Etheostoma faulkneri

The Yoknapatawpha darter (Etheostoma faulkneri) is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae. It is endemic to the Yocona River watershed of north-central Mississippi in the United States.[1][2]

Etheostoma faulkneri
E. faulkneri male
E. faulkneri female
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Percidae
Genus: Etheostoma
Species:
E. faulkneri
Binomial name
Etheostoma faulkneri
Sterling & Warren 2020

The Yoknapatawpha darter was initially considered to be a unique clade of the Yazoo darter. Based on mitochondrial DNA, it was initially determined that there are two monophyletic clades, those in the Little Tallahatchie River and those in the Yocona River drainages.[3] Further genetic and morphological analyses determined the two populations were different species, with E. raneyi in the Little Tallahatchie River watershed, while the population in the Yocona River watershed was described as a new species, E. faulkneri.[1][2]

Description

Yoknapatawpha darters grow up to 64 millimetres (2.5 in) standard length (males) and 49 millimetres (1.9 in) (females).[2]

Distribution and habitat

The Yoknapatawpha darter inhabits small, clear, mostly spring-fed streams with substrates that include clay, sand, gravel, or silt. Its range encompasses headwater streams in the Yocona River's watershed, in Lafayette, Yalobusha, and Calhoun counties; it may also occur in southwestern Panola County.[2]

Taxonomy and etymology

Etheostoma faulkneri is named for William Faulkner, a native of Lafayette County, Mississippi. The common name, the Yoknapatawpha darter, is derived from the fictional name given to the Yocona River by Faulkner.[2]

References
  1. Sterling, Ken A.; Nielsen, Stuart V.; Brown, Andrew J.; Warren, Jr., Melvin L.; Noonan, Brice P. (2020). "Cryptic diversity among Yazoo Darters (Percidae: Etheostoma ranyei) in disjunct watersheds of northern Mississippi". PeerJ. 8: e9014. doi:10.7717/peerj.9014. PMC 7204820. PMID 32411520.
  2. Sterling, Ken A.; Warren, Jr., Melvin L. (2020). "Description of a new species of cryptic snubnose darter (Percidae: Etheostomatinae) endemic to north-central Mississippi". PeerJ. 8: e9807. doi:10.7717/peerj.9807. PMC 7469936. PMID 32944422.
  3. Powers, Steven L; Warren Jr, Melvin L (2009). "Phylogeography of three snubnose darters (Percidae: Subgenus Ulocentra) endemic to the southeastern US Coastal Plain". Copeia. 2009 (3): 523–528. doi:10.1643/ci-08-047. S2CID 3530944.
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