Range and Identity
Etheostoma mariae is recorded from North Carolina and South Carolina within the Little Pee Dee drainage. It should remain distinct from Pinewoods Shiner, which occupies different named drainage systems. Similar common-name prefixes do not establish that the two fishes share an identical range.
Habitat and Behavior
Adults use gravel riffles and vegetation swept by current in creeks. Plants can therefore form part of flowing habitat rather than indicate a still-water site. Record both the plant cover and the current instead of assuming every vegetated patch is a quiet backwater.
Food and Life History
The compiled maximum is 7.6 centimeters total length, with a common reference of 5.2 centimeters. The available account does not establish a maximum mass or a detailed species-specific feeding study. Those details are not supplied from other darters simply because they occupy nearby riffles.
Field Note
Keep the Little Pee Dee connection with the exact creek. It gives a small habitat observation the geographic context needed for a restricted-range fish.
All Lakes With Pinewoods Darter
Browse lakes and reservoirs with documented Pinewoods Darter records, listed alphabetically. Records do not establish current abundance or public access. Check the evidence and managing authority for the water you choose.
No published lakes are currently linked to this species in our confirmed records.