Banded darter

Appearance

''E. zonale'' can reach a length of 7.8 centimetres TL though most only reach about 5.3 centimetres .

Distribution

The banded darter is one of the most common darters in North America, where an estimated 250 species of darters occur. The banded darter has a widespread distribution throughout much of eastern United States, primarily the Mississippi Basin. It ranges from the Verdigris River in Kansas eastward to the Allegheny River in New York and from the Minnesota River in Minnesota southward to the Ouachita River in Arkansas and the Tennessee River in Alabama. The banded darter can also be found in the headwaters of the Savannah River, in drainages of Lake Michigan, in the Duck River, and other streams across eastern United States. The species has been introduced in a few non-native streams. Its most distinguishable introduction has occurred in the Susquehanna River drainage. Specimens of the banded darter and the native darter,'' Etheostoma olmstedi'' , were collected at Catatonk Creek in New York beginning in the 1960s. Biologists have studied the two darters and their niches in the Susquehanna River drainage. They found the banded darter was outcompeting the tessellated darter for habitat and resources. The buccal cavity length of the tessellated darter has increased since the banded darter was introduced to the watershed, which is expected to result in higher suction feeding performance measured as volumetric flow rate of water through the mouth. The morphological change in the tessellated darter was likely caused from the banded darter taking over the niche of the tessellated darter.

Habitat

The banded darter prefers to live around swift riffles of moderately large to large cobble or gravel, rock slabs, and small boulders in moderate-sized streams and rivers. The banded darter prefers water deeper than 25 cm in the riffles around the midchannel of the river or creek. The diet of the banded darter consists of midge, mayfly larva, black flies and trichopeteran larvae. Ten specimens of the banded darter were captured and monitored in a tank. Chironomids , ephemeropterans , and trichopterans were supplied for the darters to eat. The study found the banded darter prefers chironomids over the mayflies or caddisflies , and the fish fed more during the day than they did at night. The banded darter has a diverse range of temperatures it can tolerate; it can survive in water between 32 and 80 °F, but its preferred temperature range is between 72 and 76 °F. As a small fish, banded darters have numerous predators including larger fish such as smallmouth bass and largemouth bass, as well as fish-eating birds like herons and egrets. This darter will compete with other darters for habitat. For example, in the Susquehanna River drainage, the tessellated darter competes with the banded darter. Humans may affect their distribution. For example, dams slow the flow of a river or a creek and could cause loss of habitat. By contrast, climate change / global warming could increase the range of distribution of the banded darter by resulting in warmer water closer to their preferred temperature.