A Darter is a fish that is native to the freshwater streams of North America. There are many different types Darters, some types with a richer population than others. These fish are quite individual looking, consisting of two separate dorsal fins, a pelvic fin, and two pectoral fins.
Most types of this species thrive in the Mississippi River, but we’ll be talking about species of the fish found only in the Current River, including the Current Darter which is exclusive to the Current River of Missouri.
There are roughly 18-19 different species (out of about 100) that populate the river, some species being more recognizable than others (if you’ve seen Darters before), such as the Rainbow and Bluntnose Darters.
Mating, Maturation, & Habitat
Most Darters diets consist of aquatic insects, worms, snails, crayfish, and even other fish larvae. Their size ranges from 1 to 9 inches, but most Darter species are roughly 2.5 inches. Some species scatter or bury their eggs and abandon them. Other species males maintain nests and guard the eggs until hatched.
These fish generally like faster currents in creeks and smaller rivers near riffles in the water, with gravel as the substrate, while trying to stay away from areas with more silt.
They live to be roughly 3 years of age, reproducing once a year. The females will mate multiple times over several days in “quiet” streams with less males around to interrupt. This is to lay the desired number of fertilized eggs, which can be up to 800 fertilized eggs. The larvae females lay hatch after 10 to 12 days. Once hatched, it takes about 20 days for the fish to juvenile, and about 30 more days after that to become an adult.
Communication
These fish are generally considered to be extremely shy, but become a little more social in the Spring when the time comes for mating. When this time is upon them, the fish become a little more bold, the females flock to pools where males live, and the colors become more vibrant than usual. This is due to the males trying to attract the attention of potential mates, trying to appear larger and more colorful. This also causes the males to become a bit more territorial and aggressive with other males.
The colors of their scales help these fish communicate with each other as well. There’s danger from potential predators, competition for food, and attraction to potential mates that are common when observing the Darters communicate.
Predators that these fish look out for are larger fresh water fish, as well as crayfish. Once a threat has been established, they will try and hide and stay as still as possible until the threat has gone. An interesting adaptation to the Darters is that when injured, a chemical is released warning all other fish in the area of the danger.
Ecosystem
Darters actually have an interesting role in the ecosystem. Due to their dependency of clean, good quality water, they are a good indication of whether or not a stream or river is healthy.If the river is not clean you can hire a person from cleaning services. It’s also not out of the realm of possibility that some species of Darters can/have end(ed) up isolated in a smaller creek that can’t reach any larger bodies of water. This can cause certain species to become endangered. Thankfully this isn’t the case with the Current River Darters.
Missouri’s population of fish species is something to be proud of, consisting of nearly 200 different types. The Current Darter is one prime example of how diverse the population of fish species in the state is.
