endemic to a single nation

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: Gulf Slope drainages from the Choctawhatchee River, Florida, to the San Jacinto River, Texas; Mississippi River basin from southern Illinois and eastern Oklahoma to the Gulf; primarily on Coastal Plain; common (Page and Burr 1991).

Length: 4 cm

Habitat Type: Freshwater

Comments: Especially common in lowland lakes, streams, bayous, swamps, and backwaters where bottom is soft and detritus and aquatic vegetation abound. Prefers quiet, often murky water (Lee et al. 1980). Eggs are laid on dead leaves, twigs, rocks, and filamentous algae (Page 1983).

Non-Migrant: No. All populations of this species make significant seasonal migrations.

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Comments: Eats mainly midge larvae and microcrustaceans (Page 1983).

Density may be as high as 5.5/square meter in Illinois (Kuehne and Barbour 1983).

Spawns mid-March to early June in Illinois (Page 1983), as early as January in Louisiana (Kuehne and Barbour 1983), early January to mid-April in Texas (Hubbs 1985). Eggs not guarded, hatch in 5-6 days at 22-23 C, 12-13 days at 15 C. Sexually mature in 1 year, lives 1+ year.

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure