Etheostoma fusiforme
(Girard 1854)
Family Percidae
The swamp darter is a member of the perch and darter family. It has an elongated, compressed body with an incomplete lateral line that is strongly arched anteriorly with 28 or fewer pores. The body is green to tan on the back and upper side with small dark saddles and dark green and brown mottling. There are one or more black spots on the caudal fin base, and this species has a short snout and terminal mouth. Swamp darters can be found in pools and backwaters, usually near vegetation or woody debris, of creeks, small to medium rivers, lakes, ditches and canals.
Status & distribution
- Status — Native freshwater
- Florida Distribution — Western and North Central and Peninsula drainages
- River Drainages — Perdido River, Escambia River, Blackwater River, Yellow River, Choctawhatchee River, Econfina Creek, Apalachicola River, Ochlockonee River, minor Gulf tributaries, Suwannee River, Withlacoochee River, Tampa Bay, the Myakka or Peace River, Lake Okeechobee, Caloosahatchee River, the Everglades, Indian River, the Tolomato or Matanzas River, St. John’s River and the St. Mary’s River