What does it look like?
![Picture](/uploads/3/8/8/2/38827847/6156677.jpg?371)
The diamond darter (Crystallaria cincotta) is a critically endangered freshwater fish that gets its name from the light that it reflects at night. The fish is translucent and has olive-brown diamond shapes on its body. Because so few specimens have been collected, it is difficult to give an accurate measurement of how long the diamond darter generally is, but scientists predict that it can grow to be five inches long.
Order: Perciformes Family: Percidae
Order: Perciformes Family: Percidae
Where does it live?
Diamond darters live in bodies of freshwater that are clear. The water they live in needs to be clear because in turbid waters, silt fills the cracks between rocks that diamond darters use to lay their eggs in. Silt filling the cracks between rocks also harms the insects that diamond darters feed on. Currently, the only known suitable habitat in the wild for the diamond darter is the Elk River, which is in West Virginia.
How does it behave?
Diamond darters are nocturnal; they often stay partially buried in the sand at the bottom of the body of water during the day and come out at night. Diamond darters feed by burying themselves in the sediment at the bottom of the body of water and ambushing prey when it passes by. Because of the scarcity of diamond darters, very little is known about their reproductive behavior in the wild. However, in captivity, females become gravid (filled with eggs) in late March to May. Spawning likely occurs in mid-April to May, and eggs hatch seven to nine days afterwards. It is predicted that males guard spawning territory.
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Why is it important to its habitat?
Based off observations of the diamond darter's cousin, the crystal darter (Crystallaria asprella), it is inferred that the darter's ecological role is to regulate the population of invertebrates, such as mayflies, by eating the larvae of invertebrates. Darters also help support populations of larger fish, such as trout and bass. |
When did it become endangered?
In 2009 the diamond darter was made a candidate for receiving protection under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. In 2011 it was decided to speed up the process of granting protection to all species that had been on the waiting list for protection since 2010. It was listed on August 26, 2013. Today the darter is considered to be one of the "Desperate Dozen," which consists of the twelve most endangered fish in the southeastern United States.
Why is it endangered?
Runoff from human activity such as coal mining or agriculture has negatively impacted the population of diamond darters. Darters were once found in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and Tennessee, but factors like dams have played a role in restricting the darter to the Elk River. There are also ecological factors that are reducing the diamond darter's population, such as the spreading of invasive toxic algae.
What is being done to preserve it?
It was proposed that 122 miles of river in West Virginia and Kentucky should be protected because it is essential to the fish's survival. There have also been multiple efforts in recent years to breed diamond darters in captivity, but all have been unsuccessful because all of the young died in captivity shortly after hatching. The Fish and Wildlife Service urges residents that live near the diamond darter's habitat to avoid polluting streams by crossing them in all-terrain vehicles or carelessly disposing of chemicals. There have also been some buffers erected near streams to reduce soil erosion.
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Works Cited: Howard, B. (2012, July 30). Ultra-Rare Diamond Darter: Freshwater Species of the Week. National Geographic.
West Virginia Fish Protected Under Endangered Species Act. (2013, July 25). Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2013/diamond-darter-07-25-2013.html
Diamond Darter. N.p.: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2010. Print.
West Virginia Fish Protected Under Endangered Species Act. (2013, July 25). Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2013/diamond-darter-07-25-2013.html
Diamond Darter. N.p.: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2010. Print.