Etheostoma osburni

Etheostoma osburni, the candy darter or finescale saddled darter, is a species of fish in the family Percidae, a member of the group known as darters. This species is endemic to the eastern United States where it is known only from the Kanawha River system in the states of Virginia and West Virginia.[1]

Etheostoma osburni

Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Actinopterygii
Order:
Perciformes
Family:
Percidae
Genus:
Etheostoma
Species:
E. osburni
Binomial name
Etheostoma osburni
(C. L. Hubbs & Trautman, 1932)
Synonyms
  • Poecilichthys osburni C. L. Hubbs & Trautman, 1932

This species can reach a length of 10 cm (3.9 in), though most only reach about 7.3 cm (2.9 in).[2] This species has a lifespan of up to three years. It spawns in April and May.[3] It is an invertivore, feeding on aquatic insect larvae and water mites.[3]

This species lives in a system of rivers, streams, and creeks in the central Appalachian Mountains. It can be found in rapid riffles in rocky riverbed habitat. It occurs in cold, cool, and warm waters, as long as the substrate is rocky and the water is clear. It tolerates fast currents.[1]

Though it has a limited range, it has been recorded in more than 10 locations and does not have a severely fragmented distribution, so it has been designated a near-threatened species on the IUCN Red List. It is probably declining, however, due to threats from human activity. It prefers clear, unsilted waters, and increases in silt and sediment may reduce populations by reducing tolerable habitat.[1]

See also

Etheostoma osburni

References
  1. NatureServe. 2014. Etheostoma osburni. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014. Downloaded on 8 August 2017.
  2. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2014). "Etheostoma osburni" in FishBase. February 2014 version.
  3. NatureServe. 2017. Etheostoma osburni. NatureServe Explorer V.7.1 Accessed 8 August 2017.

Further reading


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