Range and Identity
Etheostoma radiosum occurs in southwestern Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma within the Ouachita and Red river drainage region. Similar darters can occur in neighboring streams. A precise tributary and the scientific identification are more useful than relying on breeding color or the common name alone.
Habitat and Behavior
Adults occupy riffles and runs of creeks and small to medium rivers, particularly over gravel and rubble. Current and sediment conditions provide important context for a site. A quiet pool elsewhere in the same stream should not replace the habitat actually recorded for the fish.
Food and Life History
Eggs are buried in the substrate. This placement should not be confused with attaching eggs to plants or guarding a cavity nest. The compiled maximum is 8.5 centimeters total length, with a common reference of 5.2 centimeters. No maximum mass is inferred from those measurements.
Field Note
Record the condition of the gravel and rubble where the fish occurs. The bottom is relevant both to adult habitat and to the documented placement of eggs.
All Lakes With Orangebelly Darter
Browse all lakes and reservoirs with confirmed Orangebelly Darter records in our database, listed alphabetically.
No published lakes are currently linked to this species in our confirmed records.