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Home/Species/ Greenside Darter

Etheostoma blennioides

Rafinesque, 1819

Greenside Darter

G5Secure Found in 9 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.790349
Element CodeAFCQC02060
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassActinopterygii
OrderPerciformes
FamilyPercidae
GenusEtheostoma
Other Common Names
Dard vert (FR)
Concept Reference
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.
Taxonomic Comments
Miller (1968) recognized four subspecies: gutselli (formerly regarded as a distinct species), pholidotum, newmanii, and blennioides. Nelson et al. (2004) elevated gutselli to species status. Boschung and Mayden (2004) commented that E. b. newmanii may warrant recognition as a distinct species.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-02-09
Change Date1996-09-23
Edition Date2011-12-06
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 - 300
Range Extent Comments
Range includes the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins from eastern Kansas and Oklahoma east to New York and western Maryland, and from southwestern Ontario south to Arkansas, Alabama, and Georgia (excluding the range of former subspecies gutselli, now regarded as a distinct species; Nelson et al. 2004); also the Atlantic slope in Mohawk, Susquehanna, and Potomac drainages, New York to Virginia; a range hiatus exists in the Former Mississippi Embayment and lowlands of Illinois and southwestern Indiana (Page and Burr 2011).
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a large number of occurrences (subpopulations).
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This species occurs in varied habitats; often it is in medium-sized to large creeks and small to medium rivers with gravel- or rubble-strewn riffles; it also occurs in silt-free, shallow bedrock pools with steady current, and it inhabits some relatively quiet lake shores (Lee et al. 1980, Page 1983, Page and Burr 2011). Eggs are attached to boulders or bedrock, often among filamentous algae (Page 1983).

Reproduction

Spawns late March-April in Missouri, late April in Kentucky, April-May in Michigan, late February-late March in Arkansas (Hubbs 1985). Eggs hatch in 18 days at about 14 C. Sexually mature in 1 year in some areas, possibly 2 years in other areas (Page 1983). Age range of breeding females varies geographically, 1-4 years or 2-3 years (Bart and Page 1992).
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN4
ProvinceRankNative
OntarioS4Yes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
MississippiS3Yes
MarylandS5Yes
MissouriSNRYes
IllinoisS3Yes
North CarolinaS4Yes
New YorkS3Yes
VirginiaS4Yes
TennesseeS5Yes
IndianaS5Yes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
KansasS2Yes
MichiganS4Yes
West VirginiaS5Yes
District of ColumbiaSHYes
OhioS5Yes
AlabamaS3Yes
OklahomaSNRYes
GeorgiaS3Yes
ArkansasS4Yes
KentuckyS4Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
No known threats———

—

Roadless Areas (9)
Arkansas (4)
AreaForestAcres
Dismal CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest9,160
East ForkOzark-St. Francis National Forest13,037
PenhookOzark-St. Francis National Forest6,566
Richland CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest571
Kentucky (1)
AreaForestAcres
WolfpenDaniel Boone National Forest2,835
North Carolina (2)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainPisgah National Forest11,085
Yellowhammer Branch (add.)Nantahala National Forest1,255
Tennessee (1)
AreaForestAcres
Devil's BackboneCherokee National Forest4,287
West Virginia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Little MountainMonongahela National Forest8,172
References (33)
  1. Bart, H. L., Jr., and L. M. Page. 1992. The influence of size and phylogeny on life history variation in North American percids. Pages 553-572 in R.L. Mayden, editor. Systematics, historical ecology, and North American freshwater fishes. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California. xxvi + 969 pp.
  2. Boschung, H. T., and R. L. Mayden. 2004. Fishes of Alabama. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 960 pp.
  3. Burr, B. M., and M. L. Warren, Jr. 1986a. Distributional atlas of Kentucky fishes. Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission, Scientific and Technical Series No. 4, Frankfort, Kentucky. 398 pp.
  4. Cooper, E. L. 1983. Fishes of Pennsylvania and the northeastern United States. Pennsylvania State University Press, University Park. 243 pp.
  5. Cross, F. B., and J. T. Collins. 1995. Fishes in Kansas. Second Edition, revised. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History. xvii + 315 pp.
  6. Dalton, K. W. 1991. Status of the greenside darter, <i>Etheostoma blennioides</i>, in Canada. Canadian Field-Naturalist 105:173-178.
  7. Etnier, D. A., and W. C. Starnes. 1993. The fishes of Tennessee. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee. xiv + 681 pp.
  8. Fahy, W.E. 1954. The life history of the northern greenside darter, <i>Etheostoma blennioides blennioides</i> (Rafinesque). Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 70(2):139-205.
  9. Hrabik, Robert A. (Missouri Department of Conservation). 1997. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Ruth Mathews, TNC. May 1997.
  10. Hubbs, C. 1985. Darter reproductive seasons. Copeia 1985:56-68.
  11. Jenkins, R. E., and N. M. Burkhead. 1994. Freshwater fishes of Virginia. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland. xxiii + 1079 pp.
  12. Kuehne, R. A., and R. W. Barbour. 1983. The American Darters. University Press of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky. 177 pp.
  13. 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.
  14. Mansueti, R.J. 1964. Eggs, larvae, and young of the white perch, <i>Roccus americanus</i>, with comments on its ecology in the estuary. Chesapeake Science 5(1/2): 3-45.
  15. Menhinick, E. F. 1991. The freshwater fishes of North Carolina. North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. 227 pp.
  16. Mettee, M. F., P. E. O'Neil, and J. M. Pierson. 1996. Fishes of Alabama and the Mobile Basin. Oxmoor House, Birmingham, Alabama. 820 pp.
  17. Miller, R.V. 1968. A systematic study of the greenside darter <i>Etheostoma blennioides</i> Rafinesque (Pisces: Percidae). Copeia 1968(1):1-40.
  18. 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.
  19. Page, L. M. 1983a. Handbook of Darters. T. F. H. Publications, Inc., Neptune City, New Jersey. 271 pp.
  20. 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.
  21. 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.
  22. 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.
  23. 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.
  24. Pflieger, W. L. 1975. The fishes of Missouri. Missouri Department of Conservation. Columbia, Missouri. viii + 343 pp.
  25. Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.
  26. Robison, H. W. and T. M. Buchanan. 1988. Fishes of Arkansas. The University of Arkansas Press, Fayetteville, Arkansas. 536 pp.
  27. Ross, S. T., and W. M. Brenneman. 1991. Distribution of freshwater fishes in Mississippi. Freshwater Fisheries Report No. 108. D-J Project Completion Report F-69. Mississippi Department of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries and Parks. Jackson, Mississippi. 548 pp.
  28. Shute, Peggy (Aquatic Zoologist, Tennessee Valley Authority Regional Heritage). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. February 2000.
  29. Skelton, Christopher E. (Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Georgia Natural Heritage Program). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, TNC. March 2000.
  30. Smith, C. L. 1983. Fishes of New York (maps and printout of a draft section on scarce fishes of New York). Unpublished draft.
  31. Smith, P. W. 1979. The fishes of Illinois. University of Illinois Press, Urbana. 314 pp.
  32. Stauffer, J. R., Jr., J. M. Boltz, and L. R. White. 1995. The fishes of West Virginia. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 146:1-389.
  33. Trautman, M. B. 1981. The fishes of Ohio. Second edition. Ohio State University Press, Columbus, Ohio. 782 pp.