Orangethroat Darter-Wolf Run Lexington, Kentucky

This variant of the Orangethroat Darter is known by some as the "Thoroughbred Darter," and is a potentially undescribed species within the complex. A few notable differences(solely my own observations, no official study has been done on these fish) between these and what we consider a "typical" Orangethroat are the vertical blue bars shown in spawning males(generally only up to 5 give or take and no further than the second dorsal insertion in a typical male orangethroat, whereas these can have up to 10 vertical bars from the caudal peduncle to the head, a commonly seen feature in quite a few already described orangethroat variants), the noticeably blunt and downturned snout, and the lack of horizontal line of pigment running the length of the anterior half of the body. I will be photographing this species again come April, when they should be in the peak of breeding coloration. I was clued in to this variant by fellow NANFA member and regional representative Joshua Blaylock. These fish look quite striking when in full spawning coloration, so I will be going back to photograph this variant again in April, when they show off some of their notable markings a little more clearly than this non-breeding male.