Least darter (Etheostoma microperca)

Scientific name: Etheostoma microperca Jordan & Gilbert, 1888

Least darter (Etheostoma microperca)

The Least darter (Etheostoma microperca) is a freshwater fish of the family Percidae. In the aquarium it needs water at 10–22°C (50–72°F).

Least darter care at a glance

Temperature
10–22°C (50–72°F)

Biology

Occur in quiet, vegetated lakes, headwaters, creeks and small rivers; also found in streams and springs to ponds. Usually found over mud and sand. Adults feed on midge larvae, isopods, and microcrustaceans, particularly copepods. Eggs are found attached to the substrate unguarded.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Etheostoma microperca
Family
Percidae (Perches)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
4.4
Common length
3.1
Environment
Freshwater;; pH range: 7.0 - 7.8; dH range: ? - 15 benthopelagic
Climate
Temperate
Distribution
North America: Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins from eastern Ontario in Canada and from Minnesota south to southern Ohio, central Indiana and central Illinois in the USA; Ozarks-Ouachita drainages of southern Missouri, southeastern Kansas, northwestern Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma in the USA.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Resilience
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (tm=1; tmax=2; Fec=31-240)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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