Tippecanoe Darter
Etheostoma tippecanoe

tippecanoe darter © ODNR

Description: The Tippecanoe darter is one of the smallest darters. The body of the male is gold or orange with 4-11 blue-black vertical bars on the side and a blue breast. The female is more subdued olive-brown dorsally, yellow-brown on the side and often has a more mottled pattern that the male. In the breeding male the colors become more vivid. The body is bright yellow-gold, and the lateral bars and breast become deep blue. (See enlarged picture below.)

Habitat: The Tippecanoe darter is an inhabitant of some of the larger rivers and streams possessing moderate gradients and clean gravel substrates. They frequent those sections of riffles characterized by moderate gradients and substrates composed primarily of sand and gravel. Small cobbles may also be found on these riffles. The Tippecanoe is intolerant to the effects of siltation and turbidity. When turbidity increases as a result of storms, these darters will retreat from their territories into adjacent pools. Reproductive success hinges in part on weather and flow conditions during the breeding season and population levels may swing wildly from year to year as a consequence.