Bandfin Darter: Facts & Habitat

About Bandfin Darter

The bandfin darter (Etheostoma zonistium) 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 endemic to the eastern United States. It occurs in tributaries of the lower Tennessee River system and uppermost Black Warrior River system. This species inhabits gravel and sandy pools in flowing waters up to the size of small rivers. It can reach a length of 7.1 centimetres (2.8 in) TL.

NativeFresh4 states

Article text: Wikipedia contributors, Bandfin darter (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. 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, Jun for the source’s reporting region (KY). This is a regional calendar, not a range-wide schedule.

Size and recorded longevity

FishTraits reports a maximum total length of 7.5 centimetres. Some entries use an estimated asymptotic length; this value should not be treated as a certified record catch.

Range

Where it lives

41%of mapped records

Share of 647 GBIF observation records with a state location, across 4 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 29 of its sites, in 3 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: Not migratory

Classification

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Superclass: Actinopterygii
Class: Teleostei
Order: Perciformes
Family: Percidae
Genus: Etheostoma
Species: Etheostoma zonistium
ITIS TSN: 168467
WoRMS AphiaID: 1011779
GBIF key: 2382380

Common questions about Bandfin Darter

What is the scientific name of Bandfin Darter?

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

Does Bandfin Darter live in fresh water or salt water?

WoRMS records this species in fresh water.

Where has Bandfin Darter been recorded in the United States?

GBIF has observations in 4 states, with the most records in Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi. The map shows observation records, which do not establish the complete natural range.

Closest relatives