Etheostoma scotti

Etheostoma scotti
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Percidae
Genus: Etheostoma
Species: E. scotti
Binomial name
Etheostoma scotti
Bauer, Etnier, and Burkhead, 1995

Etheostoma scotti is a rare species of fish in the perch family known by the common name Cherokee darter. It is endemic to Georgia in the United States, where it is limited to the Etowah River system.

This fish was not formally described as a new species until 1995,[1] but it was federally listed as a threatened species of the United States in 1994.[2]

The fish is whitish to yellowish with olive green and black spots on the sides which become larger during the breeding season. There are 8 dark saddle-like markings on the back.[2] The male is a maximum of approximately 5 centimeters in length.[3]

Spawning occurs in March through June, the females depositing the eggs in gravel or sometimes bedrock or wood debris.[4] The fish becomes sexually mature at age 1 and it does not appear to live more than 2 years.[3]

The Cherokee darter lives in creeks with rocky bottoms, staying mostly in clear parts of the stream that have little silt. The fish can be found in several tributaries of the Etowah River, but few of the populations are large or very healthy. The larger populations can be found in the northern tributaries above Lake Allatoona. This reservoir is in the center of the fish's distribution, dividing it in two and causing fragmentation of the population.[2]

References

  1. ^ Bauer, B. H., et al. (1995). Etheostoma (Ulocentra) scotti (Osteichthyes: Percidae), a new darter from the Etowah River System in Georgia. Bulletin of the Alabama Museum of Natural History 17:1–16.
  2. ^ a b c USFWS. Determination of Threatened Status for the Cherokee Darter and Endangered Status for the Etowah Darter. Federal Register December 20, 1994.
  3. ^ a b Barton, S. D. and S. L. Powers. (2010). Life-history aspects of the Cherokee Darter, Etheostoma scotti (Actinopterygii: Percidae), an imperiled species in northern Georgia. Southeastern Naturalist 9(4) 687.
  4. ^ Storey, C. M., et al. (2006). Analysis of spawning behavior, habitat, and season of the federally threatened Etheostoma scotti, Cherokee Darter (Osteichthyes: Percidae). Southeastern Naturalist 5(3) 413.

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