Congo Killies - PageSuite

HUSBANDRY
& BREEDING
A Native Jewel: Etheostoma caeruleum,
by Ken Zeedyk The Rainbow Darter, Etheostoma
caeruleum, is a beautiful and intriguing small fish
native to North American rivers and streams. It
is known to some hobbyists and the occasional
fisherman, but most people in its native range are
not aware that there is such an amazing beauty right
in their own backyard. I have found that Rainbow
Darters make hardy and very interesting aquarium
inhabitants, and have even succeeded in breeding
them. Males in full breeding color are among the
most colorful of freshwater fishes, and look like they
belong in the tropics rather than the cold, fastflowing
rivers and streams that they inhabit.
The author on a
Rainbow Darter
collection trip in
Michigan.
AMAZONAS
Rainbow Darters are part of the Percidae family, which
includes the popular game fishes the Walleye (Sander vitreus)
and the Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens). While some members
of this family are found in North America, Europe, and
Eurasia, the Etheostomini subfamily of darters is exclusive
to North America, predominantly east of the Continental
Divide. The darter family comprises over 150 species, including
the recently described spangled darter, Etheostoma obama,
which is named after U.S. president Barack Obama, and is
native to the Buffalo and Duck Rivers in central Tennessee. A
A pair of Rainbow
Darters, Etheostoma
caeruleum; the male
is on the left.
KEN ZEEDYK
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