I was going through my photos today, trying to collect some good shots of various Roanoke drainage fish species (potentially to be used as educational materials for a public aquarium, fingers crossed) and came across a few photos of a particularly handsome Fantail Darter (Etheostoma flabellare). While they lack the bright colors of many of their darter kin, this is one of, if not the most common and widespread darter, being found nearly universally in streams and rivers in the eastern and central US. I see many many many of these doing routine fieldwork each year, but never get tired of seeing them. They are fascinating, bold little aquarium fish, and when they get excited about breeding or a territorial dispute, their pattern really pops with those black bars. Their base pattern seems almost unique wherever you catch them, and I was fascinated last year to see a variety in Kentucky with small black, stippled lines running horizontally up and down the body. The orange knobs in their dorsal fin act as an egg-mimic with females likely mistaking a big healthy dorsal fin with an already successful nest, persuading her to spawn with the male and add her eggs to the nest. It is believed that these also possess some antifungal/antibacterial properties, such that the male helps protect the eggs from disease when rubbing these knobs on the eggs during nest maintenance. Maybe they dont have neon colors, but you cannot deny that the humble, ubiquitous fantail darter is an awesome little fish.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 22:32:49 +0000
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