Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Spotlight | Science Features |
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USGS scientists Mary Freeman, Bud Freeman, Carrie Straight, and Noel Burkhead are describing a new species of fish. The Halloween Darter is a small, colorful member of the perch family (Percidae), and only occurs in rocky shoals of the Chattahoochee and Flint River systems. The Freemans first encountered this new species in the 1990’s, and realized that the fish had been overlooked because it resembles the Blackbanded Darter. The Halloween Darter is distinguished by black and orange coloration, and a combination of morphological characters. The Halloween Darter will be the 45th described species of Percina, a genus that is largely restricted to eastern North America. The manuscript is being submitted to the journal Zootaxa. |
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