Say! What a Lot of Fish There Are.  Published on: Jun. 17, 2013
Some Families Have It All     In general, members of this group
live in riffles in headwater streams where they are sometimes
the only or the most abundant darter. They can be found in
medium-sized streams too, usually near riffles or in shallow,
gravelly shoals and may occur near populations of rainbow
darters (E. caeruleum). These two species-groups look similar,
possessing a kaleidoscope of colors and bluish bars laced with
shades of oranges and reds. The easiest way to tell them apart
is in the spring when in breeding colors. Rainbow darter males
have red on the mem-branes of the anal fin while orangethroat
darters and their relatives typically have solid blue anal fin
membranes. When these species occur in the same stream, rainbow
darters are usu-ally more abundant in the larger reaches and in
deeper, swift currents, usually over riffles.  Orangethroat Name
Game  The orangethroat darter was formally described in the
scientific literature