Agree with Dustin they are Carolina darters, which are on NC-WRC's "Special Concern" list. On live ones, that greenish eye is another clue to distinguish them from swamp darters. Also habitat is different: Swamp darters are typically in slow-moving swamp streams and beaver ponds (mainly Coastal Plain), while Carolina darters are in small rocky streams in the Piedmont. Your minnows look like creek chubs and maybe blueheads (the tiny ones). Salamanders are most likely two-lined, but northern dusky is also possible.
Waxhaw Darters and Unknown Minnows
Started by
taldridge0321
, Jul 22 2016 05:38 PM
43 replies to this topic
#42
taldridge0321
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- NANFA Member
- Pigeon Watershed, North Carolina
Posted 23 July 2016 - 11:18 AM
Agree with Dustin they are Carolina darters, which are on NC-WRC's "Special Concern" list. On live ones, that greenish eye is another clue to distinguish them from swamp darters. Also habitat is different: Swamp darters are typically in slow-moving swamp streams and beaver ponds (mainly Coastal Plain), while Carolina darters are in small rocky streams in the Piedmont. Your minnows look like creek chubs and maybe blueheads (the tiny ones). Salamanders are most likely two-lined, but northern dusky is also possible.
Good point, these were in a small brook with moving water and the Swamp's I caught a few weeks ago were under a bridge in stagnant non moving water.
#44
taldridge0321
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- NANFA Member
- Pigeon Watershed, North Carolina
Posted 23 July 2016 - 01:14 PM
The greenish eye must be more apparent with the fish in hand? I am having a hard time picking it out in the photos.
Yeah, I remember seeing the green yesterday but had a hard time getting a photo of it.
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