Cherokee darter
| Cherokee darter | |
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| Species: | E. scotti
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| Binomial name | |
| Etheostoma scotti Bauer, Etnier, and Burkhead, 1995
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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]
Spawning occurs in March through June, the females depositing the eggs in gravel or sometimes bedrock or wood debris.[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
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c USFWS. Determination of Threatened Status for the Cherokee Darter and Endangered Status for the Etowah Darter. Federal Register December 20, 1994.
- ^ 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.