Nature Trivia, Fishes of Arkansas

Fishes of Arkansas

People familiar with the bright colors of fishes available in pet stores often are not aware of the beauty and brilliant colors of some of the native fishes of Arkansas.  Unfortunately, because Arkansas is in a temperate climatic zone, the colors of some of the native fishes are most spectacular in the spring but fade somewhat during other seasons.  In Arkansas, four families of fishes tend to have males that display brilliant colors: the Percidae (the darters, which are true perches), the Centrarchidae (or sunfishes, sometimes called perches or bream), the Cyprinidae (the minnows), and the Fundulidae (the topminnows).  Here are some photos of males of these families.

Family Percidae

Creole Darter (Etheostoma collettei)

 
Speckled Darter (Etheostoma stigmaeum)

Redfin Darter (Etheostoma whipplei)

Orangebelly Darter (Etheostoma radiosum)

Arkansas Saddled Darter (Etheostoma euzonum)

 
Banded Darter (Etheostoma zonale)

Harlequin Darter (Etheostoma histrio) 

Paleback Darter (Etheostoma pallididorsum )

 
Dusky Darter (Percina sciera) 

Blackside Darter (Percina maculata)

Scaly Sand Darter (Ammocrypta vivax )

Family Centrarchidae

Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieui )
A view from above reveals the mottled pattern that helps the fish to blend in with its environment.

Dollar Sunfish (Lepomis marginatus)  

Longear Sunfish (Lepomis megalotis)

Spotted Sunfish (Lepomis punctatus)     

Bantam Sunfish (Lepomis symmetricus)

Redear Sunfish (Lepomis microlophus)  

Warmouth Sunfish (Lepomis gulosus)

Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus)

Flier Sunfish (Centrarchus macropterus)

Shadow Bass (Ambloplites ariommus)
 

Family Cyprinidae 

Central Stoneroller (Campostoma anomalum)

 
Redfin Shiner (Lythrurus umbratilis)

 
Cardinal Shiner (Luxilus cardinalis)

Bluehead Shiner (Pteronotropis hubbsi)

Family Fundulidae 

Northern Studfish (Fundulus catenatus)

 
Golden Topminnow (Fundulus chrysotus)

Family Ictaluridae 

Mountain Madtom (Noturus eleutherus)

 
Ouachita Madtom (Noturus lachneri)

 
Caddo Madtom (Noturus taylori)

Family Cottidae 

 
Ozark Sculpin (Cottus hypselurus)