The redfin darter (''Etheostoma whipplei'') is a species of freshwater

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or h ...

, a darter from the subfamily

Etheostomatinae Etheosomatidae 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 famil ...

, part of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

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 more than ...

, which also contains the

perch Perch is a common name for fish of the genus ''Perca'', freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which three species occur in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Per ...

es, ruffes and pikeperches. It is native to the south-central United States, where it occurs in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, and eastern Oklahoma.

Description

The redfin darter can reach a length of , though most only reach about . Females and juveniles are grayish and mottled with 8–10 vague saddles on their backs. The snout is slightly pointed and the lips are dark. There are prominent bars that are suborbital and extend above, behind, and in front of the eye creating a cross through the eye. The bar in front of the eye nearly joins with the bar on the opposite side of the upper lip, making it appear in a spear-like pattern if viewed from above. ''Etheostoma whipplei'' has an incomplete lateral line, and the cheeks and breast area appear naked. Males in breeding colors have bright red spots that occur on the sides, the spots may not be as vivid and distinct in some specimens located in central Louisiana. They also have red spots on the spinous dorsal basal interradial membranes, and then a broad golden area followed by a bright red submarginal band with a deep blue band on the fin margin. The anal fin has a red base with the same vivid, deep blue as the dorsal in its margins.

Habitat

The redfin darter's principal habitat is gravely or rubble riffles in small rivers, but in Louisiana and Mississippi it is associated with aquatic vegetation.

Reproduction and life cycle

Redfin darters have a spawning period of 2.7 to 3 months from February to May. Females can produce clutches of 31–207 eggs. Males reach spawning conditions earlier than females in the species, and males are larger than females. Mature eggs average 0.89–1.18 mm in diameter and ripe eggs average 1.17–1.27 mm. Breeding males have vivid red and blue colors on the fins and body, like the Gulf darter (''Etheostoma swaini'').

Etymology

''Etheostoma whipplei'' is named after

Amiel Weeks Whipple Amiel Weeks Whipple (October 21, 1817 – May 7, 1863)Anderson, TSHA was an American military officer and topographical engineer. He served as a brigadier general in the American Civil War, where he was mortally wounded at the Battle of Chance ...

, a United States Army officer on whose expeditions many plant and animal taxa were first described.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6428086 Freshwater fish of the United States Etheostoma Fish described in 1859 Taxa named by Charles Frédéric Girard