Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Perciformes (Perch-likes) > Percidae (Perches) > Etheostomatinae
Etymology: Etheostoma: Greek, etheo = to strain + Greek, stoma = mouth; Rafinesque said "various mouths", but Jordan and Evermann suggest the name might have been intended as "Heterostoma (Ref. 45335); akatulo: Name akatulo is derived from the Cherokee noun for mask, and as the common name (Bluemask Darter) implies, this refers to the uninterrupted, intense blue pigment covering the lower face of breeding males.

Environment / Climate / Range Ecology

Freshwater; benthopelagic. Subtropical, preferred ?

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

North America: USA.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 4.8 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 80494); 4.5 cm SL (female)

Short description Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 10 - 13; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10-12. This species is distinguished from all other species under the subgenus Doration by the combination of the following set of characters: completely scaled cheeks (or nearly so); lateral line usually complete; breeding males possess an intense blue mask of pigment completely covering lower face and operculum, snout, lips, underside of head, and branchiostegal membranes; breeding males with soft dorsal and anal fins dark gray to black with no orange spots on rays or blue pigment in membranes (Ref. 80494).

This species is observed in slow to moderate current over sand and fine gravel at depths of 10-50 cm, mainly just downstream of riffles, in runs, or along margins of pools. Breeding males collected in April at the type locality were most abundant in gravelly runs, while breeding females were more common in slower water over sandier substrates adjacent to runs. It is reported to be spawning in May and June in gravelly runs, burying their eggs in small sand patches among the gravel, a similar behavior of E. stigmaeumin aquaria. After the spawning period, it moves to sandy substrates in low-velocity areas of intermediate depth (Ref. 80494).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Layman, S.R. and R.L. Mayden, 2009. A new species of the darter subgenus Doration (Percidae: Etheostoma) from the Caney Fork River System, Tennessee. Copeia 2009(1):157-170. (Ref. 80494)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 115185)

Endangered (EN) (B1ab(iii,v)+2ab(iii,v))

CITES (Ref. 94142)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

FAO(Publication : search) | FisheriesWiki |

More information

Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
Stocks
Ecology
Diet
Food items
Food consumption
Ration

Common names
Synonyms
Metabolism
Predators
Ecotoxicology
Reproduction
Maturity
Spawning
Fecundity
Eggs
Egg development

Age/Size
Growth
Length-weight
Length-length
Length-frequencies
Morphometrics
Morphology
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Recruitment
Abundance

References
Aquaculture
Aquaculture profile
Strains
Genetics
Allele frequencies
Heritability
Diseases
Processing
Mass conversion

Collaborators
Pictures
Stamps, Coins
Sounds
Ciguatera
Speed
Swim. type
Gill area
Otoliths
Brains
Vision

Tools

Special reports

Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

Download XML

Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Etheostoma akatulo Layman & Mayden, 2009