Fantail darter

The Fantail darter lives in the benthopelagic, freshwater environment.

The fantail darter is found abundant throughout the Eastern Broadleaf Aquatic Subregion (Harlan et al. 1987). More

Fantail darters occur in riffle areas of streams where there are cobbles and gravel. They are especially abundant in streams where there are chunks or slabs of limestone or shale. More

Fantail Darter in front of some Vallisneria. Note the Fantail's lateral stripes. Fantail Darter side Fantail Darter head Side-shot of a Fantail. More

CHARACTERISTICS: The fantail darter is characterized by a deep caudal peduncle, a protruding lower jaw, and broadly connected gill covers. More

The fantail darter is in the subgenus Catonotus, and is a small, laterally flattened species. It has an incomplete lateral line, interrupted cephalic canals, and broadly joined gill membranes (meeting at the midline to form an angle of 90 degrees or greater). More

The Fantail Darter is one of the more common and widely distributed of the 22 species of darters reported for Ohio. The largest numbers of fantail darters are found in the streams along the glacial boundary and the Allegheny Front Escarpment. More

Fantail darters spawn on the underside of flat rocks in the spring. Males prepare a nest site and females lay their eggs on the roof of the small cave under the rock the male has selected. More

In response, male fantail darters develop fleshy knobs consisting of modified epidermal cells at the tips of the spines on their first dorsal fin. These knobs, also known as egg mimics, resemble the shape and color of actual darter eggs. More

The Fantail Darter: an Ideal Resident for the Riffle Tank By Cliff Zoller reprinted from American Currents, Summer 1997 What it lacks in color, it more than makes up for in personality. More

Common names

dard barré in French (français)
Fächerschwanz-Springbarsch in German (Deutsch)
fantail darter in English
Viftehalet smutte in Danish (dansk)
扇尾鏢鱸 in Mandarin Chinese
扇尾镖鲈 in Mandarin Chinese

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