Blackbanded Darter
Percina nigrofasciata
Northern Tessellated Darter
Etheostoma olmstedi
About
The tessellated darter is a small, pale river fish that rests on the bottom rather than swimming freely. It blends into sand and gravel.
How to tell it apart
In its dark breeding colours it can be mistaken for a small perch of the genus Percina. But its pattern is a fine, wavy mottle, not the plain, blocky bars those fish have.
Appearance
It has a pale, sandy body, whiter underneath, with dark scale edges forming wavy bars and X- or W-shaped marks along its upper sides. A dark spot sits on the front of its first back fin, the dorsal fin, and a dark line runs from each eye to the nostril. During breeding, males turn darker with pale up-and-down bands. This makes them look almost like a reversed photo of their normal colours.
Habitat
This darter lives in freshwater rivers and streams across eastern Canada and the United States. It rests on the bottom rather than swimming in open water.
Did you know?
Male tessellated darters sometimes take over and guard other males' egg nests as their own, a habit that seems to boost how many young they end up raising.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
