Greenthroat darter

The greenthroat darter (Etheostoma lepidum) is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is found in Colorado, Guadalupe and Nueces River drainages in Texas; and in Pecos River system in New Mexico.[2]

Greenthroat darter
from the Comal River, Texas
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Percidae
Genus: Etheostoma
Species:
E. lepidum
Binomial name
Etheostoma lepidum
Baird & Girard, 1853

Habitat Associations

Macrohabitat: Basically a spring-run species.[3] Mesohabitat: Scarce or absent from very eurythermal locations.[3] Occurs in a variety of non-turbid stream habitats with substrates from bedrock to silt covered (Platania 1980). A typical riffle species occurring over gravel and rubble, especially when aquatic vegetation is present. It also lives in spring areas, sometimes in cool vegetated pools.[4] Largest populations occur in vegetated rocky riffles.[5][6][7][8] Species benthic after hatching.[6][9]

Biology

Spawning season

October or November through May, with populations in stenothermal environments having a longer spawning season than those in more eurythermal environments.[6][3] In the Colorado River, Texas, spawning occurs November – May;[10] in the South Concho River, Texas, spawning occurs October – May.[11] Hubbs (1985)[3] reported marked drop in reproductive activity when water temperature was raised from 20 to 23 °C.

Spawning habitat

Eggs laid on vegetation,[12] or on the underside of rocks.[6]

Fecundity

In the South Concho River, TX, eggs averaged 1.3 mm in diameter, and increased in number with female size; average number of eggs in females examined was 74, with a range of about 15–200.[11] In aquaria, spawning was observed at approximately 15–25 °C; over a 63-day period, a pair of Etheostoma lepidum laid 13 batches of eggs; numbers of eggs laid ranged from 47 to 109, totaling 1,115.[12] Optimal temperature for egg production apparently 20–23 °C; a female held at this temperature range was observed to produce eggs, in the laboratory environment, over a period of at least 251 days.[6] Egg incubation success is low above 24 degrees C.[13] At 28 degrees C, eggs hatch in 4–5 days, and hatch in about 40 days at 9 °C. Hubbs (1985)[3] noted that no difference in egg production could be correlated with daylength.

References
  1. NatureServe (2014). "Etheostoma lepidum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T202500A2745352. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T202500A2745352.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. "Etheostoma lepidum, Greenthroat darter".
  3. Hubbs, C. 1985. Darter reproductive seasons. Copeia 1985(1):56-68.
  4. Kuehne, R.A., and R.W. Barbour. 1983. The American Darters. The University Press of Kentucky. Lexington. 177 pp.
  5. Strawn, K. 1955. A method of breeding and raising three Texas darters. Part I. Aquarium Journal 26:408-41
  6. Hubbs, C., and K. Strawn. 1957. The effects of light and temperature on the fecundity of the greenthroat darter, Etheostoma lepidum. Ecology 38:596-602.
  7. Hubbs, C., R.A. Kuehne, and J.C. Ball. 1953. The fishes of the upper Guadalupe River. Texas Journal of Science 5(2):216-244.
  8. Hubbs, C., and A.A. Echelle. 1972. Endangered non-game fishes of the upper Rio Grande basin pp. 147-167. In: Rare and endangered wildlife of Southwestern United States. New Mexico Game and Fish Dept., Santa Fe.
  9. Paine, M.D. 1984. Ecological and evolutionary consequences of early ontogenies of darter (Etheostomatini). pp. 21-30. In: Lindquist, D.G., and L.M. Page (eds.), Environmental Biology of Darters. Dr W Junk Publishers, The Hague.
  10. Developmental temperature tolerance of four etheostomatine fishes occurring in Texas. Copeia 1961:195-198.
  11. Hubbs, C., M.M. Stevenson, and A.E. Peden. 1968. Fecundity and egg size in two central Texas darter populations. Southwestern Naturalist 13:301-323
  12. Strawn, K. 1956. A method of breeding and raising three Texas darters. Part II. Aquarium Journal 27(1):11-32.
  13. Hubbs, C., A.E. Peden, and M.M. Stevenson. 1969. The developmental rate of the greenthroat darter, Etheostoma lepidum. Amer. Midl. Nat. 81:182-188.
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