Fringed Darter

Etheostoma crossopterum

Percidae · freshwater water fish

2 minute read · Species guide

Fringed Darter field guide illustration

About Fringed Darter

The fringed darter (Etheostoma crossopterum) 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 occurs in the drainage of the Cumberland River, the Duck River system, the Shoal Creek system, and the tributaries of the Reelfoot Lakes of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama. It is an inhabitant of small streams and rocky pool and nearby riffles where they prey on insect larvae and nymphs, as well as small crustaceans. This species can reach a length of 10 cm (3.9 in).

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. The compilation combines published observations; diets can vary with age, locality, and available food.

Habitat preferences

Reported habitat associations include streams and small rivers, creeks.

The source records associations with bedrock, vegetation. An association indicates reported use, rather than an exclusive requirement.

Reproduction and parental care

The compilation reports a representative maturity age of 1.5 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.

The reproductive-guild classification includes guarding eggs or young at a spawning substrate or nest.

Size and recorded longevity

FishTraits reports a maximum total length of 10 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 3 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

Share of 1,300 GBIF observation records with a state location, across 4 states.
0%
77.4%
Share of 1,300 GBIF observation records with a state location, across 4 states.

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 crossopterum
ITIS TSN
168454
WoRMS AphiaID
1011945
GBIF key
2382407

Common questions about Fringed Darter

What is the scientific name of Fringed Darter?
The scientific name is Etheostoma crossopterum, in the family Percidae. Classification follows ITIS.
Does Fringed Darter live in fresh water or salt water?
WoRMS records this species in fresh water.
Where has Fringed Darter been recorded in the United States?
GBIF has observations in 4 states, with the most records in Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois. 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