Swamp darter

The Swamp darter lives in the benthopelagic, freshwater environment.

The swamp darters of the subgenus Hololepis (Pisces, Percidae). Tulane Stud. Zool. 9(4):115-211. Flemer, D.A. and W.S. Woolcott. 1966. Food habits and distribution of the fishes of Tuckahoe Creek, Virginia, with special emphasis on the bluegill, Lepomis m. macrochirus Rafinesque. More

ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: Girard described the swamp darter in 1854. ETYMOLOGY: Etheostoma strain mouth, possibly referring to the small mouth. Fusiforme long and cylindrical, referring to the fusiform body shape. More

OVERVIEW: The swamp darter is a small species and reaches a maximum size of 5 cm (natureserve.org). Its eyes are positioned near the top of its head. It has a rounded tail and the dorsal and tail fin have red coloring. More

Cryptically colored with natural camouflage the swamp darter is well suited to its environment. Its back is dark olive with 8-12 dark blotches and the sides are mottled with mid-lateral blotches in tan to green. More

The swamp darter is one of Maine's smallest freshwater fish, with a maximum length of about two inches. It has a slender, compressed body and small, blunt head, and is cryptically colored brown-olive with dark brown speckles on the body and fins. More

Northeast, Swamp Darters (Etheostoma fusiforme) in the East, and Iowa Darters (Etheostoma exile) in the Midwest. Based on my experience, swamps that host darters generally have some flowing water from a nearby river or springs. More

The swamp darter is found over the same range and in some of the same habitats as the tesselated darter, and occasionally they can be collected together. More

Common names

Sumpfspringbarsch in German (Deutsch)
Sumpsmutte in Danish (dansk)
swamp darter in English
紡錘鏢鱸 in Mandarin Chinese
纺锤镖鲈 in Mandarin Chinese

Order : Perciformes
Family : Percidae
Genus : Etheostoma
Species : Etheostoma fusiforme
Authority : Girard, 1854