The amber darter (''Percina antesella'') is a small, endangered 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 native to the Conasauga River and

Etowah River The Etowah River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 27, 2011 waterway that rises northwest of Dahlonega, Georgia, Dahlonega, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

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. It typically inhabits riffle areas over gravel and sand bottoms, hiding in aquatic vegetation when present. It feeds on small invertebrates and probably breeds between late fall and early spring. It is an uncommon fish with a small range and 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 classified its conservation status as being "

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 ...

Description

The amber darter is typically less than in length and has a slender body. It has dark saddle-like markings on its golden brown upper body while the belly is a yellow-to-cream color. Breeding males have blue throats.

Ecology

While there is little data available about the breeding habits of the amber darter, what information is available suggests that it spawns from late fall to early spring. The amber darter likely lives up to 3 years. The amber darter inhabits the Coosa River system, living in the Conasauga and Etowah rivers of northern Georgia and southeastern Tennessee. In these rivers, it prefers to inhabit riffle areas over gravel substrate and sand. During the summer, when aquatic vegetation grows in the rivers, the amber darter feeds in the vegetation and uses it for cover. The amber darter preys mainly on

gastropods Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and from the land. Ther ...

, such as limpets and Snails, and aquatic insects.

Status

A proposed reservoir may put the survival of the amber darter at risk by altering water and habitat quality in the amber darter's downstream habitat. Because of the amber darter's limited distribution, practically any activity that could degrade habitat or water quality, such as logging, chemical spills, or construction could threaten the existence of the amber darter. Conservation efforts focus on habitat preservation. It is an uncommon fish with a small range and the

has classified its conservation status as being "

References

External links

Fish and Wildlife Service Species Account
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3753219 Percina Freshwater fish of the Southeastern United States Fish described in 1977 ESA endangered species