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Etheostoma microperca Jordan & Gilbert, 1888

Least darter
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Etheostoma microperca
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United States (contiguous states) country information

Common names: Least darter
Occurrence: native
Salinity: freshwater
Abundance: common (usually seen) | Ref: Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr, 1991
Importance: | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments: Sometimes abundant in spring-fed streams (Ref. 5723). Also Ref. 10294.
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html
National Fisheries Authority: http://www.nmfs.gov
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr, 1991
National Database:

Common names from other countries

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Perciformes/Percoidei (Perchs) > Percidae (Perches) > Etheostomatinae
Etymology: Etheostoma: Greek, etheo = to strain + Greek, stoma = mouth; Rafinesque said "various mouths", but Jordan and Evermann suggest the name might have been intended as "Heterostoma (Ref. 45335);  microperca: From the words micro, meaning small, and perca, perch (Ref. 10294).
  More on authors: Jordan & Gilbert.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Freshwater; benthopelagic; pH range: 7.0 - 7.8; dH range: ? - 15.   Temperate; 10°C - 22°C (Ref. 12468); 47°N - 34°N

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

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.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 4.4 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5723); common length : 3.1 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 12193); max. reported age: 2.00 years (Ref. 12193)

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Occur in quiet, vegetated lakes, headwaters, creeks and small rivers (Ref. 5723); also found in streams and springs to ponds (Ref. 10294). Usually found over mud and sand (Ref. 5723, 10294). Adults feed on midge larvae, isopods, and microcrustaceans, particularly copepods (Ref. 10294). Eggs are found attached to the substrate unguarded (Ref. 7043).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Eggs are found attached to the substrate unguarded (Ref. 7043). From Ref. 7043, 'a ripe female is courted by males and when ready to spawn positions herself on vegetation, often vertically. A male mounts the female and clasps her back with his enlarged pelvic fins. The two fish vibrate and one to three eggs are deposited on living or dead vegetation.The pair moves to another spot and more eggs are laid.'

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr, 1991. A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 432 p. (Ref. 5723)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 21 December 2011

CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless




Human uses

FAO(Publication : search) | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet compositions
Food consumptions
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Predators
Ecology
Ecology
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Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
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Life cycle
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Maturities
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Internet sources

Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | Faunafri | Fishtrace | GenBank(genome, nucleotide) | GloBI | GOBASE | | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Scirus | SeaLifeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia(Go, Search) | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoobank | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5000   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00537 (0.00235 - 0.01227), b=3.14 (2.94 - 3.34), in cm Total Length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  3.5   ±0.50 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (tm=1; tmax=2; Fec=31-240).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Low vulnerability (10 of 100).