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Darter from Ontario

Started by Guest_MichaelAngelo_* , Jul 26 2014 05:38 AM

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10 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_MichaelAngelo_*

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Posted 26 July 2014 - 05:38 AM

Previously, I have only caught rainbow and johnny darters. This was caught in a stagnant pond near a small Lake Ontario tributary. I notice some saddles across its back, but the overall shape seems off for rainbow darter. I wish I could find sampling data for the area.

Darters known to occur in Ontario: eastern sand, greenside, rainbow, iowa, fantail, least, johnny, tessellated, channel, blackside, and river.

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#2 Michael Wolfe

Board of Directors

North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 26 July 2014 - 09:30 AM

Look at this picture from the NANFA gallery and then look at your first picture... I see a dark base to the first dorsal with a little bit of red above that (at least at the front of the first dorsal)... add that to the relatively small size of the fish relative to your finger in the picture... I would consider this a mystery solved.

http://www.gallery.n...ageViewsIndex=2

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

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#3 Guest_Yeahson421_*

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Posted 26 July 2014 - 09:43 AM

I would have to agree, Least Darter it is!

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#4 Guest_Skipjack_*

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Posted 26 July 2014 - 09:59 AM

And the habitat described is right for least and Iowa darters, but not so much for any of the other darters listed.

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#5 Guest_MichaelAngelo_*

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Posted 26 July 2014 - 10:04 AM

Thanks for the replies guys. Would Iowa darter have an even more slender profile than this specimen?

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#6 Guest_Skipjack_*

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Posted 26 July 2014 - 10:19 AM

Yes, and Iowa's can be a bit more colorful as well. They both like glacial ponds.

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#7 Guest_MuskieBait_*

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Posted 26 July 2014 - 10:34 AM

Just want to chime in.

I caught these darters last weekend with a friend and suggested the location to Michael to catch his own lifer darter too.

Here's the picture of the one I caught.

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A picture of the two darters together, one that George caught is in the front and one that I caught is in the back.

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I know people said Michael's fish looks like a least darter, but I would respectfully disagree.

One of the characteristics of Iowa Darter is the number of first dorsal fin spines, usually 9 (8-12), vs. the Least Darter, usually 6 (5-7). On that characteristic along, it would indicate that Michael's darter, and the one I caught (plus the other one in the same photo tank that my friend caught) were Iowa Darters.

References:

Iowa Darter - http://www.seagrant....d=605&FishID=67

Least Darter - http://www.seagrant....d=605&FishID=78

You can count the first dorsal spine for both fish in the second picture. The one in the back (mine) has 9, the one in the front (George's) has 8. Both count is within range of Iowa Darter and definitely not Least Darter.

Also note that the pelvic fin of Iowa Darter is much shorter compared to the pelvic fin of the Least Darter. In Least Darter, the pelvic fin origin is placed before the first dorsal fin origin and the tip of the pelvic fin (especially when collapsed or depressed) extends beyond the first dorsal fin. In Iowa Darter, although the pelvic fin origin is placed before the first dorsal fin origin, the tip of the pelvic fin ends well before the first dorsal fin ends.

The presence of saddles on the back is a bad characteristic to depend upon...because Rainbow, Iowa, Least, Johnny, Tessellated and Greenside Darters all have saddles, and especially apparent in the females, where the colouration is drab overall and the saddles stand out.

** Michael doesn't trust my ID's all the time and wanted some "second opinion". :tongue:

Edited by MuskieBait, 26 July 2014 - 11:08 AM.

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#8 Guest_Skipjack_*

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Posted 26 July 2014 - 11:27 AM

Muskiebait

I don't see enough of either to feel certain either way. The first group of photos look to me like the least darters I have seen in Ohio. But you are correct it has one more dorsal spine than it should have.

The body shape appears to look more like a least darter as well.

The fish in your photos look more like Iowa's to me.

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#9 Guest_Skipjack_*

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Posted 26 July 2014 - 12:00 PM

Count the anal fin rays on Mike's fish. That count would also indicate Iowa darter. I see one spine and 7 rays. Though your resource says that Iowa's have 2 spines. So if the first ray I am counting is actually a spine, then it indicates least darter.

Good luck guys, hopefully somebody who really knows these two species well will chime in.

Oh, and thanks to you both for the stream side photos. It is nice to see that some people do actually take the time to read the ID forum rules.

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#10 Guest_MuskieBait_*

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Posted 26 July 2014 - 12:50 PM

Count the anal fin rays on Mike's fish. That count would also indicate Iowa darter. I see one spine and 7 rays. Though your resource says that Iowa's have 2 spines. So if the first ray I am counting is actually a spine, then it indicates least darter.

Good luck guys, hopefully somebody who really knows these two species well will chime in.

Oh, and thanks to you both for the stream side photos. It is nice to see that some people do actually take the time to read the ID forum rules.

Here's what I got...

First picture

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Second picture

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** I always try to get streamside pictures and release the fish as quickly as possible.

No sense in taking the fish home and killing the fish just for an ID. If the pictures are not good enough, then I'll just go and catch another one for another attempt to ID...or just simply call it an unknown.