Johnny Darter

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Johnny darter, female, side view photo with black background
Scientific Name
Etheostoma nigrum
Family
Percidae (perches) in the order Perciformes (perchlike fish)
Description

The Johnny darter has a straw-colored body with dark X-, Y- and W-shaped markings on sides. Breeding males are very dark brown with black on head and fin.

Size

Total length: 1½ to 2¾ inches; maximum about 3 inches.

Where To Find
image of Johnny Darter Distribution Map

Occur throughout most of the state except the Mississippi Lowlands, south-central Ozarks, and parts of the western prairie region.

Found primarily in pools and slow-moving riffles in sandy streams. Common in prairie streams of northeastern and central Missouri. Most active in daytime. More tolerant of siltation and turbidity than other darters found in Missouri. More abundant in creeks that in rivers. Unlike many darters, it is more often found in quiet pools than in riffles.

Midge larvae, other aquatic insects and small crustaceans.

One of the most common and widely distributed Missouri darters, occurring over most of the state. It is most abundant in prairie streams of central and northeastern Missouri.

Life Cycle

Lifespan is about 3 to 4 years. In April and May, males clear silt and debris away from beneath a submerged object such as a flat rock. This species spawns upside down on the underside of rocks or other submerged objects.

Darters have been called the “hummingbirds of the fish world” because of the brilliant and varied colors of the breeding males. The next time you admire the colorful fish at a pet store, remember that our own native species possess the same kind of beauty — and that many of them are declining due to aquatic habitat loss and degradation.

Darters are small predators in the aquatic world, transforming the nutrients of insects and other small arthropods into a form (their own bodies) that is conveniently large enough for larger predators, including bigger fishes, birds, mammals, and reptiles.

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About Fishes in Missouri
Missouri has more than 200 kinds of fish, more than are found in most neighboring states. Fishes live in water, breathe with gills, and have fins instead of legs. Most are covered with scales. Most fish in Missouri “look” like fish and could never be confused with anything else. True, lampreys and eels have snakelike bodies — but they also have fins and smooth, slimy skin, which snakes do not.