Identification
The rounded snout and thick lips accompany a body with a deep tail base. Olive coloring is broken by small reddish or brown marks, and breeding adults develop the blue-green breast. A similar Boulder Darter is generally larger and lacks that breast color. Several characters should be checked together.
Size and Weight
The reported maximum total length is 8.4 cm, approximately 3.3 inches, while a common length is 4.5 cm, about 1.8 inches. Regional accounts often describe smaller adult ranges. No dependable maximum individual weight was located. These length figures include the tail fin.
Habitat and Natural Food
Swift riffles and chutes with cobble and boulders provide habitat. The fish feeds on small aquatic insects, including midge larvae, mayflies, blackflies and caddisflies. Slower pockets around large stones can occur within otherwise fast water.
Spawning and Observation
Regional work places spawning from mid-May to mid-June. Eggs are deposited in gravel or sand near large boulders, with protected areas behind stones providing spawning habitat. The eggs remain in the substrate. No species-specific angling bait or lure was verified for this small stream fish.
Shelter Within Fast Water
A fast riffle is not uniform from one inch to the next. Behind a boulder, reduced current can provide a protected place for spawning. The combination of strong surrounding flow and small sheltered areas helps explain why a simple average-current description misses part of its habitat.
All Lakes With Bluebreast Darter
Browse all lakes and reservoirs with confirmed Bluebreast Darter records in our database, listed alphabetically.
No published lakes are currently linked to this species in our confirmed records.