Warrior darter
The Warrior darter (Etheostoma bellator) is a species of fish native to Mulberry Fork, Locust Fork and Valley Creek in the Black Warrior River system. It inhabits mainly rock-strewn running streams above the fall line. Its habitat is threatened by industrial and residential development. The 2.6 inch long fish features bright turquoise coloration on the males during breeding season.
Ichthyologists Richard Mayden of the University of St Louis and Bernard Kuhajda of the Tennessee Aquarium conducted further morpohological and genetic studies of darter specimens from upstream tributaries and found them to be distinct species. He named the Sipsey Fork darter Etheostoma michellae for his wife, Michelle, and the Locust Fork darter Etheostoma kimberlae for his daughter, Kimberly. Their work was published in 2025.
With the description of two further species, the Birmingham darter and Gurley darter by Chase Brownstein, et al. a "Snubnose darter" group was documented, including the four newly-identified species along with the Warrior darter and the endangered Vermilion darter.
References
- Boschung, Herbert T. Jr & Richard L. Mayden (2004) Fishes of Alabama. Smithsonian Books. ISBN 9781588340047
- Mayden, Richard L. & Bernard R. Kuhajda (2025) "Two new species of Etheostoma from the Black Warrior River System (Mobile Basin) of Alabama (Teleostei: Percidae)." Zootaxa. 5618 (3), pp. 351–371.
- Brownstein, Chase D.; Daemin Kim; Julia E. Wood; Zachariah D. Alley; Maya F. Stokes; and Thomas J. Near (April 23, 2025) "Undescribed and imperiled vertebrate biodiversity near an American urban center." Biology Letters. Vol. 21, No. 4