Meet the Darters
The Upper Etowah River watershed is home to four rare fish: the Etowah darter, the Cherokee darter, the Etowah bridled darter, and the holiday darter complex.
Endemic Fish of the Etowah River
A diverse array of freshwater fish, amphibians, crayfish, and mussels live in the swift waters of Georgia’s Etowah River. Among them are four rare darters. Three of them, the Etowah, Cherokee, and Etowah bridled darters, live nowhere else on Earth.
Most of these darters live in the mountain streams of north Georgia. However, they are especially sensitive to the threats that come with development. Because they need fast, clear, well-oxygenated water, sedimentation and polluted runoff hit them hard. Altered stream flows and dams upstream add to the pressure. As a result, the health of the Upper Etowah’s streams is central to their survival.
Etowah Darter
The Etowah darter (Etheostoma etowahae) is found only in the Etowah River system. In fact, it is even more imperiled than its cousin, the Cherokee darter. Adults reach about two inches long, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Unlike the Cherokee darter, it prefers larger streams. It lives in the swift, shallow riffles of the upper Etowah River and its larger tributaries, where fast water flows over clean gravel and cobble. Breeding males are striking, with vivid blue-green bodies and red-orange spots. They share this coloring with their close relatives in the “greenfin” group of darters.
- Scientific Name: Etheostoma etowahae
- Federal Protection: Listed Endangered
- State Protection: Endangered
- Global Rank: G2
- State Rank: S2
Cherokee Darter
The Cherokee darter (Etheostoma scotti) is a small, colorful fish found nowhere else on Earth but the Etowah River system. It rarely grows longer than about two and a half inches. It lives in the shallow, rocky riffles and runs of small to medium tributary streams, where it feeds on aquatic insects among clean gravel and cobble.
During spawning season, males show bright red and blue-green markings. As a result, the species is one of the most striking residents of north Georgia’s streams. It is listed as threatened by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
- Scientific Name: Etheostoma scotti
- Federal Protection: Listed Threatened
- State Protection: Threatened
- Global Rank: G2
- State Rank: S3
Holiday Darter
The holiday darter (Etheostoma brevirostrum) is a small “snubnose” darter, named for its short, blunt snout. It lives in the cool, clear headwater streams of the upper Coosa River system, including the mountain tributaries of the Upper Etowah.
Typically, it grows to around two and a half inches. It favors small upland creeks with rocky bottoms, moving among cobble, boulders, and bedrock in pools and gentle runs. In spring, breeding males turn brilliant red-orange and blue-green. In fact, they are some of the most colorful fish in Georgia’s mountain streams.
Scientists note that it may be a species complex: a group of at least two distinct forms that have not yet been formally named.
- Scientific Name: Etheostoma brevirostrum
- Federal Protection: No US federal protection
- State Protection: Endangered
- Global Rank: G2
- State Rank: S1
Etowah Bridled Darter
The Etowah bridled darter (Percina freemanorum) is one of the newest fish species known to science, described in 2021. It is also one of the rarest residents of the Upper Etowah. For years, scientists thought it was a population of a related fish, the bridled darter.
Its name, freemanorum, honors University of Georgia ecologists Mary and Byron “Bud” Freeman. It is a small, slender fish, about three inches long. A dark stripe with wavy edges runs along each side and ends in a square spot at the base of the tail. Its back is light brown, and its belly is white or cream. During breeding season, males develop dark and clear bands in the front dorsal fin.
It lives only in Amicalola Creek, Long Swamp Creek, and the upper Etowah River. Altogether, it is known from only about 30 miles (50 kilometers) of river.
- Scientific Name: Percina freemanorum
- Federal Protection: Not federally listed
- State Protection: Endangered
- Global Rank: GNR
- State Rank: S1