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A Few From Crystal Creek (e Ky)

Started by Guest_JohnO_* , Sep 27 2008 08:37 PM

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13 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_JohnO_*

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Posted 27 September 2008 - 08:37 PM

These were found in Crystal Creek, about 10 miles north of Beattyville, and around 25 miles south of Slade (red river gorge), in mid eastern KY.

This one sure looks like a Johnny Darter. Is that what it is?

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Found a few of these minnows. Have the dark stripe of a juvenile creek chub, but they look to be more slender, and the tail is a bit deeper. Any ideas?

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This one is interesting. When I found it, I could only see the dark spots, the slightly pink color, and the bullet shaped nose, thought it was a juvenile dusky. In the tank, I could see the vague color bands on the tail, and when it flashed it's dorsal, that also has color bands on it. (it wouldn't raise it's dorsal on cue for the photo) Any ideas? I've been over the percina list for Lee and Estill counties, neither show anything that seems to match this one. They also didn't list any endangered darters in that area. Hope KY Fish&Game was right...

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Edited by JohnO, 27 September 2008 - 08:46 PM.

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#2 Guest_smilingfrog_*

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Posted 28 September 2008 - 03:50 AM

I think you are right with the first one being a johnny darter. The second picture looks like a bluntnose minnow, and the I don't know about the third.

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#3 Guest_itsme_*

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Posted 28 September 2008 - 11:11 AM

The third one is an Etheostoma. The dark spots are from encysted nematodes or some such parasite. Might be a rainbow darter. I think it probably is. Color intensity can vary widely in this species. Maximum color occurs in the spring breeding season (April/May).

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#4 Guest_teleost_*

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Posted 28 September 2008 - 11:28 AM

I see two colors in the anal fin so I'm with Mark on the rainbow darter idea.

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#5 Guest_Skipjack_*

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Posted 28 September 2008 - 12:02 PM

I think the first fish is a female emerald darter E. Baileyi. Followed by bluntnose minnow, and rainbow darter.

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#6 Guest_JohnO_*

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Posted 28 September 2008 - 12:45 PM

Parasites, eh? Looks like the freezer will get an addition.

Ah well, so much for finding a new darter.

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#7 Guest_teleost_*

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Posted 28 September 2008 - 01:19 PM

Don't worry about "black spot" as a parasite. No need to kill fish that have it as it won't spread to other tankmates.

I can see Skipjack's point about the first fish being an Emerald darter (head shape) but don't they have blotches instead of M's and W's? I have photos of males only so I could be very wrong on that.

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#8 Guest_blakemarkwell_*

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Posted 28 September 2008 - 01:49 PM

I agree with everyones IDs. First looks like E. nigrum, second looks like P. notatus, and thrid looks like E. caeruleum. However, I have never seen E. baileyi so I can not truely cancel that out as an option.

Blake

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#9 Guest_Skipjack_*

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Posted 28 September 2008 - 02:39 PM

This is a male Emerald that I collected in the Red river. I think I see X's and W's in the base pattern.

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#10 Guest_teleost_*

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Posted 28 September 2008 - 03:23 PM

I see em' too Matt.

hmm. I have two photos from different locations.
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#11 Guest_JohnO_*

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Posted 29 September 2008 - 10:49 PM

I have three emeralds I pulled out of the N fork of the Red River. Here's one of them...

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This new one has a more slender back than the emeralds I have, but then again it's still relatively juvenile. And the colors and patterns on the dorsal look different. Again, just a characteristic of a juvenile?

The N fork has been my happy hunting ground. Found eight darters there so far: rainbow, banded, emerald, johnny, frecklebelly, dusky, variegate, and logperch. Josh found a dead lamprey, looked like a least brook I think, on our trip down there, so they're present too. Plus a cute little brindled madtom, and a beautiful little shiner with a blue stripe that usually dies on the trip home. The other streams might be as packed, but you can get into the N fork more, as it passes right through D Boone Nat Forest, and it's relatively free of junk.

Edited by JohnO, 29 September 2008 - 10:53 PM.

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#12 Guest_smbass_*

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Posted 30 September 2008 - 10:24 PM

I do not think that your first pic is an emerald darter I am all most positive it is a johnny darter.

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#13 Guest_BTDarters_*

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Posted 30 September 2008 - 11:29 PM

I've got to agree with Brian on the first pic. Looks like a Johnny Darter (Etheostoma nigrum) to me. Second pic I'm not sure about, but I'm leaning toward Blacknose (Notropis heterolepis) or Blackchin Shiner (Notropis heterodon)??? Not sure about that one. Third pic looks like a female Rainbow Darter (Etheostoma caeruleum) to me.

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#14 Guest_smbass_*

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Posted 01 October 2008 - 08:05 PM

Based on location I'm not so sure blackchin or blacknose shiners are even possible. Kinda looks like a bluntnose minnow with just an odd angle not showing the face well.