Highland Darter

The breeding male of this species, which is a member of the subgenus Doration, is distinguished by the following characters: a spinous dorsal fin with black marginal and submedial bands, orange medial band, basal band lacking bright orange pigment; soft dorsal, caudal, and pectoral fins with subdued but usually discrete orange spots on rays; absence of blue pigment on soft dorsal and anal fins; anal fin with subdued orange spots on rays; face and lower head dark gray with milky blue sheen; deep blue on operculum, preoperculum, cheek, and suborbital bar (not on lips and mid-gular region); quadrate lateral blue blotches extending ventrad from lateral line scale row; blue wedge on ventral half of caudal fin base but not developed dorsally. Additional characters include absence of frenum; incomplete lateral line; unpored scales modally greater than 10 (16); usually naked cheek; the palatine teeth usually absent, present in 16% of specimens; dorsal fin spines modally 11-12, soft rays modally 11; anal fin soft rays modally 8; pectoral fin rays modally 14; principal caudal fin rays modally 15; caudal peduncle scales modally 16; preoperculomandibular canal pores modally 10 (Ref. 92294).

Dorsal spines (total): 10 - 13; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10 - 13; Analspines: 2; Analsoft rays: 7 - 10

The highland darter (Etheostoma teddyroosevelt) is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is found in the Arkansas and upper White river drainages on the Ozark Plateau of Missouri, Arkansas, extreme southeastern Kansas, and northeastern Oklahoma.

It was named after the 26th president of the United States Theodore Roosevelt and for his enduring legacy in environmental conservation and stewardship, including the designation of vast areas as national forests, wildlife refuges, national monuments, and national parks, and his efforts to forge the American Museum of Natural History.