New Darter Species from Tennessee’s Caney Fork River

A new species of fish only found in the state of Tennessee was scientifically described this month and was named after a co-author of The Fishes of Tennessee book. The new species was formerly considered an isolated population of the Bloodfin Darter Etheostoma (Nothonotus) sanguifluum, which is otherwise widespread in medium-sized creeks throughout the middle Cumberland River drainage in Kentucky and Tennessee.

The Bloodfin Darter, Etheostoma sanguifluum (or Nothonotus sanguifluus, see below) from the middle Cumberland River drainage in Kentucky and Tennessee. C) male and D) female. From figure 3 in Keck and Near 2013.

 

Ben Keck at the University of Tennessee and Tom Near at Yale University described the new species based on differences in male nuptial coloration and scale counts.  The new species is the Caney Fork Darter Nothonotus starnesi, restricted to the Caney Fork River system above Great Falls in Grundy, Van Buren, Warren, and White counties near McMinnville Tennessee. It is named after Wayne Starnes, co-author of the Fishes of Tennessee and Curator of Fishes at the North Carolina Museum of Natural History, for his contributions on the natural history and biology of North American freshwater fishes.

 

The Caney Fork Darter, Nothonotus starnesi, from the Caney Fork River system above Great Falls near McMinnville Tennessee Photo of nuptial male by Dave Neely.

The Caney Fork Darter, like many other darters, displays sexual dimorphism which is most pronounced during the breeding season (May-July), with males having bright red spots on their sides and red and blue in their fins. The species occupies fast-flowing riffles over large cobble and small boulders in medium to large streams. Most populations appear stable, but the Caney Fork Darter’s restricted range, impoundment of habitat by the Great Falls reservoir, and threats from intensive silviculture, livestock production, urbanization, and invasive species put this species at risk and may require future conservation efforts.

The Caney Fork Darter, Nothonotus starnesi, from the Caney Fork River system above Great Falls near McMinnville Tennessee E) male and F) female. From figure 3 in Keck and Near 2013

The taxonomy of the scientific names of the Bloodfin and Caney Fork darters and their close relatives is undergoing changes. These species, as well as some twenty other species, were previously placed in the subgenus Nothonotus within the genus Etheostoma (Etnier and Starnes 1993). Molecular studies based on a mitochondrial gene indicated that the subgenus was more closely related to other darter genera, leading Near and Keck (2005) to elevate Nothonotus to the generic level, which changed the ending on the specific epithet of many species to match the gender of the new genus (e.g. sanguifluum to sanguifluus).  Later molecular studies using nuclear genes in combination with mitochondrial genes (Near et al. 2011) or nuclear genes alone (Near and Keck 2013) showed that Nothonotus and Etheostoma are sister taxa, therefore some ichthyologists retain the genus Etheostoma for these darters while others recognize Nothonotus as a distinct genus.

Distribution of the Caney Fork Darter, Nothonotus starnesi, and other closely-related species in the Cumberland River drainage in Kentucky and Tennessee From figure 2 in Keck and Near 2013.

Citation for species description:

Keck, B.P., and T.J. Near. 2013. A new species of Nothonotus darter (Teleostei: Percidae) from the Caney Fork in Tennessee, USA. Bulletin of the Peabody Museum of Natural History 54:3-21.

 

Other citations:

Etnier, D.A., and W.C. Starnes. 1993. The Fishes of Tennessee. The University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville.

 

Near, T.J., C.M. Bossu, G.S. Bradburd, R.L. Carlson, R.C. Harrington, P.R. Hollingsworth Jr., B.P. Keck, and D.A. Etnier. 2011. Phylogeny and temporal diversification of darters (Percidae: Etheostomatinae). Systematic Biology 60:565-595.

 

Near, T.J., and B.P. Keck. 2013. Free from mitochondrial DNA: nuclear genes and the inference of species trees among closely related darter lineages (Teleostei: Percidae: Etheostomatinae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 66:868-876.

 

Near, T.J., and B.P. Keck. 2005. Dispersal, vicariance, and timing of diversification in Nothonotus darters. Molecular Ecology 14: 3485-3496.

New Fishes Named after U.S. Leaders, Three in Tennessee

Five new fish species were scientifically described last week, all after former or current U.S leaders who have records of environmental leadership and commitment. Three species are found in Tennessee, which already leads the nation in freshwater fish diversity with 315 species. These new species were formerly considered isolated populations of the wide-ranging Speckled Darter (Etheostoma stigmaeum) but are now recognized as distinct species based on morphology and male breeding colors.

The Speckled Darter (Etheostoma stigmaeum) is less widely distributed than previously thought but still occurs in Gulf of Mexico drainages from Pensacola Bay in Florida and Alabama west to the Red, Atchafalaya, and Saline rivers in Louisiana.

These new species are part of a group of darters (subgenus Doration) that are found throughout southeastern river drainages west of the Appalachians. The new species, described by Steve Layman at Geosyntec Consultants in Kennesaw GA and Rick Mayden at Saint Louis University MO, include Etheostoma obama, the Spangled Darter, found entirely within Tennessee; Etheostoma gore, the Cumberland Darter and Etheostoma jimmycarter, the Bluegrass Darter, both found in Tennessee and Kentucky; Etheostoma teddyroosevelt, the Highland Darter from the Ozark Plateau in Missouri, Arkansas, and the corners of Kansas and Oklahoma; and Etheostoma clinton, the Beaded Darter from the Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas.

Distribution of nine darter species in the subgenus Doration, including five new species of darters named after U.S. presidents and vice president (Etheostoma obama, E. gore, E. teddyroosevelt, E. jimmycarter, and E. clinton).

Etheostoma obama, the Spangled Darter is named after President Barack Obama for his policies on promoting clean energy, energy efficiency, environmental protection, and humanitarian effort during challenging economic times. This species is restricted to the Duck and Buffalo rivers in the Tennessee River drainage, Tennessee.

Etheostoma obama, the Spangled Darter.

Etheostoma gore is named after former Vice President Al Gore for his environmental vision during decades of public service and raising awareness on the issue of global climate change. In the description the common name was the Cumberland Darter, but that name is already applied to another darter, Etheostoma susanae. The new common name is the Warioto Darter; Warioto is the Shawnee name for the Cumberland River. This species is restricted to the Cumberland River drainage below Cumberland Falls in Tennessee and Kentucky, excluding the upper Caney Fork drainage.

Etheostoma gore, the Warioto Darter.

Etheostoma jimmycarter, the Bluegrass Darter is named after former President Jimmy Carter for his environmental leadership in national energy policy and wilderness protection, and his life-long commitment to global social justice and human rights. This species is restricted to the Green River system in Tennessee and Kentucky.

Etheostoma jimmycarter, the Bluegrass Darter.

Etheostoma teddyroosevelt, the Highland Darter is named after former President Theodore Roosevelt for his enduring environmental conservation legacy by the designation of national forests, wildlife refuges, national monuments, and national parks, as well as his efforts to establish the American Museum of Natural History in New York. This species is found in the Arkansas and upper White River drainages on the Ozark Plateau in Missouri, Arkansas, and the corners of Kansas and Oklahoma.

 Etheostoma teddyroosevelt, the Highland Darter.

Etheostoma clinton, the Beaded Darter is named after former President Bill Clinton for his environmental leadership in expanding national monuments and preserving large expanses of wilderness areas and his continued commitment to global humanitarian issues. This species is restricted to the upper Caddo and upper Ouachita River drainages in the Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas.

Etheostoma clinton, the Beaded Darter.

All darter illustration by Joe Tomelleri.

Citation: Layman, Steven R., and Richard L. Mayden. 2012. Morphological diversity and phylogenetics of the darter subgenus Doration (Percidae: Etheostoma), with descriptions of five new species. Bulletin of the Alabama Museum of Natural History Number 30:1-83.

This blog was undated on 29 November 2012 to reflect the new common name for Etheostoma gore.