Common Names

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Perciformes/Percoidei

Family: Percidae

Genus: Etheostoma

Species: Etheostoma nigrum Rafinesque, 1820

Climate Zone

Location

• North America: St. Lawrence-Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, and Mississippi River basins from Hudson Bay to southern Mississippi in the USA, and from Quebec in Canada and from Virginia in the USA to Saskatchewan in Canada and Colorado in the USA; and on Atlantic and Gulf Slope drainages in the USA.

Biology

Occur in sandy and muddy, sometimes rocky, pools of headwaters, creeks, and small to medium rivers; and in sandy shores of lakes (Ref. 5723, 10294); also found in streams (Ref. 10294). Adults feed on midge larvae, mayfly nymphs, caddis larvae, and microcrustaceans; young on entomostracans and tiny midge larvae (Ref. 10294). Eggs are found clustered on underside of stone and guarded by males (Ref. 7043).

Habitat

benthopelagic

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Threat to Humans

Harmless