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Perciformes/Percoidei (Perchs) >
Percidae (Perches) > Etheostomatinae
Etymology: Etheostoma: Greek, etheo = to strain + Greek, stoma = mouth; Rafinesque said "various mouths", but Jordan and Evermann suggest the name might have been intended as "Heterostoma (Ref. 45335); asprigene: From the words aspri, meaning rough; and gene, cheek (referring to the well-scaled cheeks) (Ref. 10294).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Freshwater; benthopelagic. Subtropical; 45°N - 30°N
North America: Mississippi River basin lowlands from Wisconsin and Minnesota to Louisiana and eastern Texas in the USA; and on Gulf Slope in Sabine-Neches drainages in Louisiana and Texas.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 7.1 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5723); common length : 5.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 12193); max. reported age: 3.00 years (Ref. 12193)
Inhabits sluggish riffles over rocks or debris in small to large rivers; also lowland lakes (Ref. 5723), creeks, swamps and reservoirs (Ref. 10294). Feeds mainly on midge and blackfly larvae (Diptera); small fish consumes more microcrustaceans (Ref. 79012).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr, 1991. A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 432 p. (Ref. 5723)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
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