Fish
Banded Darter
Etheostoma zonale · also called banded darters
A banded darter grazes steadily across the surface of a submerged rock in a fast-flowing riffle, working through a thin layer of algae most other darter species would ignore entirely in favour of hunting invertebrates.
Overview
The banded darter, Etheostoma zonale, is a small, boldly striped member of the darter family native to clear streams across the eastern and central United States. Its unusual algae-grazing habit, supplementing the more typical invertebrate diet of most darters, makes it a distinctive feeder among its own family.
A darter with a taste for algae
While most darters hunt invertebrates exclusively, the banded darter has added something unusual to the menu, grazing algae directly off stream rocks in a way that sets it apart from nearly all of its close relatives within the same family.
Status
Least Concern — widespread and stable across suitable clean stream habitat throughout the eastern and central United States.
Banded Darter: common questions
Why does the banded darter eat algae when most darters don't?
A banded darter is known to graze algae directly off submerged rocks, a feeding behaviour that supplements its otherwise typical invertebrate-based diet, setting it apart from most other darter species, which feed almost exclusively on small animal prey rather than incorporating plant material.
Why does the banded darter prefer fast-flowing water?
A banded darter typically favours riffle habitat within streams, shallow, fast-flowing sections over a gravel or rocky bottom, conditions that support the healthy algae growth on submerged rocks the species partly relies on for food, in addition to the invertebrate prey found in the same habitat.
How can you identify a banded darter?
A banded darter displays a series of dark vertical bands running down its body, a bold pattern directly responsible for the species' common name and one that helps distinguish it from several other similarly sized darter species sharing the same stream habitat.
Where does the banded darter live?
The banded darter is native to clear, gravel-bottomed streams across the eastern and central United States, generally favouring fast-flowing riffle habitat that supports both its invertebrate prey and the algae growth it also feeds on.