Arrow Darter: Facts & Habitat

About Arrow Darter

The arrow darter (Etheostoma sagitta) is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is found in parts of Kentucky and Tennessee, particularly in the Cumberland and Kentucky Rivers. These small fish are part of the perch family. They grow to be about 4.5 inches (11 cm) in length. Their opercle, breast, and cheek are all unscaled. They have a vertical black bar at the base of their caudal fin. Six to nine vertical banded bars run down the side of the fish. The dorsal side of the fish is olive green in color, and the ventral side is a yellow to white pattern. The first dorsal fin has a black base, followed by green color, and then a reddish-orange end. The second dorsal is clear with two rows of laterally lined orange spots. The caudal fin is clear and has two-three vertical lines of orange spots. The anal fin has a green base and then clear at the end. The breeding male has bright orange-red spots and breeding tubercles present on the scales.

NativeFresh3 states

Diet

Arrow darters usually feed on insect larvae, such as blackflies, caddisfly, and beetles. They also frequently feed on mayflies and midges. If the darter is greater than 2.8 inches (7.1 cm), they often feed on small crayfish.

Habitat

Arrow darters are often found in shallow pools of water near large, flat stones. The streams they are found in are so small they are sometimes reduced to puddles. They can be found around wooded debris and rock ledges.

Reproduction and life cycle

Little is known about the reproduction of the arrow darter. In the book, Handbook of Darters by Lawrence Page, pregnant females have been found by a scientist, Bailey, in April. It is probable that spawning occurs from April to May.

Distribution

The arrow darter is found in the rivers and streams spanning Kentucky and Tennessee. This species was found in at least 74 streams in the upper Kentucky River basin. However, surveys have tested and populations of the arrow darter can be found in 47 streams across the same region.

Importance to humans

The arrow darter species is being poisoned by humans mining for coal. The pollution caused by the runoff of explosions is detrimental to the health of the streams nearby, and all those who live in them. The arrow darter is not on the endangered species list yet, but it has been wiped out from more than half of its regions. Protecting the species and the habitat it lives in will protect the drinking water for humans by preserving headwater streams. Polluted streams from coal runoff has been linked to increases of cancer and birth defects in humans. Therefore, it is important to keep the headwater streams from being polluted. This would impact human health and preserve the wildlife and habitats at the same time.

Etymology

Scientific Name: Etheostoma sagitta – Etheostoma: Greek, etheo = to strain + Greek, stoma = mouth; Latin, sagitta: the specific epithet sagitta means arrow.

Article text: Wikipedia contributors, Etheostoma sagitta (source revision). Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Retrieved 2026-10-11.

Diet and feeding

The FishTraits compilation records these diet categories for this species: invertebrates or larval fish. These are broad categories, not a claim that every individual consumes every example in a category.

Habitat preferences

Reported habitat associations include streams and small rivers, creeks.

The source records associations with sand, gravel, cobble, boulders, bedrock. An association indicates reported use, rather than an exclusive requirement.

Reproduction and parental care

The compilation reports a representative maturity age of 1 years. Its maturity field summarizes mean, median, or modal estimates, usually for females; male estimates can be used when female data are unavailable. It is not a fixed age at which every fish first breeds.

Recorded spawning months are Mar, Apr, May for the source’s reporting region (TN). This is a regional calendar, not a range-wide schedule.

Size and recorded longevity

FishTraits reports a maximum total length of 11.6 centimetres. Some entries use an estimated asymptotic length; this value should not be treated as a certified record catch.

Range

Where it lives

78.1%of mapped records

Share of 210 GBIF observation records with a state location, across 3 states. The orange dots are USGS stream-survey sites where this species was caught.

A blank area on the dot layer usually means nobody sampled there, not that the fish is absent. Turn on “every survey site” to see where the survey looked.

Share of records by state

The USGS stream survey caught it at 56 of its sites, in 2 states. That survey and the GBIF records are two different counts of two different things, so the site keeps them apart.

Habitat

Water and movement

Water: WoRMS records this species in fresh water.
Migration: Undetermined

Classification

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Superclass: Actinopterygii
Class: Teleostei
Order: Perciformes
Family: Percidae
Genus: Etheostoma
Species: Etheostoma sagitta
ITIS TSN: 168430
WoRMS AphiaID: 1466705
GBIF key: 2382201

Common questions about Arrow Darter

What is the scientific name of Arrow Darter?

The scientific name is Etheostoma sagitta, in the family Percidae. Classification follows ITIS.

Does Arrow Darter live in fresh water or salt water?

WoRMS records this species in fresh water.

Where has Arrow Darter been recorded in the United States?

GBIF has observations in 3 states, with the most records in Kentucky, Tennessee, New Jersey. The map shows observation records, which do not establish the complete natural range.

Closest relatives