthyes
(
- Superclass:
Osteichthyes
(
- Infraphylum:
Gnathostomata
(
- Subphylum:
Vertebrata
(
- Phylum:
Chordata
(
- Infrakingdom:
Chordonia
(
- Branch:
Deuterostomia
(
- Subkingdom:
Bilateria
(
- Kingdom:
Animalia
(
Synonyms
Etheostoma (Microperca) microperca Jordan & Gilbert 1887 • Etheostoma microperca Jordan & Gilbert, 1888
Notes
Name
Status: Accepted Name
.
Last scrutiny: Data
last modified by FishBase 08-Jun-1994
Similar Species
Fish Name Body Depth/SL Frenum Snout Stripe Anal Spines/Rays Dorsal Spines/Rays Lateral Scales Similarity Index Bluntnose Darter 14-18% Absent Continuous over snout 1/7-9 8-9/9-11, lobes separate 52-58, Very similar Crystal Darter 11-13% Present Continuous over snout 1/15-16 14/14-16, lobes close 9-95, all pored Very similar Iowa Darter 14-18% Present Gap at tip of snout 2/7-9 8-12/10-12, lobes separate 55-65, Very similar Johnny Darter 14-18% Absent Gap at tip of snout 1/7-9 7-9/11-14, lobes close 37-50, all pored Very similar Least Darter 16-20% Present Continuous or gap at tip 1-2/5-6 5-7/9-10, lobes close 32-38, 0-7 pored N/A Western Sand Darter 11-13% Absent Absent or gap at tip 1/9-12 10-12/9-12, lobes far apart 69-81, all pored Very similar
Members of the genus Etheostoma
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 194 species and subspecies in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:
E. acuticeps (Sharphead Darter) · E. aquali (Coppercheek Darter) · E. artesiae (Redspot Darter) · E. asprigene (Mud Darter) · E. atripinne (Cumberland Snubnose Darter) · E. australe (Dardo De Conchos) · E. baileyi (Emerald Clingfish) · E. barbouri (Teardrop Butterflyfish) · E. barrenense (Splendid Darter) · E. basilare (Corrugated Darter) · E. bellator (Warrior Darter) · E. bellum (Orangefin Characin) · E. bison (Buffalo Darter) · E. blennioides (Greenside Darter) · E. blennioides blennioides (Greenside Darter) · E. blennioides gutselli (Tuckasegee Darter) · E. blennioides newmani (Greenside Darter) · E. blennioides pholidotum (Greenside Darter) · E. blennius (Blenny Darter) · E. blennius blennius (Blenny Darter) · E. boschungi (Slackwater Darter) · E. brevirostrum (Holiday Darter) · E. burri (Brook Darter) · E. caerulea (Rainbow Darter) · E. caeruleum (Rainbow Darter) · E. caeruleum caeruleum (Rainbow Darter) · E. camurum (Bluebreast Darter) · E. cervus (Chickasaw Darter) · E. chermocki (Vermilion Darter) · E. chienense (Relict Darter) · E. chlorobranchium (Greenfin Darter?names of Fishes 133) · E. chlorosoma (Bluntnose Darter) · E. chlorosomum (Bluntnose Darter) · E. chuckwachatte (Lipstick Darter) · E. cinerea (Ashy Darter) · E. cinereum (Ashy Darter) · E. collettei (Creole Darter) · E. collis (Carolina Darter) · E. colorosum (Coastal Darter) · E. coosae (Coosa Darter) · E. corona (Crown Darter) · E. cragini (Arkansas Darter) · E. crossopterum (Fringe-Lipped Worm Eel) · E. cymatotaenia (Bluestripe Darter) · E. davisoni (Choctawhatchee Darter) · E. denoncourti (Golden Darter) · E. denoncourtivan (Golden Darter) · E. derivativum (Stone Darter) · E. ditrema (Coldwater Darter) · E. douglasi (Tuskaloosa Darter) · E. duryi (Blackside Snubnose Darter) · E. edwini (Brown Damsel) · E. erythrozonum (Meramec Saddled Darter) · E. etheostoma (Scaly Goby) · E. etnieri (Cherry Darter) · E. etowahae (Etowah Darter) · E. euzonum (Arkansas Saddled Darter) · E. euzonum erizonum (Current Saddled Darter) · E. euzonum euzonum (Arkansas Saddled Darter) · E. exile (Yellowbelly) · E. flabellare (Fantail Darter) · E. flabellare flabellare (Fantail Darter) · E. flabellaris (Fantail Darter) · E. flavum (Saffron Darter) · E. fonticola (Fountain Darter) · E. forbesi (Barrens Darter) · E. fragi (Strawberry Darter) · E. fricksia (Savannah Darter) · E. fricksium (Savannah Darter) · E. fusiforme (Swamp Darter) · E. fusiforme barratti (Swamp Darter) · E. fusiforme fusiforme (Swamp Darter) · E. gracile (Slough Darter) · E. grahami (Rio De La Plata Onesided Livebearer) · E. gutselli (Tuckasegee Darter) · E. histrio (Harlequin Darter?134 Names of Fishes) · E. hopkinsi (Christmas Darter) · E. hopkinsi binotatum (Christmas Darter) · E. hopkinsi hopkinsi (Christmas Darter) · E. inscriptum (Turquiose Cichlid) · E. jessiae (Blueside Darter) · E. jordani (Greenbreast Darter) · E. juliae (Yoke Darter) · E. kanawhae (Kanawha Darter) · E. kantuckeense (Highfinned Parrotfish) · E. kennicotti (Stripetail Darter) · E. lachneri (Tombigbee Darter) · E. lawrencei (Headwater Darter) · E. lepidum (Greenstripe Rockfish) · E. longimana (Longfin Darter) · E. longimanum (Longfin Darter) · E. lugoi (Tufa Darter) · E. luteovinctum (Redband Darter) · E. luteovinctumin (Redband Darter) · E. lynceum (Brighteye Darter) · E. macrocephalum (Longhead Darter) · E. maculata (Spotted Darter) · E. maculatum (Spotted Darter) · E. mariae (Pinewoods Darter) · E. meadiae (Bluespar Darter)
More Info
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Further Reading
- ... The fishes of Illinois, [Danville, Ill.]Pub. by authority of the State Legislature[1908] url .
- ... The fishes of Illinois, by Stephen Alfred Forbes. .. and Robert Earl Richardson, A.M. [Danville, Ill.]: Pub. by authority of the state Legislature, [1908] url p. 317.
- A checklist of the vertebrate animals of Kansas / George D. Potts, Joseph T. Collins. [Lawrence, Kan.]: Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas, 1991. url p. 29.
- A list of common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. Report presented at the eighty-ninth annual meeting, Clearwater, Fla., Sept. 16-18, 1959. Ann Arbor, Mich., 1960. url p. 28.
- A manual of the vertebrate animals of the northern United States: including the district north and east of the Ozark mountains, south of the Laurentian hills, north of the southern boundary of Virginia, and east of the Missouri river, inclusive of marine species / Chicago:A. C. McClurg, 1916. url .
- A reexamination of the phylogenetic relationships of the sand darters (Teleostei: Percidae) / by Kate A. Shaw, Andrew M. Simons, and E.O. Wiley. 1999 [Lawrence, Kan.]: Natural History Museum, The University of Kansas, [1999] url p. 4.
- Bulletin / Illinois Natural History Survey. Urbana, State of Illinois, Dept. of Registration and Education, Natural History Survey Division, 1918-1985. url , .
- Comprehensive plan for the Illinois Nature Preserves System. Rockford, Ill.: Illinois Nature Preserves Commission, 1972-1973. url p. 32.
- Fish and Wildlife Habitat Changes Resulting from Construction of a Nine-Foot Channel on Pools 24, 25, and 26 of the Mississippi River and the Lower Illinois River, Ft. BelvoirDefense Technical Information CenterAPR 1979. url p. 245, p. 445.
- Fishes in Kansas / Frank B. Cross, Joseph T. Collins; foreword by John E. Hayes, Jr. Lawrence, Kan.: University of Kansas Natural History Museum: c1995. url p. 225, fig. 45, page 283, p. xvii.
- Index to volume I, numbers 1 to 17. 1 1900 Chicago: Field Columbian Museum, 1900. url p. 317.
- Journal of the Kentucky Academy of Science. Lexington, KY: The Academy, 1998- url p. 130, p. 130, p. 180, p. 180.
- Kankakee River fishes of the Braidwood station aquatic monitoring area, August 1988 / [Champaign], Ill.: Illinois Natural History Survey, Jan. 1989. url p. 23.
- Lactate dehydrogenase isozymes of darters and the inclusiveness of the genus Percina / Lawrence M. Page, Gregory S. Whitt. Urbana, Ill.: Illinois Natural History Survey, 1973. url p. 4.
- Manual of the vertebrate animals of the northern U.S.. .. inclusive of the marine species. Chicago, McClurg, 1894, c1876-88. url .
- Miscellaneous publication - University of Kansas, Museum of Natural History. 1967 Lawrence: University of Kansas, 1946-1996. url p. 281, p. 322, p. 6.
- Occasional papers of the Museum of Natural History, the University of Kansas. 1981 Lawrence, Kan.: The University, 1971-1994. url p. 2, p. 40, p. 7.
- On some collections of fishes made in the Kankakee and Illinois Rivers [by] O. P. Hay. 1 1896 Chicago, 1896 url p. 88.
- Pamphlets on forestry. Fish and game. [1900?- url p. 1104.
- Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. Washington, Biological Society of Washington url p. 701, p. 708, p. 709, p. 710, p. 713.
- Proceedings of the United States National Museum. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.] url p. 32, p. 605, p. 606, p. 610, p. 64, p. 7.
- Report of the United States Commissioner of Fisheries for the fiscal year. .. with appendixes Washington: G.P.O., 1914- url p. 294.
- Rock River area assessment / Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Scientific Research and Analysis, Natural History Survey Division, in conjunction with State Geological Survey Division. Springfield, IL: Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources, 1996- url p. 102, p. 138.
- The Canadian field-naturalist. Ottawa, Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club. url , p. 149, p. 152, p. 168, p. 2, p. 2, p. 231, p. 250, p. 254, p. 396, p. 406, p. 455, p. 53, p. 54, p. 55, p. 56, p. 565, p. 57, p. 58, p. 629, p. 638, p. 642, p. 84.
- The Nautilus. Melbourne, Fla., etc., American Malacologists, inc., etc. url p. 9.
- The Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science. Des moines, Iowa: The Academy, [1889-1987] url p. 111.
- The University of Kansas science bulletin. 48 1968 [Lawrence]: University of Kansas, 1902-1996. url p. 186.
- The fishes of Illinois / by Stephen Alfred Forbes and Robert Earl Richardson. [Danville, Ill.]: Natural History Survey of Illinois, State Laboratory of Natural History, [1908] url p. 317, p. 317.
- The fishes of North and Middle America: a descriptive catalogue of the species of fish-like vertebrates found in the waters of North America, north of the Isthmus of Panama / by David Starr Jordan and Barton Warren Evermann. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, United States National Museum, 1896-1900. url p. 1104.
- The lampreys and fishes of Indiana / [S.S. Gorby]. Indianapolis: Wm. B. Burford, 1894. url p. 283.
- The life histories of Etheostoma olivaceum and Etheostoma striatulum, two species of darters in central Tennessee / Lawrence M. Page. Urbana, Ill.: State of Illinois, Illinois Institute of Natural Resources, Natural History Survey Division, Illinois Natural History Survey, [1980] url p. 14.
- The life history of the cypress darter, Etheostoma proeliare in Max Creek, Illinois / Brooks M. Burr and Lawrence M. Page. Urbana: State of Illinois, Dept. of Registration and Education, Natural History Survey Division, 1978. url p. 11, p. 3.
- The life history of the least darter, Etheostoma microperca, in the Iroquois River, Illinois / Brooks M. Burr and Lawrence M. Page. Urbana, Ill.: State of Illinois, Illinois Institute of Natural Resources, Natural History Survey Division, Illinois Natural History Survey, [1979] url , , p. 10, p. 11, p. 12, p. 14, p. 3, p. 4, p. 5, p. 8.
- The life history of the mud darter, Etheostoma asprigene, in Lake Creek, Illinois / Kevin S. Cummings, James M. Grady, and Brooks M. Burr. Champaign, Ill.: State of Illinois, Dept. of Energy and Natural Resources, Natural History Survey Division, [1984]. url p. 10.
- Transactions of the Kentucky Academy of Science. [Lexington, Ky.]Kentucky Academy of Science, 1923-1997. url p. 81, p. 88, p. 94.
- University of Kansas publications, Museum of Natural History. 20 1971 Lawrence, University of Kansas. url p. 441, maps 189-190, page 557.
Notes
Contributors
- American Fisheries Society. Common and Scientific Names of Fishes from the United states, Canada, and Mexico Sixth Edition. Special Publication 29.
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 9, 2012.
- Costa, Wilson J.E.M. (from FishBase).
- FishBase. Release date: January 5, 2010
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 02, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 8 providers.
- Lyons, John. WiscFish.org University of Wisconsin, Center for Limnology, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin Sea Grant. Provided photos, physical description, and table comparing similar species.
- Ruggiero M., Gordon D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Nicolson D. (2011). The Catalogue of Life Taxonomic Classification, Edition 2, Part A. In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK.
Data Sources
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 02, 2008:
- Canadian Museum of Nature: Canadian Museum of Nature Fish Collection
- FishBase: FishBase DiGIR Provider - Philippine Server
- GBIF-Sweden: Fishes (NRM)
- Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Canadian Museum of Nature - Fish Collection (OBIS Canada)
- Royal Ontario Museum: Fish specimens
- SysTax
- SysTax: Staatliches Museum fur Naturkunde, Stuttgart
- University of Kansas Biodiversity Research Center: Fish Collection
- University of Minnesota Bell Museum of Natural History: Fish specimens
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 126772
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Fis-29991
- Fishbase Species ID: 3441
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 168411
- Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: AFCQC02450
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 15782
