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Amber darter, Percina antesella

Classification
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Percidae

Species description
The fish is a golden brown or amber darter with speckled median fins and a yellowish-cream belly.  Overall it is small and slender. It has a dark bar under the eye.  The amber darter has four distinct stripes or saddles along its back and underside, belly, and head that are lighter in color.  Males have a longer anal fin than females, but do not develop bright colors during the breeding season like some species of darters.  The amber darter has a pointed snout and most its fins are clear, with some banding.  However, the throats of breeding males are blue.  Adults are approximately 7 cm (3 in) in length.

Life cycle
Amber darters spawn late winter to early spring in swift gravel shoal areas.  The eggs are buried in gravel and left unprotected.  Maximum lifespan is 3 to 4 years.

Natural history
The amber darter is non-migratory, but it may have seasonal change.  Mid-summer the amber darter has been observed to move to shallower riffles with more vegetation present.  Most likely it uses this vegetation for coverage and foraging.  It is thought that this mid-summer seasonal change coincides with spawning.  It feeds on gastropods and aquatic insects.  Some insects that the amber darter consumes include mayflies, caddisflies, midges, beetles, and stoneflies.  It cannot tolerate slack currents or water with excessive silt.  The amber darter lives in shallow riffles with moderate current that have a riverbed of gravel and riverweed.  It prefers silt-free water in deeper riffles or flowing pools with bottoms that are gravel, sand, cobblestone, or boulders.

Range
The amber darter is endemic to the Conasauga and Etowah rivers in the Coosa River system.  In the Conasauga River it is found along 34 miles of the main portion of the mainstem of the river.

Conservation status
The amber darter was federally listed as endangered August 5, 1985.  It has critical habitat in Polk, Bradley counties, Tennessee, and in Whitfield and Murray counties, Georgia.  Protection of the amber darter is dependent protecting its preferred habitat.  This habitat can be adversely affected by agriculture, urban development and construction, and nearby roadways.

Text by:
Elizabeth Reitz - GA MNH / UGA, Athens, GA

Poster Concept and Design:
Paul D. Johnson - Concept, TNARI, Cohutta, GA
Jeffrey C. Worley - Design, Tennessee Aquarium, Chattanooga, TN