Scientific Name
Etheostoma sitikuense

Common Name
Citico Darter

Biology
Etheostoma sitikuense is distinguished from all members of the E. percnurum species complex by more pored lateral-line scales (34 vs. 28 or fewer); intermediate anal-fin band width (range = 33?39% vs. 49?58% in E. lemniscatum and E. percnurum and 29?33% in E. marmorpinnum); fewer transverse scale rows (15 vs. 16); shorter pectoral (P1L, =240 vs. 245 or greater) and pelvic (P2L, =180 vs. 197 or greater) fins; and wider (BW, =80 vs. 69 or less), deeper (BD1, =178 vs. 173 or less and BD2, =158 vs. 153 or less) body. E. sitikuense is further distinguished from E. percnurum and E. lemniscatum by narrower distal band on the second-dorsal fin (range = 9?16% of fin height vs. 23?25%). From E. percnurum and E. marmorpinnum by distal caudal-fin band width (range = 15?18% of fin length vs. 12?15% in E. marmorpinnum and 17?25% in E. percnurum); percentage of area along first-dorsal fin base scaled (70% vs. 20% in E. percnurum and 100% in E. marmorpinnum); and intermediate number of scales around

Classification

Classified By

Blanton, 2008

Class

Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii)

Order

Perch-like fish (Perciformes)

Family

Perches (Percidae)

Distribution

Region

North America

Distribution

North America: USA. The Citico Darter occupies an approximately 3.5 river km reach of Citico Creek in Monroe County, Tennessee, just downstream of a U.S. Forest Service boundary. The creek is a tributary of Tellico Lake, an impoundment of the mainstem Little Tennessee River. The population in Citico Creek historically extended further downstream than its current distribution suggests. One individual was collected 13 December, 1979 from lower Citico Creek prior to its inundation by Tellico Lake (D. Etnier, pers. comm.). The darter is historically extirpated from Abrams Creek, a tributary of Chilhowie Lake also impounding the Little Tennessee River, in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Blount County, Tennessee, where it is known from three specimens collected in 1937 and 1940. This and other at-risk fish species (Jenkins & Burkhead 1984; Simbeck 1990) apparently were extirpated from Abrams Creek by application of rotenone throughout the tributary system below Abrams Falls during 1957,

Range

Unknown

Environment

Climate

Temperate

Water Temperature From

Unknown °C

Water Temperature To

Unknown °C

Depth From - meters

Unknown m

Depth To - meters

Unknown m

Zone

benthopelagic

Environment

Freshwater; benthopelagic

Trophic Level

3.19 s.e. 0.41 Based on size and trophs of closest relatives

Occurs in Marine / Salt water

False

Occurs in Brackish water

False

Occurs in Fresh Water

True

Occurs on Reefs

False

Is kept in Aquariums

False

Physical Size and Genetics

Maximum Length

5.0 cm

Common Length

Unknown cm

Phylogenetic Diversity Index

PD50 = 0.5000 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Human Uses and Population

Human Uses

Fisheries:

Vulnerability

Low vulnerability (13 of 100)

Resilience

High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Threat To Humans

Harmless

IUCN Red List Status

Not Evaluated