Etheostoma thompsoni
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
There are no photos available for this taxon yet.
Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Percidae (Perches)
Etheostoma
Etheostoma thompsoni (Gumbo Darter)
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting.
When citing, please reference the original source rather than this page.
Learn more about our species accounts.
Characters
Body shape: elongated. Belongs to the subgenus Oligocephalus and most closely related to Etheostoma asprigene. Can be distinguished from other members of the of the subgenus Oligocephalus by having the following characters: spinous dorsal fin base is longer in E. thompsoni than in E. asprigene, E. collettei and E. swaini, averaging >30% of standard length in males and females (<30% in in E. asprigene and other Oligocephalus compared) and the transpelvic width is distinctly narrower than in in E. asprigene, E. collettei and E. swaini; nuptial males of E. thompsoni have significantly shorter snouts and caudal peduncles, and narrower bodies than nuptial males of E. asprigene and other Oligocephalus compared. Nuptial males of E. thompsoni also differ from those of E. asprigene in fin and body coloration by having numerous small red blotches or flecks on the sides of body anterior to the dark blue bars that alternate with bright red bars on posterior part of body and caudal peduncle; the central blue-gray band of the spinous dorsal fin is nearly uniform in width (vs. narrow anteriad and progressively widens posteriad in E. asprigene); lateral areas of the belly and between blue bars on the caudal peduncle is a more intense red-orange than in E. asprigene; lastly, naked nape (vs. fully scaled nape in E. asprigene) (Ref. 93431).
Distribution
North America: Neches, Sabine, and Calcasieu river systems in southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana, USA.
Habitat Associations
Freshwater. benthopelagic.
Biology
Found invariably along the bank, sometimes under cuts, where there were exposed roots with accumulated vegetational debris, and sand to mixed sand and gravel substrate with very little silt. Forms spawning aggregations and spawns in vegetation along the drop-off area close to shore.
Max length: 5.4 cm SL.
IUCN Red List Status: N.E. (N.E.). Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
References
Suttkus, R.D., H.L., Bart Jr. and D.A. Etnier (2012) A new darter of the subgenus Oligocephalus, genus Etheostoma, from southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana. Tulane Stud. Zool. Bot. 32:6-30.
Comments On Etheostoma thompsoni