Cumberland snubnose darter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cumberland snubnose darter |
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The Cumberland snubnose darter (Etheostoma atripinne) is a type of freshwater fish. It belongs to a group of fish called darters. These fish are part of the larger Percidae family, which also includes well-known fish like perch.
You can find the Cumberland snubnose darter in the middle Cumberland River area. This includes parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama. However, it's not found everywhere in these states. For example, it's rare in North Carolina. These darters usually live in small to medium-sized streams. They prefer areas with gravel bottoms where they can lay their eggs. Even though it's considered "secure" globally, some groups list it as a "Special Concern" species.
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Where the Cumberland Snubnose Darter Lives
Like many darters, the Cumberland snubnose darter lives in a fairly small area. It is most often found in the middle part of the Cumberland River system. While you might find them in Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama, there aren't many of them in those places. This suggests those are the edges of their natural home.
Geographic Range of the Darter
This fish is not found in the rivers above the Big South Fork. It also doesn't live in the western rivers that flow into the Tennessee River. Historically, it was seen in the Little South Fork of the Cumberland River.
How the Cumberland Snubnose Darter Lives
The Cumberland snubnose darter prefers clear, flowing water. You can find it in rocky pools and shallow, fast-moving parts of small creeks. It likes bottoms made of gravel or bedrock with scattered rocks. This type of bottom is very important for them. Their eggs stick to these surfaces, which helps them survive.
Habitat and Water Conditions
Darters avoid areas where the stream bottom is covered in silt or mud. This is because their eggs don't attach well there. They have been seen spawning when the water temperature is between 11 and 18 degrees Celsius. They also prefer water that is mostly neutral or slightly alkaline in terms of pH.
What the Darter Eats
Young and adult darters mainly eat small insects and other tiny creatures. Scientists have looked at the stomach contents of many darters. They found that midge larvae are a big part of their diet. Depending on the darter's size, midge larvae made up 80% to 100% of what they ate. They also eat mayfly nymphs, caddisfly larvae, and other small crustaceans.
Darter Predators and Competition
Larger freshwater fish that eat other fish are natural predators of the Cumberland snubnose darter. One specific predator is the smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu). These darters face a lot of competition for food from other darter species. They often eat similar things, but they might choose different types of prey within the same insect family. Darters eat the most in April, which is when they are busy spawning. They eat much less in very cold or very hot months, like January and July.
Life Cycle of the Cumberland Snubnose Darter
Cumberland snubnose darters become adults and can reproduce when they are about one year old. They usually only live for one breeding season. Their maximum lifespan is about 18 months. The breeding season happens in April to early May.
Breeding and Appearance
Before breeding, male darters develop bright colors. By April, all males are a deep green to blue-green. They have red-orange fins on their backs and red spots along their bodies. In fact, scientists often tell different types of snubnose darters apart by the bright colors of the males during breeding season. Female darters do not change color during this time.
Courtship and Eggs
Males try to attract females by raising their fins and showing off their bright colors. If a female is interested, she will lead the male to a good spot to lay eggs. This is often a large gravel bed. They usually spread their eggs out over several different spots. After the eggs are laid, the parents do not take care of them. The eggs are left on their own. However, some research suggests that male darters might be starting to show more parental care by guarding the eggs. The eggs are clear, about 1.2 millimeters wide, and have oil droplets to help them float. A female darter can lay between 110 and 240 eggs.
Naming the Cumberland Snubnose Darter
The Cumberland snubnose darter was first officially described in 1877. It was named Arlina atripinnis by an American fish scientist named David Starr Jordan. He found the first known example in a small river that flows into the Cumberland River near Nashville, Tennessee.
Protecting the Cumberland Snubnose Darter
In Tennessee, the Cumberland snubnose darter is considered "secure." This means not much effort has been put into protecting it at the state or national level there. However, this darter is very sensitive to silt. Silt is fine dirt or mud that can cover the bottom of a stream. This might be the biggest problem caused by humans for this species.
Threats to the Darter
The darter is rare or completely absent in murky water. It also avoids places where stream gravel is covered by silt. This means human activities can harm them. Things like changing stream channels, causing too much dirt to wash into rivers (sedimentation), and building dams (impoundment) are known threats. These activities can make it hard for the darters to survive.
Conservation Status
In other states, the darter's status varies. It is listed as "vulnerable" in some places and "possibly extirpated" (meaning it might be gone) in North Carolina. The American Fisheries Society considers this darter "resilient" but also lists it as a "Special Concern." This is because darters that live on the bottom of small to medium-sized rivers are more likely to be affected by human activities. Unfortunately, in the southern United States, many rivers with lots of fish species are on private land. This means most fish species in these areas are not protected by federal land ownership.
See also
In Spanish: Etheostoma atripinne para niños
