The redfin darter (''Etheostoma whipplei'') 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 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 Chanc ...

, 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