Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Superclassis/Classis: Actinopterygii
Classis/Subclassis: Actinopteri
Subclassis/Infraclassis: Neopterygii
Infraclassis: Teleostei
Megacohors: Osteoglossocephalai
Supercohors: Clupeocephala
Cohors: Euteleosteomorpha
Subcohors: Neoteleostei
Infracohors: Eurypterygia
Sectio: Ctenosquamata
Subsectio: Acanthomorphata
Divisio/Superordo: Acanthopterygii
Subdivisio: Percomorphaceae
Series: Eupercaria
Ordo: Perciformes
Subordo: Percoidei
Superfamilia: Percoidea
Familia: Percidae
Subfamilia: Etheostomatinae
Genus: Percina
Species: Percina roanoka
Name
Percina roanoka (Jordan & Jenkins in Jordan, 1889)
References
Percina roanoka – Taxon details on Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
Vernacular names
English: Roanoke darter
Percina roanoka, the Roanoke darter, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is native to Virginia and North Carolina in the United States[1] and is present in West Virginia, possibly from introduction.[3] It is found in the Roanoke, Tar, and Neuse river systems, typically in small to medium size rivers. It is a colorful species with an average length of 4.3 centimeters (1.7 in). It feeds on insect larvae and other small invertebrates, and spawns in late May and June. It is a common fish with a very wide range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified its conservation status as being of "least concern".
Description
Breeding males have black heads and red or orange jaws. They have black spinal fins with orange bands. Their anal, pelvic and pectoral fins are white with transparent membranes. They have sides whose coloration ranges from dark brown to back, with blue, yellow or green highlights. Females and nonbreeding males are colored similarly, although their colors are less intense than those of breeding males.[3]
The darter has from nine to twelve dorsal fin spines, seven to nine anal fins and nine to twelve dorsal fin rays.[3] The darter has an average length of 4.3 centimeters (1.7 in), although the maximum reported length of a specimen of P. roanoka is 7.8 cm (3.1 in). The darter has a maximum life span of three years.[4]
Distribution and habitat
The darter lives in the drainage basin of the Roanoke, Tar, and Neuse rivers in Virginia and North Carolina. It is also found in the northern sections of the James River in Virginia and the New River in West Virginia and Virginia,[1] to the latter of which it may have been introduced.[3]
The darter prefers to live in small to medium-sized rivers. Adults and juvenile Percina roanoka tend to live in streams and riffles with gravel level substrate. Younger juveniles tend to live in pools near the riffles.[1]
Behavior
The darter spawns from late May to late June. In the New River, the darter has been observed reproducing with the sharpnose darter (Percina oxyrhynchus) to produce hybrids.[3]
The darter is a carnivore. It primarily consumes chironomids, mayflies and black flies.[3]
Conservation status
The darter is ranked as least-concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[1] Reasons for this ranking include the darter's large habitat range, stable population size, large number of sub-populations and lack of major threats to its survival.[1]
References
NatureServe (2013). "Percina roanoka". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T202591A18236749. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T202591A18236749.en.
Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Percina roanoka". Fishbase. December 2019 version.
Stauffer, Jay (December 1, 2007). Fishes of West Virginia. Academy of Natural Sciences. pp. 334–336. ISBN 9781422317839. Retrieved 20 April 2023 – via Google Books.
Froese, Rainer. "Percina roanoka (Jordan & Jenkins, 1889)". Fish Base. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
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