Firebelly Darter: Facts & Habitat

About Firebelly Darter

The firebelly darter (Etheostoma pyrrhogaster) 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 to occur in the drainage systems of the Obion and Forked Deer rivers of Kentucky and Tennessee. It inhabits gravel or sand-bottomed pools in creeks up to small rivers. This species can reach a length of 7 centimetres (2.8 in) TL.

NativeFresh2 states

Habitat

Firebelly darters occur in small to medium streams, and adults typically occupy the swiftest waters and coarsest substrates available. In the low gradient streams where they occur, these habitats are gentle riffles with fine gravel substrates. They often encounter them in areas with rooted aquatic vegetation, but this probably reflects a preference for clearer streams rather than the vegetation, since they are abundant in several Obion River system streams where vegetation is absent.

Range

Confined to upper Coastal Plain streams of the Obion and Forked Deer river systems in Kentucky and Tennessee, where it is locally abundant in the few remaining good quality streams.

Article text: Wikipedia contributors, Firebelly 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 gravel, cobble, boulders, vegetation. 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 (TN). This is a regional calendar, not a range-wide schedule.

Size and recorded longevity

FishTraits reports a maximum total length of 7 centimetres. Some entries use an estimated asymptotic length; this value should not be treated as a certified record catch.

Range

Where it lives

69.3%of mapped records

Share of 140 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 pyrrhogaster
ITIS TSN: 168459
WoRMS AphiaID: 1011778
GBIF key: 2382251

Common questions about Firebelly Darter

What is the scientific name of Firebelly Darter?

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

Does Firebelly Darter live in fresh water or salt water?

WoRMS records this species in fresh water.

Where has Firebelly Darter been recorded in the United States?

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

Closest relatives