Etheostoma gutselli
(Hildebrand, 1932)
Tuckasegee Darter
G3VulnerableGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Cameron Layne, CC BY-NC 4.0
Cameron Layne, CC BY-NC 4.0
Cameron Layne, CC BY-NC 4.0
Levi Smith, CC BY-NC 4.0
Tayton Alvis, CC BY 4.0
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.105502
Element CodeAFCQC02061
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassActinopterygii
OrderPerciformes
FamilyPercidae
GenusEtheostoma
Synonyms
Etheostoma blennioides gutselliHildebrand, 1932
Concept Reference
Lee, D. S., C. R. Gilbert, C. H. Hocutt, R. E. Jenkins, D. E. McAllister, and J. R. Stauffer, Jr. 1980. Atlas of North American freshwater fishes. North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh, North Carolina. i-x + 854 pp.
Taxonomic Comments
Genetic data support recognition of E. gutselli as a distinct species; it is the sister species of E. blennius (Haponski and Stepien 2008).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2011-12-16
Change Date2005-12-22
Edition Date2011-12-16
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Range Extent5000-20,000 square km (about 2000-8000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 80
Rank Reasons
Small range in streams in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia; eliminated from some streams by industrial pollution; possibly recovering with improvements in water quality and reintroductions.
Range Extent Comments
Headwaters of the Little Tennessee River and some tributaries to the Pigeon River, eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina (Etnier and Starnes 1993, Boschung and Mayden 2004, Page and Burr 2011). Recently, Etheostoma gutselli has been collected at several localities in the Pigeon River in North Carolina and Tennessee below the paper mill in Canton, North Carolina (P. Shute and D. Etnier, 1996, Southeastern Fishes Council report). Prior to this, the species had been known in Tennessee from a single recent specimen from Slick Rock Creek (tributary to Little Tennessee River) (Etnier and Starnes 1993). Etheostoma gutselli also occurs in extreme northeastern Georgia (http://fishesofgeorgia.uga.edu).
Extent of occurrence appears to be between 5,000 and 10,000 square kilometers.
Extent of occurrence appears to be between 5,000 and 10,000 square kilometers.
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a fairly large number of occurrences (subpopulations).
Threat Impact Comments
This species may have been eliminated from the Pigeon River in Tennessee as a result of water pollution from a paper mill in Canton, North Carolina (Etnier and Starnes 1993). Etnier and Starnes (1993) stated that this darter might repopulate the lower Pigeon River if water quality in the river continues to improve. Subsequently, additional collections in that river were made.
Ecology & Habitat
Habitat
Habitat includes fast rocky riffles of creeks and small rivers (Page and Burr 2011), including an area where the Pigeon River flow has been diverted for hydropower and the water in the old river bed is from seepage and small streams (Etnier and Starnes 1993).
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN3
| Province | Rank | Native |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | S1 | Yes |
| Georgia | S1 | Yes |
| North Carolina | S3 | Yes |
Threat Assessments
| Threat | Scope | Severity | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 - Pollution | — | — | — |
| 9.2 - Industrial & military effluents | — | — | — |
Roadless Areas (1)
North Carolina (1)
| Area | Forest | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Wesser Bald | Nantahala National Forest | 4,061 |
References (12)
- Boschung, H. T., and R. L. Mayden. 2004. Fishes of Alabama. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 960 pp.
- Etnier, D. A., and W. C. Starnes. 1993. The fishes of Tennessee. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee. xiv + 681 pp.
- Haponski, A. E., and C. A. Stepien. 2008. Molecular, morphological, and biogeographic resolution of cryptic taxa in the greenside darter <i>Etheostoma blennioides</i> complex. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 49:69-83.
- Jelks, H. L., S. J. Walsh, N. M. Burkhead, S. Contreras-Balderas, E. Díaz-Pardo, D. A. Hendrickson, J. Lyons, N. E. Mandrak, F. McCormick, J. S. Nelson, S. P. Platania, B. A. Porter, C. B. Renaud, J. Jacobo Schmitter-Soto, E. B. Taylor, and M.L. Warren, Jr. 2008. Conservation status of imperiled North American freshwater and diadromous fishes. Fisheries 33(8):372-407.
- Lee, D. S., C. R. Gilbert, C. H. Hocutt, R. E. Jenkins, D. E. McAllister, and J. R. Stauffer, Jr. 1980. Atlas of North American freshwater fishes. North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh, North Carolina. i-x + 854 pp.
- Nelson, J. S., E. J. Crossman, H. Espinosa-Perez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, and J. D. Williams. 2004. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 29, Bethesda, Maryland. 386 pp.
- Page, L. M., and B. M. Burr. 1991. A field guide to freshwater fishes: North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. 432 pp.
- Page, L. M., and B. M. Burr. 2011. Peterson field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Second edition. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston. xix + 663 pp.
- Page, L. M., H. Espinosa-Pérez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, R. L. Mayden, and J. S. Nelson. 2013. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Seventh edition. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 34, Bethesda, Maryland.
- Page, L. M., K. E. Bemis, T. E. Dowling, H.S. Espinosa-Pérez, L.T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, K. E. Hartel, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, M. A. Neigbors, J. J. Schmitter-Soto, and H. J. Walker, Jr. 2023. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Eighth edition. American Fisheries Society (AFS), Special Publication 37, Bethesda, Maryland, 439 pp.
- Piller, K. R., and H. L. Bart, Jr. 2002. Status survey of the Tuckasegee darter, <i>Etheostoma blennioides gutselli</i>, in the Little Tennessee River System. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.[1999-2002].
- Piller, K.R. and H.L. Bart Jr. 2017. Rediagnosis of the Tuckasegee Darter, Etheostoma gutselli (Hildebrand), a Blue Ridge Endemic. Copeia 105(3):569-574.