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Home/Species/ Variegate Darter

Etheostoma variatum

Kirtland, 1840

Variegate Darter

G5Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.102018
Element CodeAFCQC02830
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassActinopterygii
OrderPerciformes
FamilyPercidae
GenusEtheostoma
Synonyms
Poecilichthys variatus(Kirtland, 1840)
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.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2012-01-25
Change Date1996-09-24
Edition Date2012-01-25
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G., and R. Jennings
Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Rank Reasons
Widely distributed and abundant in the Ohio River basin, but pollution has caused disappearance from some areas.
Range Extent Comments
This species is widespread in the upper and middle Ohio River basin, exclusive of the New River drainage, southwestern New York, western Pennsylvania, and western Virginia (very rare) to southern Indiana and eastern Kentucky; it occurs only below Kanawha Falls in the Kanawha River system, West Virginia (Page and Burr 2011).
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a large number of occurrences (subpopulations).
Lee et al. (1980) mapped about 150 collection sites.
Threat Impact Comments
These darters have disappeared in areas of heavy domestic, industrial, or agricultural pollution (Lee et al. 1980). In some areas, threats include siltation and acidification of streams from coal mining wastes (Burkhead and Jenkins 1991).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Habitat includes swift gravel and rubble riffles of small to medium rivers (Page and Burr 2011); typically this darter occurs in rubble-boulder-gravel riffles with some sand; individuals move downstream to deep riffles and pools for winter. Eggs are laid in sand and small gravel on the downstream side of large rocks near riffles.

Reproduction

Spawns April-May in Ohio, probably May and June in Pennsylvania. Eggs hatch in 13-14 days at 10-22 C. Sexually mature in 2 years, lives to maximum of 3+ years.
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
VirginiaS1Yes
IndianaS1Yes
West VirginiaS5Yes
OhioS4Yes
KentuckyS4Yes
New YorkS2Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
9 - Pollution———
9.1 - Domestic & urban waste water———
9.2 - Industrial & military effluents———
9.3 - Agricultural & forestry effluents———

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Roadless Areas (1)
Kentucky (1)
AreaForestAcres
WolfpenDaniel Boone National Forest2,835
References (20)
  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. Burkhead, N. M., and R. E. Jenkins. 1991. Fishes. Pages 321-409 in K. Terwilliger (coordinator). Virginia's Endangered Species: Proceedings of a Symposium. McDonald and Woodward Publishing Company, Blacksburg, Virginia.
  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. 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.
  5. Cooper, E. L. 1983. Fishes of Pennsylvania and the northeastern United States. Pennsylvania State University Press, University Park. 243 pp.
  6. Jenkins, R. E., and N. M. Burkhead. 1994. Freshwater fishes of Virginia. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland. xxiii + 1079 pp.
  7. Kuehne, R. A., and R. W. Barbour. 1983. The American Darters. University Press of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky. 177 pp.
  8. 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.
  9. May, B. 1969. Observations on the biology of the variegated darter, <i>Etheostoma variatum</i> (Kirtland). Ohio Journal of Science 69: 85-92.
  10. 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.
  11. Nemecek, R. J. 1980. The comparative ecology of three species of darters in the genus <i>Etheostoma</i>: <i>E. variatum</i>, <i>E. caeruleum</i>, <i>E. zonale</i> in the Allegheny River drainage of western New York. Ph.D. Thesis, St. Bonaventure University 175 pp.
  12. Page, L. M. 1983a. Handbook of Darters. T. F. H. Publications, Inc., Neptune City, New Jersey. 271 pp.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. Smith, C. L. 1983. Fishes of New York (maps and printout of a draft section on scarce fishes of New York). Unpublished draft.
  19. 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.
  20. Trautman, M. B. 1981. The fishes of Ohio. Second edition. Ohio State University Press, Columbus, Ohio. 782 pp.