In 1932, the Tuckasegee Darter was originally described as Poecilichthys gutselli, from the Tuckasegee River (Little Tennessee River system), North Carolina. In 1968, Miller, citing perceived areas of intergradation, relegated it to a subspecies of Etheostoma blennioides. Recent authors, however, re-elevated E. gutselli to the species level without providing any supporting data. We present morphological, meristic, and nuptial male pigmentation data that support the distinctiveness of E. gutselli. Etheostoma gutselli can be distinguished from proximal populations E. blennioides newmanii in the Tennessee River system by lower lateral-line (49–63 vs. 63–81) and caudal-peduncle (18–24 vs. 23–29) scale counts and differences in nuptial male pigmentation. Etheostoma gutselli primarily is restricted to the upper (Blue Ridge) portions of the Little Tennessee and Pigeon river drainages, generally upstream of the Tennessee-North Carolina state line.
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October 04 2017
Rediagnosis of the Tuckasegee Darter, Etheostoma gutselli (Hildebrand), a Blue Ridge Endemic
Kyle R. Piller;
Kyle R. Piller
1Southeastern Louisiana University, Department of Biological Sciences, Hammond, Louisiana 70402; Email: Kyle.Piller@selu.edu. Send reprint requests to this address.
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Henry L. Bart, Jr.
Henry L. Bart, Jr.
2Tulane University Biodiversity Research Institute, 3705 Main Street, Belle Chasse, Louisiana 70037; Email: hbartjr@tulane.edu.
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Copeia (2017) 105 (3): 569–574.
Citation
Kyle R. Piller, Henry L. Bart; Rediagnosis of the Tuckasegee Darter, Etheostoma gutselli (Hildebrand), a Blue Ridge Endemic. Copeia 1 September 2017; 105 (3): 569–574. doi: https://doi.org/10.1643/CI-17-578
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