Wounded darter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wounded darter |
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The wounded darter (Etheostoma vulneratum) is a small, freshwater fish. It belongs to the darter family, which also includes perches. This fish lives only in the eastern United States. You can find it in the upper Tennessee River area. This includes parts of western Virginia, western North Carolina, and eastern Tennessee.
Wounded darters like to live among large rocks in slow-moving rivers. They eat tiny insect larvae, especially midge larvae. They lay their eggs in late spring when the water gets warmer. Females stick their eggs under rocks, and the male fish guards them. Even though its numbers are slowly going down, the wounded darter is still common. Experts say it is a "least concern" species. The biggest danger to this fish is when rivers are blocked by dams. There are plans to help protect them, including raising them in captivity.
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What the Wounded Darter Looks Like
The wounded darter is a small fish. It has a large tail base and a mouth at the very front of its head. Lines run along its body, and its tail fin is rounded. Its eyes look almost straight up. The fish is usually olive green.
When male darters become adults, they get small red spots. Their fins also have red blotches.
Where the Wounded Darter Lives
The wounded darter lives in much of the upper Tennessee River area. This stretches north into western Virginia. Its westernmost home is White's Creek in Tennessee. Its southeastern limit is the Little Tennessee River in North Carolina.
You can find many wounded darters in the Little River in Blount County, Tennessee. They are also common in parts of the Little Tennessee River and the Clinch River. However, in most other places, E. vulneratum is not as common. Studies show this fish is struggling in many parts of its home range.
Long ago, the wounded darter lived in more places in the upper Tennessee River area. But because of human activities, like building dams, these darters cannot live in many rivers anymore. Also, farming practices from the 1900s made many streams unsuitable for them. Today, the wounded darter mostly lives in the highest parts of rivers that have not been dammed.
How the Wounded Darter Lives (Ecology)
The wounded darter lives in medium to large rivers. It prefers areas with big rocks or coarse gravel. These spots often have overhanging ledges. These rock piles give them good places to rest, hide, and build nests.
Unlike many other darters, E. vulneratum likes gentle to moderately flowing water. It does not prefer fast currents. They live in water that is about 0.5 meters (about 1.6 feet) deep or more.
In winter, the wounded darter eats mostly midge larvae (about 90%). As the weather gets warmer, their diet changes. They still eat midge larvae (about 70%), but also eat mayfly nymphs, water mites, and other insect larvae.
Other fish often eat wounded darters. These include bass like Micropterus dolomieu and perch like Perca flavescens. Wounded darters also compete with other darter species for food and places to live. Any fish that eats insects from the river bottom, like sculpin, might also compete with them.
The Wounded Darter's Life Cycle
A study in the Little River in eastern Tennessee showed that wounded darters start laying eggs in May. This happens when the water temperature reaches about 16 degrees Celsius (61 degrees Fahrenheit). They continue to breed until late July or later, when the water reaches 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit).
Female darters lay their eggs in small groups. They place them inside hidden spots under rock ledges or flat rocks. A nest usually has about 48 eggs, but can have anywhere from 17 to 166 eggs. These eggs might come from several different spawning acts. Sometimes, more than one female might lay eggs in the same nest. A female can lay eggs multiple times in one breeding season.
While the female lays eggs, the male often guards the nesting spot. He returns later to fertilize the eggs. Then, he guards the eggs until they hatch. One male wounded darter was seen guarding a nest for 17 days in a row. This might be more about protecting his territory than just caring for the babies.
When the eggs hatch, the baby darters stay on the river bottom. They are very still and cannot defend themselves until they use up their yolk sac. By one year old, wounded darters are about 22 to 40 millimeters (about 0.8 to 1.6 inches) long. Like the Etheostoma maculatum fish, they become old enough to have babies when they are two years old. They usually live for about four to five years.
Protecting the Wounded Darter
The wounded darter is currently quite common, so it does not need special protection. However, its close relatives are rare or in danger. This means the wounded darter could easily become endangered too. So, it should be watched regularly.
The biggest reason for the decline in wounded darter numbers is losing their homes. This happens when dams are built on rivers. Because of concerns about the fish disappearing from the Little Tennessee and Cheoah Rivers, a company called Tapoco started a project in 2008 to help the wounded darter.
Soon after, a group in Knoxville, Tennessee, called Conservation Fisheries, Inc. (CFI) began raising wounded darters. They plan to release these fish back into the wild. This project also helps other fish like the stonecat (Noturus flavus).
CFI's process involves collecting adult fish from the wild. Then, they help them lay eggs in captivity. They hatch the eggs, raise the young fish, tag them, and finally release them. CFI has been improving this method since 1995. They used it to help the wounded darter's close relative, the boulder darter.
Between 2008 and 2009, almost 900 young wounded darters were released into the Cheoah River. Similar numbers have been released every year since then. CFI continues to check for wounded darters in the Cheoah River and other rivers in the Tennessee River area.
