Kingdom Animalia Family Percidae Genus Etheostoma Order Perciformes | Class Actinopterygii Phylum Chordata Rank Species | |
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The Yazoo darter (Etheostoma raneyi) is a species of darter endemic to north-central Mississippi in the United States, where it is found only in tributaries of the Little Tallahatchie and Yocona rivers.
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Description
Yazoo darters grow up to 65 millimetres (2.6 in) standard length. Males are slightly larger than females and are brightly colored when breeding.
Distribution and habitat
The Yazoo darter inhabits small, clear, mostly spring-fed streams with substrates that include clay, sand, gravel, or silt. Its range encompasses headwater streams in the Little Tallahatchie River's watershed, including the Tippah River and Cypress Creek, and the Yocona River watershed, including Otoucalofa Creek. The range includes Benton, Calhoun, Lafayette, Marshall, Tate, Tippah, Union, and Yalobusha counties and parts of Holly Springs National Forest. Based on mitochondrial DNA, it has been determined that there are two monophyletic clades, those in the Little Tallahatchie River and those in the Yocona River drainages.
Behavior
Most individuals do not survive past their first year, and few individuals survive more than two years. Individuals primarily eat insects.
Status
Stream channelization and urbanization, particularly culverts have led to range restriction and declining populations of the Yazoo darter. The species is listed as near-threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, sensitive by the United States Forest Service, globally imperiled by The Nature Conservancy, and vulnerable by the Southeastern Fisheries Council and American Fisheries Society.