Scaly sand darter

Scaly sand darter
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Percidae
Genus: Ammocrypta
Species: A. vivax
Binomial name
Ammocrypta vivax
(Hay, 1882)

The scaly sand darter (Ammocrypta vivax) is a species of freshwater fish endemic to the southeastern United States.

Description

The scaly sand darter grows to between 5.4 to 7.3 cm (2.1 to 2.9 in) in length.[1] It has nine to sixteen spots on each side, with irregular dark blotches on the back, with dark bands on the dorsal, caudal and spinal fins.[2] It inhabits sandy beds of slow-moving rivers and creeks, and feeds on midge larvae and entomostracans.

Distribution

The species is found in the Mississippi River basin from western Kentucky and southeastern Missouri south to southern Mississippi and west to eastern Oklahoma and Texas, and in drainage basins of the Gulf of Mexico from the Pascagoula River in Mississippi to the San Jacinto River in Texas.

References

  1. ^ Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). "Ammocrypta vivax" in FishBase. April 2006 version.
  2. ^ "Scaly sand darter". Texas State University. http://www.bio.txstate.edu/~tbonner/txfishes/ammocrypta%20vivax.htm. Retrieved 2010-04-16.