We have some surprisingly colorful fish in northeast Ohio, some of them rivaling the appearance of tropical varieties. Today I found a couple of great examples of one of the more common darter species found in Ohio – the Banded Darter.
These 2-inch fish can be found in all sizes of streams, from small creeks to large rivers. In the same family as Perch, Darters are small, bottom dwelling fish with two dorsal fins. They are often noted for their brilliant coloration.
Like many darters, breeding males are very brightly colored (right), while females are duller in appearance (left).
