Fish
Gilt Darter
Percina evides · also called gilt darters
In one of the few remaining stretches of genuinely fast, clean river riffle left in its range, a breeding male gilt darter flashes golden-orange against the rocks, a display now confined to scattered strongholds after dams and sedimentation erased the species from much of the water it once called home.
Overview
The gilt darter, Percina evides, is a small, golden-flashing fish native to scattered river systems across the eastern and central United States. Its dependence on fast, clean riffle habitat and significant historical decline from dam construction and sedimentation make it one of the more conservation-relevant small fish in its region.
A fish left with fewer and fewer places to go
As dams and sediment steadily transformed river after river across its range, the gilt darter’s options narrowed to whatever fast, clean water happened to survive undisturbed, leaving the species dependent on an increasingly small set of remaining strongholds.
Status
Vulnerable — declined and fragmented across much of its historical range due to dam construction, sedimentation, and pollution.
Gilt Darter: common questions
Why has the gilt darter disappeared from parts of its range?
The gilt darter has disappeared from significant portions of its historical range largely due to dam construction, which alters or eliminates the fast-flowing riffle habitat the species needs, along with sedimentation and pollution that degrade water quality in the streams it depends on.
How colourful is the gilt darter?
A breeding male gilt darter displays vivid golden-orange colouration along the sides, a striking seasonal display that gave the species its common name and makes it one of the more visually distinctive darters found in its remaining stronghold streams.
Where does the gilt darter still survive?
The gilt darter now persists mainly in scattered, relatively undisturbed watersheds that still retain the fast-flowing, clean riffle conditions the species requires, meaning its remaining populations are considerably more fragmented than they were historically.
Where does the gilt darter live?
The gilt darter is native to scattered river systems across the eastern and central United States, requiring fast-flowing, clean, rocky riffle habitat within larger streams and small rivers.