Barrens Darter

Etheostoma forbesi

Percidae · freshwater water fish

1 minute read · Species guide

Barrens Darter field guide illustration

About Barrens Darter

The Barrens darter (Etheostoma forbesi) 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, where it is only known from the Cumberland ecoregion. It inhabits generally quiet pools in headwaters and creeks, often sheltering underneath large rocks. This species can reach a standard length of 7.4 cm (2.9 in). This species forms part of the Etheostoma squamiceps species complex within the subgenus Catonotus and it is further part of the "blackfin darter" group. It was first formally described in 1992 by Lawrence M. Page and Patrick A. Ceas with its type locality given as Duke Creek which is 3.2 kilometres (2.0 miles) southeast of Hollow Springs in Cannon County, Tennessee.

Etymology

The specific name honours Stephen A. Forbes, who was a noted ichthyologist member of the Illinois Natural History Survey during the early part of the 20th century.

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

Range

Where it lives

Share of 226 GBIF observation records with a state location, across 2 states.
0%
99.1%
Share of 226 GBIF observation records with a state location, across 2 states.

Share of records by state

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 forbesi
ITIS TSN
201994
WoRMS AphiaID
1011098
GBIF key
2382267

Common questions about Barrens Darter

What is the scientific name of Barrens Darter?
The scientific name is Etheostoma forbesi, in the family Percidae. Classification follows ITIS.
Does Barrens Darter live in fresh water or salt water?
WoRMS records this species in fresh water.
Where has Barrens Darter been recorded in the United States?
GBIF has observations in 2 states, with the most records in Tennessee, Oklahoma. The map shows observation records, which do not establish the complete natural range.

Closest relatives

Other Etheostoma species

Same family

More Percidae

All 229 species in Percidae