8 
Fred C. Rohde and Steve W. Ross 
significant (P < 0.001), and indicate that either body weight or ovary 
weight is a good predictor of fecundity. However, these parameters are 
more variable than standard length and, unless measured just prior to 
spawning, will vary seasonally. Because ovary weight was included in 
the body weight, some autocorrelation was possible. 
Females reached sexual maturity by the end of the first year of life. 
Of the 35 gravid females examined, 14 were completing the first year of 
life, 19 were age class 1, and 2 were age class 2. Nine other young-of- 
the-year darters were immature. Males also reached sexual maturity at 
the end of the first year of life based on the presence of large, white and 
spongy testes. 
Breeding tubercles were never noted. The genital papilla of mature 
females is a long, prominent tube slightly crenulate at the tip and about 
two-thirds the length of the anal spine. The conical structure of the 
papilla and diameter of ripe eggs suggest that this species is an egg- 
burier (Page 1983). The male genital papilla is a small projection and 
does not enlarge at spawning. 
Sexual dimorphism in spawning colors is pronounced. Body colo- 
ration of the male is gold dorsally to yellow-tan ventrally. Dark blotches 
occur along the sides and tend to merge with each other. The lateral line 
is bright gold and bisects these blotches. The. margin of the spinous 
dorsal fin is clear to white, and immediately below is a wide orange-red 
band. The interspinous membranes below this band are dark, particu- 
larly obvious in the anterior three. Fin rays in the soft dorsal, caudal, 
anal, and pelvic fins are outlined in yellow-orange. The interradial 
membranes of these fins, plus the pectoral fin rays, are dusky blue. 
Brown spots on the soft dorsal and caudal fins form four slightly irregu- 
lar bands. The procurrent rays of the caudal fin are bright blue-green, 
and this coloration continues anteriorly onto the dorsal and ventral 
edges of the caudal peduncle. The iris of the eye is bright orange. The 
male coloration in this study differed slightly from that reported by 
Kuehne and Barbour (1983) and Page (1983) in that all the fins were 
darkened, the marginal band was clear to white, and the venter was 
yellow-tan. Neither mentioned the bright blue-green edging on the cau- 
dal peduncle and fin. 
Breeding colors in the female are poorly developed. An orange-red 
band develops in the spinous dorsal fin, but the white marginal band 
and darkened interspinous membranes are not as pronounced as in the 
male. Kuehne and Barbour (1983) noted that the spiny dorsal fin was 
more spotted than banded. Other fin pigmentation is similar to the 
male, except for a lack of darkening of the interradial membranes. 
