Longfin Darter

Etheostoma longimanum

Percidae · freshwater water fish

2 minute read · Species guide

Longfin Darter field guide illustration

About Longfin Darter

The longfin darter (Etheostoma longimanum) 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 upper James River drainage in Virginia and West Virginia. It inhabits rocky riffles of creeks and small rivers. This species can reach a length of 8.9 cm (3.5 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.

Habitat preferences

Reported habitat associations include streams and small rivers, creeks.

The source records associations with gravel, cobble, boulders. 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 Apr, May for the source’s reporting region (VA). This is a regional calendar, not a range-wide schedule.

Size and recorded longevity

FishTraits reports a maximum total length of 7.4 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

Share of 267 GBIF observation records with a state location, across 2 states. The orange dots are USGS stream-survey sites where this species was caught.
0%
98.1%
Share of 267 GBIF observation records with a state location, across 2 states. The orange dots are USGS stream-survey sites where this species was caught.

A blank area on the dot layer usually means nobody sampled there, not that the fish is absent. Turn on “every survey site” to see where the survey looked.

Share of records by state

The USGS stream survey caught it at 20 of its sites, in 1 state. That survey and the GBIF records are two different counts of two different things, so the site keeps them apart.

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 longimanum
ITIS TSN
168406
WoRMS AphiaID
1019761
GBIF key
2382279

Common questions about Longfin Darter

What is the scientific name of Longfin Darter?
The scientific name is Etheostoma longimanum, in the family Percidae. Classification follows ITIS.
Does Longfin Darter live in fresh water or salt water?
WoRMS records this species in fresh water.
Where has Longfin Darter been recorded in the United States?
GBIF has observations in 2 states, with the most records in Virginia, West Virginia. 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