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Overview

Characteristics
Overview

The amber darter (Percina antesella) is a small fish that lives in the Etowah and Conasauga Rivers of Georgia and Tennessee. It has a slender body reaching up to 3 inches long with a moderately long and pointed snout and a distinct vertical bar (or tear drop) below the eye. Amber darters are brownish in color with four dark saddles across its body when seen from above (dorsal) and a white or yellowish lower side (ventral). The saddles are believed to help darters blend into a rocky streambed, resembling the light and shadows cast over small stones. Amber darters typically hang out in shallow, fast-moving riffles and runs of the Conasauga River mainstem, and the mainstem and certain large tributaries of the Etowah River above Lake Allatoona. They like to forage along the streambed for snails, limpets, and aquatic insects. Long-term monitoring has tracked their marked declines in abundance and occupancy of habitat. Because they are only found in the Conasauga River, the species is vulnerable to extreme events like toxic chemical spills, catastrophic natural events (e.g., flood or severe drought), genetic drift, and other events. High flow events of recent years may be affecting spawning success and recruitment.

Scientific Name

Percina antesella
Common Name
amber darter
FWS Category
Fishes
Kingdom

Location in Taxonomic Tree

Identification Numbers

TSN:

Geography

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Timeline

Explore the information available for this taxon's timeline. You can select an event on the timeline to view more information, or cycle through the content available in the carousel below.

9 Items

Listing

Listing

Critical Habitat

Listing

Critical Habitat

Five Year Review

Recovery Plan

Five Year Review

Five Year Review

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Listing

Dec 30, 1982

Dec 30, 1982 Listing
Review of Vertebrate Wildlife for Listing as End. or Thr. Species
  • Publication type: CNOR
Item 1

Listing

Jul 13, 1984

Jul 13, 1984 Listing (Endangered)
Proposal to List Amber Darter (Percina antesella), Trispot Darter (Etheostoma trisella), & Conas…
  • Publication type: Proposed
Item 2

Critical Habitat

Jul 13, 1984

Jul 13, 1984 Critical Habitat
Proposal to List Amber Darter (Percina antesella), Trispot Darter (Etheostoma trisella), & Conas…
  • Publication type: Proposed
Item 3

Listing

Aug 5, 1985

Aug 5, 1985 Listing (Endangered)
Determination of End. Status & Crit. Hab for Amber Darter & Conasauga Logperch; 50 FR 31597-…
  • Publication type: Final
Item 4

Critical Habitat

Aug 5, 1985

Aug 5, 1985 Critical Habitat
Determination of End. Status & Crit. Hab for Amber Darter & Conasauga Logperch; 50 FR 31597-…
  • Publication type: Final
Item 5

Five Year Review

Jul 6, 2009

Jul 6, 2009 Five Year Review (Information Solicitation)
Initiation of 5-Year Status Reviews of 23 Southeastern Species
  • Publication type: Notice
Item 6

Recovery Plan

Aug 6, 2019

Aug 6, 2019 Recovery Plan (Document Availability (non-FR))
21 Draft Recovery Plan Revisions for 43 Southeastern Species; Notice of Availability
  • Publication type: Draft
Item 7

Five Year Review

Mar 25, 2020

Mar 25, 2020 Five Year Review (Information Solicitation)
Initiation of 5- Year Status Reviews for 25 Southeastern Species
  • Publication type: Notice
Item 8

Five Year Review

Mar 25, 2020

Mar 25, 2020 Five Year Review (Information Solicitation)
Initiation of 5- Year Status Reviews for 25 Southeastern Species; Request for Information
  • Publication type: Notice
Item 9