Leopard Darter (Percina pantherina)
(Federally listed as Threatened)
Description:
The Leopard Darter is a small fish that rarely exceeds three
inches in length. It gets its name from the row of 11 to 14 dark
blotches that run along each side of the body. Its background
color is a light yellowish-olive. It feeds on small aquatic
insects and other invertebrates.
Habitat: Leopard Darters live among the rocks and cobble on the
bottom of clear, swift-flowing small rivers in the southern
Ouachita Mountains. During the summer, fall and winter, they
occupy clear pools within the rivers that are usually less than
six feet deep. During the spring, they move into riffles to
spawn.
Current and Historic Distribution: In Oklahoma, the Leopard
Darter currently lives in three isolated populations within the
Little River watershed. One population occurs in the Little
River above Pine Creek Reservoir, one occurs in the Glover River
and the third occurs in the Mountain Fork River above Broken Bow
Reservoir. There are two additional isolated populations in
Arkansas. Historically, these Leopard Darter populations were
connected and the darter occupied larger portions of these
rivers.
Reasons for Decline: Reservoir construction has had the greatest
impact on the Leopard Darter’s population. Reservoirs have
fragmented and isolated its populations, have permanently
inundated much of their habitat and made it too deep to be
suitable, and have altered flow patterns and temperatures below
dams.
County by County List of Endangered and Threatened Species
US Fish and Wildlife Endangered Species Lists