Crown Darter: Facts & Habitat

About Crown Darter

Etheostoma corona, the crown darter, 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 found in Tennessee and Alabama. This species can reach a length of 7.8 cm (3.1 in). The crown darter was first formally described in 1992 by Lawrence M. Page and Patrick A. Ceas with its type locality given as the Little Cypress Creek, which is part of the Tennessee River drainage, 2.4 kilometres (1.5 miles) northwest of Crossroads, Wayne County, Tennessee.

NativeFresh2 states

Article text: Wikipedia contributors, Etheostoma corona (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 gravel, cobble. 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 7.8 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 260 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: Not migratory

Classification

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Superclass: Actinopterygii
Class: Teleostei
Order: Perciformes
Family: Percidae
Genus: Etheostoma
Species: Etheostoma corona
ITIS TSN: 201987
WoRMS AphiaID: 1384033
GBIF key: 2382383

Common questions about Crown Darter

What is the scientific name of Crown Darter?

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

Does Crown Darter live in fresh water or salt water?

WoRMS records this species in fresh water.

Where has Crown Darter been recorded in the United States?

GBIF has observations in 2 states, with the most records in Alabama, Tennessee. The map shows observation records, which do not establish the complete natural range.

Closest relatives