Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Fantail Darter

Etheostoma flabellare

Rafinesque, 1819

Fantail Darter

G5Secure Found in 31 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.832912
Element CodeAFCQC02250
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
Synonyms
Catonotus flabellaris(Rafinesque, 1819)
Other Common Names
Dard barré (FR)
Concept Reference
Blanton, R. E., and G. A. Shuster. 2008. Taxonomic status of Etheostoma brevispinum, the Carolina fantail darter (Percidae: Catonotus). Copeia 2008:844-857.
Taxonomic Comments
Possibly a multi-species conglomerate (Lee et al. 1980). Based on morphological evidence, Blanton and Shuster (2008) concluded that Etheostoma flabellare brevispinum should be recognized as a distinct species, E. brevispinum. Data did not support recognition of the New River and Roanoke River populations of E. flabellare as intergrade zones between E. brevispinum and E. flabellare as was previously suggested. The striped fantail darter (E. f. lineolatum) is commonly regarded as a distinct subspecies (Bailey et al. 2004).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-02-09
Change Date1996-09-23
Edition Date2011-12-12
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Range Extent200,000 to >2,500,000 square km (about 80,000 to >1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Range Extent Comments
Range includes the Atlantic, Great Lakes, and Mississippi River basins from southern Quebec to Minnesota, and south to northeastern Oklahoma, northern Alabama (Page and Burr 2011, Blanton and Schuster 2008).

Subspecies humerale: Atlantic drainages from lower Susquehanna River to the Cape Fear River. Undescribed subspecies: upper Tennessee River drainage (upstream of the Little Tennessee River), New River, and headwaters of Shavers Fork Cheat River (Monongahela River system). Subspecies flabellare: remainder of range.
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a large number of occurrences (subpopulations).
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Habitat includes riffles with gravel or rubble substrate in streams of 1st through 8th order (creeks and small to medium rivers); in large streams, this darter occurs in shallow areas away from main current; occasionally it occurs in lakes; it occupies deeper water in winter (Lee et al. 1980, Page and Burr 2011). Eggs are laid in flat clusters on the undersides of stones in male territories in slow to moderate current in shallow water.

Reproduction

Spawns from April to May (Missouri), June, or July, depending on the locality. Several females may oviposit in territory of single male. Male guards eggs, which hatch in 30-35 days at 17-20 C, 14-16 days at 23.5 C. Age range of breeding females is 1-2 years (Bart and Page 1992).
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN4
ProvinceRankNative
QuebecS4Yes
OntarioS4Yes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
AlabamaS3Yes
MississippiS2Yes
North CarolinaS3Yes
WisconsinS5Yes
OklahomaSNRYes
OhioS5Yes
KansasS3Yes
West VirginiaS5Yes
KentuckyS4Yes
IndianaS5Yes
IllinoisS4Yes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
MinnesotaSNRYes
MarylandS4Yes
VermontS3Yes
District of ColumbiaSHYes
ArkansasS4Yes
MissouriSNRYes
New YorkS4Yes
VirginiaS5Yes
TennesseeS5Yes
MichiganS4Yes
IowaS4Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
No known threats———

—

Roadless Areas (31)
Arkansas (2)
AreaForestAcres
East ForkOzark-St. Francis National Forest13,037
PenhookOzark-St. Francis National Forest6,566
Kentucky (1)
AreaForestAcres
WolfpenDaniel Boone National Forest2,835
North Carolina (3)
AreaForestAcres
Bald MountainPisgah National Forest11,085
Laurel MountainPisgah National Forest5,683
South Mills RiverPisgah National Forest8,588
Tennessee (1)
AreaForestAcres
Brushy RidgeCherokee National Forest7,469
Virginia (15)
AreaForestAcres
Adams PeakGeorge Washington National Forest7,135
Bear CreekJefferson National Forest18,274
Beards MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,505
Beaver Dam CreekJefferson National Forest1,135
Broad RunJefferson National Forest10,971
Brush MountainJefferson National Forest6,002
Horse HeavenJefferson National Forest4,748
JerkemtightGeorge Washington National Forest16,687
Laurel ForkGeorge Washington National Forest9,967
New London Bridge BranchJefferson National Forest844
Peters Mountain Addition A (VA)Jefferson National Forest1,268
Peters Mountain Addition BJefferson National Forest2,909
Raccoon BranchJefferson National Forest4,388
Ramseys Draft AdditionGeorge Washington National Forest12,781
Seng MountainJefferson National Forest6,428
West Virginia (9)
AreaForestAcres
Canaan LoopMonongahela National Forest7,867
Cranberry AdditionMonongahela National Forest11,123
Dry ForkMonongahela National Forest657
East Fork Of GreenbrierMonongahela National Forest7,167
Falls Of Hills CreekMonongahela National Forest6,925
Little MountainMonongahela National Forest8,172
Marlin MountainMonongahela National Forest9,344
Middle MountainMonongahela National Forest19,020
Peters Mountain Addition A (WV)Jefferson National Forest343
References (41)
  1. Adamson, S.W. and T.E. Wissing. 1977. Food habits and feeding periodicity of the rainbow, fantail, and banded darters in Four Mile Creek. Ohio Journal of Science 77(4):164-169.
  2. Bailey, R. M., W. C. Latta, and G. R. Smith. 2004. An atlas of Michigan fishes with keys and illustrations for their identification. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Miscellaneous Publications No. 192. iv + 215 pp.
  3. 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.
  4. Becker, G. C. 1983. Fishes of Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison. 1,052 pp.
  5. Blanton, R. E., and G. A. Shuster. 2008. Taxonomic status of <i>Etheostoma brevispinum</i>, the Carolina fantail darter (Percidae: <i>Catonotus</i>). Copeia 2008:844-857.
  6. 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.
  7. California Academy of Sciences. 2009. September 09-last update. The Catalog of Fishes. Online. Available: http://www.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatsearch.html.
  8. Cooper, E. L. 1983. Fishes of Pennsylvania and the northeastern United States. Pennsylvania State University Press, University Park. 243 pp.
  9. Cooper, J. E. 1979. Description of eggs and larvae of fantail, <i>Etheostoma flabellare</i>, and rainbow, <i>E. caerulum</i> darters from Lake Erie tributaries. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 108(1): 46-56.
  10. Cox, Kenneth M. (District Fisheries Biologist, VT Department of Fish and Wildlife). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. March 2000.
  11. Cross, F. B., and J. T. Collins. 1995. Fishes in Kansas. Second Edition, revised. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History. xvii + 315 pp.
  12. Daniels, Robert (Biological Survey, New York State Museum). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. June 2000.
  13. Etnier, D. A., and W. C. Starnes. 1993. The fishes of Tennessee. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee. xiv + 681 pp.
  14. Fago, D. 2000. Relative abundance and distribution of fishes in Wisconsin. Fish Distribution Database to year 2000. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
  15. Harlan, J. R., E. B. Speaker, and J. Mayhew. 1987. Iowa fish and fishing. Iowa Conservation Commission, Des Moines, Iowa. 323 pp.
  16. Hrabik, Robert A. (Missouri Department of Conservation). 1997. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Ruth Mathews, TNC. May 1997.
  17. Hubbs, C. 1985. Darter reproductive seasons. Copeia 1985:56-68.
  18. Jenkins, R. E., and N. M. Burkhead. 1994. Freshwater fishes of Virginia. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland. xxiii + 1079 pp.
  19. Kuehne, R. A., and R. W. Barbour. 1983. The American Darters. University Press of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky. 177 pp.
  20. Lake, C. T. 1936. The life history of the fan-tailed darter <i>Catonotus flabellaris flabellaris</i> (Rafinesque). American Midland Naturalist 17(5):816-830.
  21. Lang, Nicholas (Illinois Natural History Survey). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. March 2000.
  22. 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.
  23. McIninch, Stephen P. (Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University). 2001. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. March 2001.
  24. Menhinick, E. F. 1991. The freshwater fishes of North Carolina. North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. 227 pp.
  25. 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.
  26. 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.
  27. Page, L. M. 1983a. Handbook of Darters. T. F. H. Publications, Inc., Neptune City, New Jersey. 271 pp.
  28. 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.
  29. 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.
  30. 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.
  31. 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.
  32. Pflieger, W. L. 1975. The fishes of Missouri. Missouri Department of Conservation. Columbia, Missouri. viii + 343 pp.
  33. 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.
  34. Robison, H. W. and T. M. Buchanan. 1988. Fishes of Arkansas. The University of Arkansas Press, Fayetteville, Arkansas. 536 pp.
  35. 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.
  36. Scott, W. B., and E. J. Crossman. 1973. Freshwater fishes of Canada. Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Bulletin 184. 966 pp.
  37. Smith, C. L. 1983. Fishes of New York (maps and printout of a draft section on scarce fishes of New York). Unpublished draft.
  38. Smith, C. L. 1985. The inland fishes of New York State. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Albany, New York, xi + 522 pp.
  39. Smith, P. W. 1979. The fishes of Illinois. University of Illinois Press, Urbana. 314 pp.
  40. 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.
  41. Trautman, M. B. 1981. The fishes of Ohio. Second edition. Ohio State University Press, Columbus, Ohio. 782 pp.