Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Stripetail Darter

Etheostoma kennicotti

(Putnam, 1863)

Stripetail Darter

G4Apparently Secure (G4G5) Found in 3 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
LowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.103190
Element CodeAFCQC02380
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassActinopterygii
OrderPerciformes
FamilyPercidae
GenusEtheostoma
Concept Reference
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.
Taxonomic Comments
This is the record for Etheostoma kennicotti (sensu lato). Molecular phylogenetic and morphological analyses suggest that there are least five species in this complex: E. kennicotti (s.s.), E. cumberlandicum, E. cf. kennicotti distributed in the Tennessee River system, E. cf. kennicotti distributed in the Green River system, and E. cf. kennicotti distributed in the Laurel River system (Near et al. 2023).
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2023-05-17
Change Date1996-09-23
Edition Date2023-05-17
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G. (2011), M. Ormes (2023)
Threat ImpactLow
Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 - 300
Range Extent Comments
The range of this species complex includes tributaries of lower Ohio River in southern Illinois and Kentucky; Green River drainage, Kentucky; upper Cumberland River drainage (Big South Fork and above), Kentucky and Tennessee; Tennessee River drainage, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi (Page and Burr 2011).

Near et al. (2023) suggest that there at least five species involved in this complex: E. kennicotti (sensu stricto) in the Clarks River system and the lower Ohio River in southern Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee. E. cumberlandicum in the Big South Fork and Cumberland River above the Falls, E. cf. kennicotti in the Tennessee River system in Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi; E. cf. kennicotti in the Green River system, Kentucky, and E. cf. kennicotti distributed in the Laurel River system in Kentucky.
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a large number of occurrences (subpopulations).
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known.
Ecology & Habitat

Description

See Simon (1987) for description of eggs, larvae, and early juveniles.

Habitat

Habitat includes pools of shallow headwaters, creeks, and small rivers with rocky substrate and moderate gradient; occurs in rubble in riffles and under stones and cut banks in pools; also in gravel- and sand-bedded streams with overhanging poolside vegetation; often occurs among emergent vegetation (Lee et al. 1980, Burr and Warren 1986; Etnier and Starnes 1993, Boschung and Mayden 2004, Page and Burr 2011). Eggs are laid on the underside of slab stones.

Reproduction

Spawns early April to late May; eggs guarded by male, hatch in about 6 days at 19-23 C; sexually mature in 1 year, maximum longevity 2-3 years (Page 1983).
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN4
ProvinceRankNative
AlabamaS3Yes
KentuckyS4Yes
TennesseeS4Yes
MississippiS2Yes
IllinoisS1Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
No known threats———

—

Roadless Areas (3)
North Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
SnowbirdNantahala National Forest8,489
Tennessee (2)
AreaForestAcres
Brushy RidgeCherokee National Forest7,469
Sycamore CreekCherokee National Forest6,984
References (22)
  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. Braasch, M. E., and R. L. Mayden. 1985. Review of the subgenus <i>Catonotus</i> (Percidae) with descriptions of two new darters of the <i>Etheostoma squamiceps</i> species group. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas No.119. 83 pp.
  4. 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.
  5. Burr, Brooks M. (Department of Zoology, Southern Illinois University) and Donovan B. Henry. 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. June 2000.
  6. Etnier, D. A., and W. C. Starnes. 1993. The fishes of Tennessee. University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee. xiv + 681 pp.
  7. Fricke, R., W. N. Eschmeyer, and R. van der Laan (eds). 2021. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: genera, species, references. (http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp). Electronic version 2021.
  8. Kuehne, R. A., and R. W. Barbour. 1983. The American Darters. University Press of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky. 177 pp.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. Near, T.J., J.W. Simmons, R.M. Strange, S. Brandt, M.R. Thomas, R.C. Harrington, and D.J. MacGuigan. 2023. Systematics of the Stripetail Darter, <i>Etheostoma kennicotti</i> (Putnam), and the distinctiveness of the Upper Cumberland endemic <i>Etheostoma cumberlandicum</i> Jordan and Swain. Ichthyology & Herpetology 111(2): 204–221. doi: https://doi.org/10.1643/i2021053
  12. 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.
  13. Page, L. M. 1983a. Handbook of Darters. T. F. H. Publications, Inc., Neptune City, New Jersey. 271 pp.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. Page, L. M., and P. W. Smith. 1976. Variation and systematics of the stripetail darter, <i>Etheostoma kennicotti</i>. Copeia 3 (1976):532-541.
  17. 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.
  18. 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.
  19. 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.
  20. 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.
  21. Simon, T. P. 1987. Description of eggs, larvae and early juveniles of the Stripetail Darter, <i>Etheostoma kennicotti</i> (Putnam) and spottail darter, <i>E. squamiceps</i> Jordan (Percidae: Etheostomatini) from tributaries of the Ohio River. Copeia 1987:433-442.
  22. Smith, P. W. 1979. The fishes of Illinois. University of Illinois Press, Urbana. 314 pp.