| Etheostoma chienense | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Percidae |
| Genus: | Etheostoma |
| Species: | E. chienense |
| Binomial name | |
| Etheostoma chienense Page & Ceas, 1992 |
|
Etheostoma chienense is a rare species of fish in the perch family known by the common name relict darter. It is endemic to Kentucky in the United States, where it occurs only in the drainage of the Bayou du Chien, a stream.[1] It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.[2]
This fish, part of the Etheostoma squamiceps species complex, was formally described in 1992. It grows up to about 7.2 centimeters in length. It is characterized by "lollypop-like" white knobs on the second dorsal fin of the male that develop during the breeding season.[3]
This fish is known only from the Bayou du Chien, a tributary of the Mississippi River in Kentucky. The fish can be found in a 35-kilometer stretch of the river.[3] It shelters in areas where the riverbank is undercut and water flows beneath a mat of roots. The substrate is sand and gravel covered in leaf litter. This type of habitat is not continuous on the river, with wide spaces between patches of appropriate habitat.[1]
The fish feeds on insects. During reproduction, eggs are stuck to the undersides of sticks and rocks. Only one spawning area has been observed.[3]
This species is limited to one small river system which has been altered and no longer has much habitat or appropriate spawning areas. Agriculture and the channelization of the river have effected these changes.[3]