Bluestripe Darter: Facts & Habitat

About Bluestripe Darter

The bluestripe darter (Percina cymatotaenia) 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.

NativeFresh4 states

This fish was an endangered species on the IUCN Red List in 1996. In a 2003 reevaluation it was downlisted to vulnerable status when the populations were determined to be mostly stable overall.

Distribution and habitat

The bluestripe darter is endemic to Missouri where it has a localized distribution in streams of the Osage and Gasconade systems of the northern Ozarks.

The fish lives in small to medium-sized rivers where it strongly associates with aquatic vegetation.

Life cycle

The bluestripe darter is believed to spawn in March and early April. During spawning males become aggressive and will undergo a dramatic rapid color change during which usual middorsal and midlateral stripes fade and are replaced by a series of discrete, intensely black bars. Most bluestripe darter are sexually mature in a year. Males and females grow at similar rates with a maximum lifespan of about four years.

Article text: Wikipedia contributors, Bluestripe 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.

Reported feeding positions include bottom feeding and surface or water-column feeding. The compilation combines published observations; diets can vary with age, locality, and available food.

Habitat preferences

Reported habitat associations include medium to large rivers.

The source records associations with sand, gravel, vegetation, organic debris. 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 for the source’s reporting region (MO). This is a regional calendar, not a range-wide schedule.

The reproductive-guild classification includes hiding a brood without subsequent guarding.

Size and recorded longevity

FishTraits reports a maximum total length of 8.5 centimetres. Some entries use an estimated asymptotic length; this value should not be treated as a certified record catch.

Recorded longevity in the compilation is 4 years. Wild observations were preferred, but captive records were accepted where wild records were unavailable, and unspecified records were assumed wild. The value is not a guaranteed wild lifespan or an aquarium life expectancy.

Range

Where it lives

85.3%of mapped records

Share of 75 GBIF observation records with a state location, across 4 states.

Share of records by state

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: Percina
Species: Percina cymatotaenia
ITIS TSN: 168482
WoRMS AphiaID: 1019795
GBIF key: 2382056

Common questions about Bluestripe Darter

What is the scientific name of Bluestripe Darter?

The scientific name is Percina cymatotaenia, in the family Percidae. Classification follows ITIS.

Does Bluestripe Darter live in fresh water or salt water?

WoRMS records this species in fresh water.

Where has Bluestripe Darter been recorded in the United States?

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

Closest relatives