1 American Currents Vol. 32, No. 3 Back Into Saddleds: A Review of the Saddled Darters of North America Ray Katula N 6012 Cty. Rd. XX, Onalaska WI 54650 [email protected] he saddled darters of North America represent Carolinas, and some areas of northern Georgia. one of the most (in my opinion, the most) colorful The saddled darter group is very distinctive, particularly group of fishes in North America and, arguably, in color and may constitute its own subgenus (L. M. Page, T the world. In the aquarium, saddled darters can pers comm.). A similar subgenus, Litocara, contains the be hardy and long-lived if provided with a few special condi- colorful Niangua Darter, E. nianguae, and Arrow Darter, E. tions. Their colors make the slightly extra work it takes to sagitta. Coloration is remarkably similar, but Litocara differs meet these conditions well worth the effort. from saddled darters in tending to be more slender with a much more prominent snout. Also, dorsal saddles in Litocara Diversity and Classification are less pronounced.2 Saddled darters are members of the genus and subgenus Distinguishing Characters, Habitat and Diet Etheostoma, which is in the family Percidae (perches and darters). Depending upon which account one follows, the Saddled darters may be characterized by the following: a subgenus Etheostoma contains 14-16 species (Page, 1981; cylindrical body, broad blunt head, large pectoral fins, green Etnier and Starnes, 1993; Kuehne and Barbour, 1983). These and red coloration on adult males, and a complete lateral line. species can be divided by general characteristics into four Females often display subtle green and red colors not usually groups: (1) the saddled group (the subject of this article), found on females among other darter species. Both sexes which contains five species distributed throughout much of exhibit tubercles when spawning. As suggested by the group’s eastern North America, the Ozarks of Missouri and vernacular name, saddled darters possess 4-6 distinct dorsal Arkansas, and the upper Ohio River basin: Arkansas Saddled saddles which, when viewed from above, allows them to crypti- Darter, E. euzonum, Kanawha Darter, E. kanawhae, Candy cally blend into the cobblestone habitat they frequent. Darter, E. osburni, Missouri Saddled Darter, E. tetrazonum, Based on personal observations, communications with and Variegate Darter, E. variatum; (2) a two-species group fellow collectors and the literature I’ve read, saddled darters consisting of the presumably extinct Maryland Darter, E. strongly prefer fast flowing riffles of medium to large streams. sellare,1 and Blenny Darter, E. blennius (the latter with two Riffles containing numerous rocks and cobblestones and few subspecies); (3) the greenside group with 3-5 species (depend- aquatic plants (aside from moss-covered rocks) are the most ing on which scientist you go with); and (4) the seagreen frequented habitat. group, which contains three species endemic to the lower 2 Appalachian region of eastern Tennessee, the western Saddled darters should not be confused with the Saddleback Darter, Percina ouachitae, which is in a different genus and is not referenced here except to state that it is a drab species whose range overlaps slightly with 1 Baily and Etnier (1988) placed the Maryland Darter within its own the Arkansas Saddled Darter, Etheostoma euzonum, in extreme south- enigmatic group due to its distinctive morphology. eastern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas. Summer (Aug.) 2006 American Currents 2 In the wild, their diet consist of mayflies, caddisflies, first. Collecting at night means you likely won’t see obstruc- midges and mites. tions or deep holes. It’s a good idea to scout the layout of your collecting area ahead of time during the day and, whenever Collecting and Transporting possible, to bring a fellow collector along. Transport your catch in as cool and lightly packed condi- Collecting saddled darters can be strenuous work and tions as possible. As riffle inhabitants, saddled darters require somewhat unsafe; collecting should therefore be done with plenty of oxygen. Compared to other darters, they transport care and, whenever possible, with a partner. Collecting in well if it’s done right. They also handle shipping fairly well. swift currents means sure footing is a must. If in doubt, don’t do it. A life vest is always a good idea when collecting. Aquarium Set-Up Minnow traps securely positioned can catch a few swift- water darters, but it’s a slow way to catch them and you won’t Aquarium set-up should be typical of what you might set catch many. If you reside outside of saddled darter range, up for most darters from fast-flowing riffles. One way to sim- seining or dipnetting will likely be more productive. The best ulate a riffle is to use powerheads. Point one up towards the method of capturing specimens (after legal prerequisites are water’s surface. Point another low so that it flows just over the met) is with a 4-8’ seine. Please note, though, that in fast rocks. Airstones are useful in providing additional aeration current bigger is not better since the current’s drag on the net but are not necessary. The substrate can be gravel (especially can make a large seine obsolete even when two or more people if you’re using undergravel filtration). Adding rocks and are holding it. hiding places will help the darters feel more comfortable in You can seine for saddled darters by yourself. Firmly their surroundings. plant the poles of the seine into the rocky substrate just down- A few dither fish will help bring extremely shy darters stream of yourself. (Some collectors like to cross the tops of out of hiding. Two good dither fishes are Longnose Dace, the poles together, which tends to make the net easier to lift.) Rhinichthys cataractae, and Blacknose Dace, R. atratulus. With the poles planted it’s time to do the “riffle shuffle.” These are active fishes that will share the swift currents sad- Gently shuffle or kick the substrate and rocks with your feet dled darters prefer and help clean up any leftovers the darters and then pull the bottom of the net up towards yourself and miss in feeding. Saddled darters eat most live or frozen foods up and out of the water. With luck, you will have dislodged (brine shrimp, bloodworms, glassworms). Blackworms and some specimens from the rocks into your net. white worms are relished as well. Saddled darters do not Having one or two seining partners works better. With accept dried foods, or at least not any that I have tried. two collectors working the seine, plant your respective poles Summertime temperatures into the upper 70s will be into the substrate. Position yourselves upstream and somewhat tolerated, but at upper temperature extremes crowding and inside the flow of water into the seine. Do the riffle shuffle clean water parameters are paramount. A refrigeration unit is then pull up the seine in unison. not necessary unless you expect extremely high temperatures. If you’re lucky enough to have a third person, then two Considering that most people rely on air conditioning when of you should hold the poles while the third person stands just the weather gets hot, saddled darters should acclimate to most upstream of the seine. All three of you should do the riffle homes well. shuffle, with the third person shuffling towards the seine. Under these conditions, I’ve routinely kept E. variatum Dipnetting requires a large, high-quality dipnet. The alive for six years at a time. (Longevity in the wild is 3-4 ideal net has a flat front edge, a very deep sock, and a sturdy years.) Other saddled darter species also show good longevity handle. (Most of the larger dipnets that are sold often have within their domestic domains. thin aluminum handles that will not last long in strong, fast current.) Plant the dipnet firmly into the substrate down- Candy Darter, Etheostoma osburni stream of yourself, kick the rocks in front of the opening, and (Hubbs & Trautman 1932) lift. Be careful not to kick too many rocks into the dipnet (or into the seine) or else you may crush your quarry. Larry Page and Brooks Burr, who authored the Peterson Collecting saddled darters at night may be more produc- Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of North America, wrote that tive than collecting during the day. Once again, think safety the male E. osburni is likely the most vivid of any North 3 American Currents Vol. 32, No. 3 Fig. 1. Variegate Darter, Etheostoma variatum. Left: male, 77 mm SL. Right: female, 60 mm SL. Both collected from Red Bird Creek, Clay Co., KY, 22 March 1978. Photographs by Lawrence M. Page. Fig. 2. Missouri Saddled Darter, Etheostoma tetrazonum. Left: male, 55 mm SL. Right: female, 48 mm SL. Both collected from Mills Creek, Laclede Co., MO, 24 April 1978. Photographs by Lawrence M. Page. Fig. 3. Arkansas Saddled Darter, Etheostoma euzonum. Left: male, 80 mm SL, South Fork Little Red River, Van Buren Co., AR, 29 May 1983. Right: female, 62 mm SL, Current River, Randolph Co., AR, 17 Aug. 1979. Photographs by Lawrence M. Page. American fish. I concur and further consider it to be the most three females were evidently spent when I received them that colorful fish in the world (a point of considerable conjecture late in the year). One especially colorful male was old and but obviously a spectacular fish). Page and Burr (1991) refer looked famished, although I did fatten him up and managed to E. osburni as Finescaled Saddled Darter, but the name was to keep him going for one more year. Two other males were changed to Candy Darter, a name more befitting its beauty.