Rainbow darter

The Etheostoma caeruleum is very sensitive to pollution and silt, staying in clean pollution free water

The Rainbow darter lives in the benthopelagic, freshwater environment.

The rainbow darter is found in North America, throughout the Great Lakes region and the Ohio River valley extending into northern Alabama and as far west as Missouri and Arkansas (Kuehne and Barbour, 1983). More

The rainbow darter (Etheostoma caeruleum) is a native North American fish that can be found in small fast moving streams and small to medium-sized rivers. It grows to 2 inches (51 mm) to 3 inches (76 mm) in length. More

The Rainbow Darter is a member of the perch family. It can be found Ontario, Canada to Mississippi and Louisiana and from Minnesota to West Virgina. It has a tanish backround with blue and red virtical stripes on the body. More

The rainbow darter is moderately abundant throughout the Eastern Broadleaf Forest Aquatic Subregion, where they are found in creeks and upper reaches of rivers (Harlan et al. 1987). More

Egg Collection: As rainbow darters lay their eggs in the substrate, finding the location of the eggs for collection can be tricky. More

Rainbow darters are easily identified by three dark spots on the back; also they have blue and orange in their dorsal and anal fins. Life - The Etheostoma caeruleum spawns in clean rocky riffles March through June. More

Female Rainbow Darter getting in the way of the male Rainbow Darter that we were trying to get a picture of. Breeding condition male Rainbow Darter surrounded by females (poor guy!). More

The rainbow darter is one of Ohio's most colorful fish. They are common species and found through out the state. Like most darter species the male (left) in more colorful than the female (below). More

Description: The rainbow darter is a small fish growing to three inches in length. It is light brown on top with 6-10 dark, vertical bars on the side (blue between red on the male; dark brown between yellow-white on the female). More

Description: The rainbow darter is the most common of the colorful darters. In spring it has bright blue bands down the side, blue cheek patches, and a wide deep-blue band on the dorsal fin. Parts of its throat, fins, and sides are orange. More

The rainbow darter is sensitive to pollution, so its presence in Big Darby Creek is an indication of good water quality. "Whatever is done upstream is felt downstream. More

The rainbow darter (Etheostoma caeruleum Storer) was not reported by early investigators in the Red River basin. Cox (1897) reported the rainbow darter (E. coeruleum) only in the Minnesota River drainage at Mankato. More

Rainbow darter - named from the range of colors displayed by males during the spawning season. Scientific Name: Etheostoma (ee-thee-ah More

Description: The Rainbow Darter is a small freshwater fish. The top of the fish is dark brown in color and contains 3 dark spots on the back. There are between 6 and 10 vertical bars on each side of the fish. More

Common names

dard arc-en-ciel in French (français)
rainbow darter in English
Regenbogen-Springbarsch in German (Deutsch)
Regnbuesmutte in Danish (dansk)
蓝镖鲈 in Mandarin Chinese
藍鏢鱸 in Mandarin Chinese

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