4 replies to this topic

[Michael Wolfe]

I remember a conversation that I had with one of y'all and I thought it was here on the forum about Christmas Darters and Savannah Darters and how some people sometimes mix them up?

 

I have just been out this weekend to a location that I thought should have had only Christmas Darter (we were not in the Savannah R drainage but rather in the Oconee R).  But the fish (very nice looking and obviously colored up males and fat females) look to me to be Savannah Darters.

 

I am going by the diagnostic information in Fishes of the Middle Savannah River Basin.  And I am about to go look at some other books.  But I also remember someone else here having some information on this topic, so I thought I would mention it here and see if it stirs any discussion.

 

I know nothing counts without pictures.  I will post a follow up later.

[Michael Wolfe]

 darter in question.JPG   43.55KB   0 downloads

[Chasmodes]

Very beautiful fish!!!!

[UncleWillie]

Very nice fish! The differences between the two is very tough. But as you mentioned, a lot of it will have to do with drainage and relative location to the Fall Line.  There are several described differences, but I've found only a few are somewhat reliable in the field rather than the lab. One is a prominent caudal spot on the Christmas (absent on Savannah). Another is when look down at their backs when in a bucket/tank. Christmas darter has pretty distinct saddles, with a pretty dark spot in just in front of the spiny dorsal. Savannah darter can have faint stripes on its back, but is much more uniform in pigmentation, and not distinct blotches/saddles.  Of course, breeding coloration or stress level can make things tough to see.

[Michael Wolfe]

Thanks guy, I also shared this with Fritz and he mentioned some differences in scales on the opercular area and breast that are different.  Along with the dorsal view things that you mentioned Uncle (of course I didnt take pictures form that view because, well just dumb bad luck).  But he thought that enough of those characteristics pointed to Christmas and that I should not be too focused on the dorsal coloration.

 

Maybe some population differences we were definitely above the Lake Sinclair fall line in the Oconee Drainage (closer to Madison if you know my part of Georgia). So we will call it not a mystery but a Christmas Darter.