Percidae

Bayou darter

Etheostoma rubrum

Fish Reaching Five Point Five Centimeters in North American Waters

• Tropical
• Northern Hemisphere
• Restricted distribution
• Freshwater fish
• North America
• Small
• Tropical fish

The Bayou darter (Nothonotus ruber) is a rare species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is endemic to western Mississippi in the United States, where it is found only in Bayou Pierre and its tributaries. Its typical habitat is fast-flowing creeks and streams, in riffles and in areas between riffles with firm gravel bottoms.