Differences in Greensides

How do you distinguish between a male and female greenside? I have several greensides that I think are all female. They all look like this.




However, today I went to Clear Creek in Madison county and netted, what I thought was maybe a male greenside. It looked kinda like this when I netted it
(this is not the fish I netted).





However, once I got it home, it changed (like most do) and now it almost looks like a big female rainbow, but a little different. I'm going to try to get a pic tomorrow. Anyways, is there a way to distinguish between a male and female greenside.

The fish in your hand and the tank is a greenside. Color is typically the best way to distinguish sexes in darters though occassionally there are differences in fin size. You shouldn't have too many problems distinguishing between rainbows and greensides, they are quite different (snout shape, pectoral fin size, side markings, various pigments).

Josh:

If that's the same Clear Creek that passes through southern Woodford County, and I think it is, be aware that I was down there on Saturday, and found quite a few diseased fish, about one in twenty had white spots. The few juvenile greensides I brought back appeared to be clean, but I noticed white spots appearing on one's tail this morning, so the lot is coming out of the tank. Another lesson learned...

You are probably well upstream of where I was, so you may not have the same problem, but you should probably keep an eye out. Looks like ich to me.

--John

Josh:

If that's the same Clear Creek that passes through southern Woodford County, and I think it is, be aware that I was down there on Saturday, and found quite a few diseased fish, about one in twenty had white spots. The few juvenile greensides I brought back appeared to be clean, but I noticed white spots appearing on one's tail this morning, so the lot is coming out of the tank. Another lesson learned...

You are probably well upstream of where I was, so you may not have the same problem, but you should probably keep an eye out. Looks like ich to me.

--John

Thanks for the heads up John, but I think I was in a different Clear creek. The one I was in starts in Madison and empties into the KY river. I'm sure there are quite a few Clear creeks in Kentucky

You're right, I just checked maps and it is a different clear creek. I may have to get over to Madison County one of these days, not that much of a drive.

Thanks for the heads up John, but I think I was in a different Clear creek. The one I was in starts in Madison and empties into the KY river. I'm sure there are quite a few Clear creeks in Kentucky

You're right, I just checked maps and it is a different clear creek. I may have to get over to Madison County one of these days, not that much of a drive.

Just give me a shout, we'll go to Silver, Clear, Tates, Muddy, Otter, or Paint Lick Creek.

Also, I'm pretty sure there is a Clear Creek in Bell County (Southeast ky), among others.

Here's the pic of what I thought was a male greenside...now I think it's a female rainbow

You are right. That is a rainbow darter. The fishes in the first two pictures in post # 1 are both greensides.

Yep, female rainbow. The nose on rainbows is very distinctive, pointy with a slight downturn, whereas greensides tend to have a more blunt nose with the eyes set forward. Fantails have that upward turned mouth, and a body that's nearly straight, no hump in the back.

When I was a wee lad keeping darters out of the creek that cuts through our farm, all we had were fantails and rainbows. So I grew up thinking all darters had pointy noses. Now that I'm revisiting this childhood passion with a more adequate budget, it did surprise me to learn that quite a few have blunt noses. The last two I've found, greenside and variegated, are both blunt nosed.