Range and Identity
Etheostoma variatum is recorded in the Ohio basin from southwestern New York toward Virginia, eastern Kentucky and southern Indiana. In the Kanawha system, the checked account limits occurrence to below Kanawha Falls. That barrier-specific detail should not be lost in a broad statewide range description.
Habitat and Behavior
Adults inhabit swift riffles in small to medium rivers over gravel and rubble. Both current and coarse substrate characterize the documented setting. A quiet soft-bottom pool in the same river is not automatically equivalent habitat for this species.
Food and Life History
The upper length is eleven centimeters total length. A small compiled mass was not established as an independent maximum and is omitted. Eggs are reported buried in substrate, a reproductive detail that differs from male-guarded egg clusters in some other darters.
Field Note
Keep the exact tributary and position relative to barriers with a record. These details can matter more than a nearby town or county when interpreting a fish's distribution.
All Lakes With Variegate Darter
Browse all lakes and reservoirs with confirmed Variegate Darter records in our database, listed alphabetically.
No published lakes are currently linked to this species in our confirmed records.