Date of Award

Spring 5-1-1973

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Life Sciences

First Advisor

John O. Whitaker, Jr.

Second Advisor

F. H. Wilcox

Third Advisor

Max Proffitt

Abstract

Etheostoma caeruleum Storer and Jii. spectabile (Agassiz) are closely related members of the family Percidae, subfamily Percinae, tribe Etheostomatinae. This group, consisting mostly of small, brilliantly colored darters, has been partially characterized by Collett ( 1963). Several papers have been published dealing with the biology of these two species. One or both species have been described by Storer (1845), Agassiz (1854), Reeves (1907, but see Trautman, 1930), Trautman (1930, 1957) Knapp (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation), Distler (1968), and others. Trautman (1930, 1957) Gerking (1945), and Hubbs and Lagler (1947) reported that h caeruleum lives in larger and faster streams, whereas JL_ spectabile inhabits the smaller, more sluggish streams. Trautman (1930, 1957) reported that in Ohio, the two species sometimes occur together in streams averaging ten feet in width and noted that whenever one species is abundant in a riffle, the other is present only in small numbers. Further, he found that~ caeruleum replaced E, spectabile as the waters became deeper and swifter dovmstream.

Share

COinS