Sickle darter (Percina williamsi)

Scientific name: Percina williamsi Page & Near, 2007

The Sickle darter (Percina williamsi) is a freshwater fish of the family Percidae. Native range: North America, restricted to the upper Tennessee River drainage of Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina, USA.

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 11 - 16; Dorsal soft rays (total): 12-13; Anal spines: 2; Vertebrae: 44 - 45. Distinguished from all congeners, except Percina macrocephala, by having a sickle-shaped suborbital bar and a black bar subtending a medial black spot on the caudal-fin base. Differs from Percina macrocephala by having larger scales (usually 24-26 scales around the caudal peduncle vs. 27-31), 21-23 transverse scales (vs. 23-26), and 70-77 lateral scales (vs. 76-86). Has values for the combination of caudal peduncle, transverse and lateral scales and lateral scales usually 120-129 (vs. 128-141); has shorter snout on average; snout ranges from 20-28% of HL compared to 24-31 in Percina macrocephala.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Percina williamsi
Family
Percidae (Perches)
Order
Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
9.05
Environment
Freshwater; benthopelagic
Climate
Subtropical
Distribution
North America: restricted to the upper Tennessee River drainage of Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina, USA.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Resilience
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Sources

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

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