The boulder darter (''Etheostoma wapiti'') is a species of freshwater

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...

, a darter from the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

Etheostomatinae Etheostomatinae is a species-rich subfamily of freshwater ray-finned fish, the members of which are commonly known as the darters. The subfamily is part of the family Percidae which also includes the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. The family ...

, part of the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Percidae The Percidae are a family of ray-finned fish, part of the order Perciformes, which are found in fresh and brackish waters of the Northern Hemisphere. The majority are Nearctic, but there are also Palearctic species. The family contains nearly 250 ...

, which also contains the

perch Perch is a common name for freshwater fish from the genus ''Perca'', which belongs to the family Percidae of the large order Perciformes. The name comes from , meaning the type species of this genus, the European perch (''P. fluviatilis'') ...

es, ruffes and pikeperches. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

and

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, where it occurs in the Elk River system and Shoal Creek.USFWS
''Etheostoma wapiti'' Five-year Review.
September 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2023. It is found in small rivers and fast-flowing streams, at least deep, with boulders or a rocky base. It feeds on aquatic insect larvae but little is known of its natural history. The population trend of this fish is unknown but it is affected by a rise in siltation and the impoundment of water within its range by the building of dams. The

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...

has assessed its conservation status as being " vulnerable".

Description

The boulder darter grows up to 7.6 cm (3 inches) long and is olive to gray in color. Little is known about its life history. It probably

spawn Spawn or spawning may refer to: * Spawning, the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals Arts, entertainment and media * Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise ** ''Spawn: Armageddon' ...

s in the spring months of April and May.

Distribution and habitat

The boulder darter occurs only in the Elk River and a few of its larger tributaries. Its range in the Elk River extends from Fayetteville to just above the Wheeler Reservoir and half a mile below the Alabama State Highway 127 bridge. The tributaries in which it is found are the lower parts of Richland Creek, the mouth of Indian Creek, both in south-central Tennessee (Giles and Lincoln counties) and Limestone County, in northern Alabama. Its preferred habitat is fast-flowing streams, at least deep, with a substrate of rock or boulders. It requires good water quality. Its diet is thought to consist primarily of immature

aquatic insect Aquatic insects or water insects live some portion of their life cycle in the water. They feed in the same ways as other insects. Some ''diving'' insects, such as predatory diving beetles, can hunt for food underwater where land-living insects ...

Status

It was listed as

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

under the U.S.

Endangered Species Act The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA; 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq.) is the primary law in the United States for protecting and conserving imperiled species. Designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of e ...

effective October 3, 1988. It has been extirpated from most of its natural range as a result of human activities. Releases of cold water from Tims Ford Reservoir likely explain its disappearance from the upper Elk River in

Lincoln County, Tennessee Lincoln County is a county located in the south central part of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,319. Its county seat and largest city is Fayetteville. The county is named for Major General Benjamin L ...

. Flooding of lower reaches of Shoal Creek by Wilson Dam and industrial pollution in upper reaches of the stream probably led to the loss of the population formerly present in Shoal Creek. The boulder darter was last observed and collected in Shoal Creek in the 1880s. The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

has listed the boulder darter as " Vulnerable" and considers that further habitat and population monitoring programs should be undertaken to protect the fish and its habitat.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q305814 Etheostoma Fish described in 1989 Endemic fish of the United States Natural history of Tennessee Taxonomy articles created by Polbot