Descriptions of eggs, larvae, and early juveniles of the Iowa darter, Etheostoma exile (Girard), from Lac Heney, Quebec

Abstract

Descriptive morphology of egg, larval, and early juvenile stages of the Iowa darter, Etheostoma exile (Girard), from Lac Heney, Quebec, were examined using morphological, meristic, morphometric, and pigment characteristics. The Iowa darter is a phyto-lithophil spawning on aquatic macrophytes and exposed tree roots. Ova are weakly indented and range in diameter from 0.9 to 1.3 mm, with larvae presumably hatching at ca. 3.6 mmTL. The Iowa darter has 16–18 preanal myomeres (typically 17), and from 20–23 postanal myomeres. Pigmentation is superficially most similar to the yellow perch. A synopsis of the known aspects of the early life history is presented and distinctive morphological characteristics of syntopic percids are compared.