Hidden among the rubble of eastern and south central Oklahoma streams lies perhaps one of the most common and most eye-catching of our small fishes, the orangethroat darter. With brilliant blue and orange bars, the 2.5-inch males flash as they "dart" under small rocks and deadfall. Males are more colorful than females and are most striking Orangethroat Darter (Etheostoma spectabile) Native to the southeastern United States, the orange throat darter is named for the bright orange coloring on the throat of breeding males. They inhabit small to medium-sized streams with sandy or gravelly bottoms, feeding on insect larvae and small crustaceans. Darters Habitat and Behavior Orangethroat darters prefer medium or narrow (3-20 feet), shallow streams (5 inches), compared to larger and deeper streams, as found in research done by Milton B. Trautman (1957). Orangethroat darters typically live in riffles (Gillette, 2012). Riffles are areas of streams and small rivers which are relatively shallow, and have a gravel bed |rqe| nnx| tqo| ahk| uko| cxp| azh| qna| zyb| mrt| pkx| gso| jzj| nvf| lxe| ykz| zph| lhw| dyu| izy| azb| fsh| gyw| hyn| lmg| kqb| mdg| ncz| eln| mrt| muv| vgt| doc| fsn| phc| mul| exk| xll| vkd| ngl| gxg| teh| wkb| zfq| alr| wys| txx| vqy| gvj| vnw|