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unknown fish

Started by Guest_AuzzieM_* , Mar 09 2009 04:06 PM

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27 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_AuzzieM_*

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Posted 09 March 2009 - 04:06 PM

i caught a darter, and i'm fairly certain it's darter, and i don't know what it is, i can't get a pic because i'm not the best photographer, it's very skittish and i don't have any cameras good enough. it a dark brownish color with a row of white spots on each side other than that it exactly like the channel darter, from that description can any tell what it is?

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#2 Guest_basssmaster_*

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Posted 09 March 2009 - 04:19 PM

State the location to help narrow down the possibilty

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#3 Guest_ashtonmj_*

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Posted 09 March 2009 - 07:11 PM

There are nearly two hundred possible answers to "a darter", so further information or pictures, good or bad, are necessary.

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#4 Guest_AuzzieM_*

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Posted 09 March 2009 - 09:03 PM

the area is james-city county, VA, and this is the best pic i can get

Attached Files

darter.JPG 345.76KB 7 downloads

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#5 Guest_AuzzieM_*

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Posted 10 March 2009 - 11:17 AM

i just realized what you meant when you said area, i found him on the edge of a shallow pond that is connected to larger pond above it and there is a fast-moving stream below it, he was in the most shallow area of the pond and away from the fast-moving stream, and the bottom of the pond was covered in leaves

Edited by AuzzieM, 10 March 2009 - 11:17 AM.

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#6 Guest_gdthom2_*

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Posted 10 March 2009 - 11:31 AM

hmm, you cant really tell anything from the picture, maybe trying to take his picture out of water. That container seemed to blur the vision. ill see if I can get some pics of possible darters in that area

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#7 Guest_gdthom2_*

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Posted 10 March 2009 - 11:52 AM

Here are a few ideas of what are possible to catch in your region according to my field guide. I am sure there are more than this, but these would be some ideas. I would post pictures of the fish that I googled, but better be safe than sorry and not post without permission. anyways, hope this helps.

Possibilities:

Johnny Darter

DSCF0336.jpg 16.85KB 1 downloads

Shield Darter
Google Image

Fantail Darter

DSCF0294.jpg 10.91KB 1 downloads

Glassy Darter
Google Image

Tessellated Darter
Google Image

Edited by gdthom2, 10 March 2009 - 11:53 AM.

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#8 Guest_daveneely_*

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Posted 10 March 2009 - 12:10 PM

Auzzie,

You really can't be serious, can you?

It's easier to ID fish from a James Prosek illustration than it is from your photograph...

There's only a few species of darters around that part of VA, should be easy if you can get a non-blurry photo.

Dave

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#9 Guest_jblaylock_*

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Posted 10 March 2009 - 12:57 PM

I guess fantail.

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#10 Guest_AuzzieM_*

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Posted 10 March 2009 - 02:22 PM

upon closer inspection he's a easter mudminnow sorry about the mix up, i just now though to look for a dorsal crest, i didn't find one and i realized it was a mudminnow

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#11 Guest_arnoldi_*

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Posted 10 March 2009 - 08:00 PM

Just remember, darters don't float.

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#12 Guest_bpkeck_*

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Posted 13 March 2009 - 10:40 PM

upon closer inspection he's a easter mudminnow sorry about the mix up, i just now though to look for a dorsal crest, i didn't find one and i realized it was a mudminnow

Don't be sorry, making guesses is how we all learned. Now you know another character that will help delineate the fish the next time you're out. This forum is here for us to share what we've seen and how to identify things in the field, and luckily the learning curve is usually exponential. I'm just jealous that I'm in frozen New York when most of y'all are in my home land having fun in the creeks.

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#13 Guest_JohnO_*

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Posted 16 March 2009 - 11:41 AM

Darters will drive you crazy on ID. A lot of subtle variation. Just when you think you have it figured out, you'll find a new one and get an education on how little you know.

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#14 Guest_Fish4Fun_*

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Posted 16 March 2009 - 05:50 PM

Just remember, darters don't float.

This one floats swims about anything he wants to do, and i believe has a swim bladder, Is this not a darter ??

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#15 Guest_NateTessler13_*

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Posted 16 March 2009 - 06:04 PM

Looks like a Dusky Darter (Percina sciera) to me. The Percina genus of darters has a better developed swim bladder and is better able to suspend in the water column to search for food. You'll notice though that they require making frequent stops (the one in the picture is resting on a rock). So although their swim bladder is a little better developed, they're certainly not pelagic. The one species of darter I've found to be able to swim the best without rest is the Frecklebelly Darter (Percina sp...I can't remember the sp. name and I'm supposed to be listening to a lecture right now). Perhaps this one has one of the best developed swim bladders of all the darters.

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#16 Guest_Fish4Fun_*

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Posted 16 March 2009 - 06:47 PM

Yep he does perch just like the other darters youre exactly right, but when its feeding time, and the other darters are struggling to reach the top this guy swims right up there with no problem, but now that you mention it as well as the post by arnoldi, he absolutely Dont just float, thanks

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#17 Guest_truf_*

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Posted 16 March 2009 - 07:44 PM

Looks like a Dusky Darter (Percina sciera) to me. The Percina genus of darters has a better developed swim bladder and is better able to suspend in the water column to search for food. You'll notice though that they require making frequent stops (the one in the picture is resting on a rock). So although their swim bladder is a little better developed, they're certainly not pelagic. The one species of darter I've found to be able to swim the best without rest is the Frecklebelly Darter (Percina sp...I can't remember the sp. name and I'm supposed to be listening to a lecture right now). Perhaps this one has one of the best developed swim bladders of all the darters.

Yep....the first time I saw a Frecklebelly Darter, the ID had me completely flummoxed due to it's non-darter like mid-water behavior. It looked like a darter, but it sure didn't act like one. I kept looking in the wrong area of my guide to try to ID the thing. Finally I used the Peterson's Guide, found an illustration of a Bluestripe, and they mentioned Frecklebellies as being similar, and in the area, then looked that up on the internet......ta da! Success. They are really pretty cool little fish. I need to ketch a few next time I'm in KY at the Red River Gorge, which is in a couple of weeks (first camping trip of the season).

BTW: As I read it, the more developed swim bladder in Percina is a primitive vestige of more ancient fishes, The other darters that do not have developed swim bladders, are more modern species. (For anyone that wants to know....)

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#18 Guest_farmertodd_*

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Posted 16 March 2009 - 08:53 PM

Didn't we ID this fish as a blackbanded darter in another thread?

All the bladder stuff still applies

Todd

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#19 Guest_NateTessler13_*

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Posted 17 March 2009 - 08:13 AM

Didn't we ID this fish as a blackbanded darter in another thread?

All the bladder stuff still applies

Todd

It does look an awful lot like it could be. I've never spent much time on Blackbanded. Those three spots on the base of the caudal fin aren't characteristic of a Dusky Darter?

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#20 Guest_Dustin_*

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Posted 17 March 2009 - 08:37 AM

It does look an awful lot like it could be. I've never spent much time on Blackbanded. Those three spots on the base of the caudal fin aren't characteristic of a Dusky Darter?

The fish came from me and it is without a doubt a blackbanded darter. They both look very consistent with our blackbandeds.