Etheostoma kimberlae Mayden & Kuhajda 2025, new species

Etheostoma kimberlae Mayden, new species Locust Fork Darter Fig. 1 Holotype. UAIC 11031.01, adult male, 39.6 mm standard length. Locality. Alabama, Blount Co., Mill Creek at gravel road 4.3 km SW Oneonta, T13 S, R1 E, S11, 33.922595 -86.509051, 22 March 1994. Collected by B. R. Kuhajda and R. L. Mayden. Paratypes. UAIC 11031.03, same data as holotype, n=4; UAIC 10867.06, n=7, Alabama, Blount County, Mill Creek at Old AL Hwy 75, east of AL Hwy 75, T13 S, R1 E, S1, 33.927813 -86.496049, 2.9 km SSW Oneonta, 16 June 1993, B. R. Kuhajda and R. L. Mayden; UF 188209, n=2, same data as holotype; TU 204140, n=2, same data as UAIC 10867.06. UAIC 14799.01, n=2, same locality data as UAIC 10867.06, 7 October 2005, B. R. Kuhajda; UAIC 16061.01, n=3, Alabama, Blount County, Calvert Prong of the Little Warrior River at AL Hwy 75, 5 km NE of Oneonta, T12 S, R2 E, S16, 33.985578 -86.442009, 2 April 2016, B. R. Kuhajda and Freshwater Fishes of Alabama class. Diagnosis. A member of the Etheostoma chermocki species group as identified by Boschung et al. 1992, Clabaugh et al. (1996) and Boschung and Mayden (2004). Etheostoma chermocki was diagnosed from the Etheostoma bellator complex by Boschung et al. (1992) and Suttkus and Bailey (1993). Etheostoma kimberlae is distinguished from E. michellae new species using the following combination of characters: cream-colored horizontal stripe through lateral band very narrow to absent vs. broad and obvious; snout of breeding males lightly colored with obvious preorbital stripe in breeding males vs. snout dusky and often masking preorbital stripes; suborbital bar diffuse in breeding males, lightly pigmented and short vs. dark, well defined and long.; lateral blotches dark and largely below lateral line vs. diffuse and occurring both above and below lateral line; and crimson line above lateral line formed from spots in continuous to nearly continuous line and not interrupted by lateral blotches vs. crimson line broken up into segments between diffuse upper halves of lateral blotches. Etheostoma kimberlae is further distinguished from E. michellae in the possession of the following alleles at identified protein loci: sAat-A (A vs B)†, mAcon-A (B vs B, C) *, Acp-1 (A vs B)†, Ada-2 (A vs B)†, Est-2 (D vs A)†, Pep-B (B, C vs B) *, Pep-F (D vs B)†, Pnp-A (D vs C, D) *. Etheostoma kimberlae is distinguished from E. bellator using the following characters: cream-colored stripe through lateral band narrow to absent vs broad and obvious; snout lightly colored with obvious preorbital stripes in breeding males vs. snout dusky and often masking preorbital stripes; and suborbital bar diffuse, lightly pigmented and short vs. broad, dark and long. Etheostoma kimberlae is further distinguished from E. bellator in the possession of the following alleles at identified protein loci: sAat-A (A vs B)†, Acp-1 (A vs B)†, Ada-2 (A vs B)†, Pep-B (B, C vs A, B; allele B fixed in comparisons between Five Mile and Gurley creeks but is polymorphic in Murphy Creek) *, Pep-F (D vs B, D) 3, Pnp-A (D vs C, D) *. Etheostoma kimberlae is distinguished from E. chermocki in having a low first dorsal fin with black, red, and blue coloration vs fin tall and mostly red, and ventral orange pigmentation in breeding males in narrow band vs. extending upwards along side to lateral band. Etheostoma kimberlae is further diagnosed from E. chermocki by the possession of the following alleles at identified protein loci: sAat-A (A vs D)†, Acp-1 (A vs B)†, Ada-2 (A vs B)†, Fbp-A (A vs B)†, slcdh-A (B vs A, C)†, Mpi-A (B vs B, C) *, Pep-B (B, C vs A)†, Pep-F (D vs B)†. Lateral line scale rows of Etheostoma kimberlae usually 47 or 48 (vs. E. michellae with 45–48, usually 45, and 47–51 in E. bellator). Scale rows below lateral line usually 7 or 8 (vs. usually 8 in E. michellae and 7 or 8 E. bellator). Transverse scale rows usually 15 (vs. usually 14 and 15 in E. michellae). Transverse scale rows plus scale rows below lateral line usually 15 (vs. usually 14 or 15 in E. michellae and E. bellator). Dorsal fin rays usually 11 or 12 (vs. usually 11 or 12 in E. michellae and 11 in E. bellator). Pectoral fin rays usually 13 (vs. usually 14 in E. michellae and E. bellator). Caudal fin rays usually 16 or 17 (vs. usually 16 or 17 in E. michellae and 14 in E. bellator). Etheostoma kimberlae differs from E. michellae in having usually 7 infraorbital pores (mean = 7.1) (vs. usually 8, mean = 8.1). Etheostoma kimberlae is a small member of the E. chermocki species group, reaching recorded 45.0 mm SL (male) and 41.4 mm SL (female) vs. E. bellator (male = 58 mm SL, Suttkus & Bailey 1993; female = 48.2 herein) and E. chermocki (male = 55 mm SL; female = 51 mm SL; Boschung et al. 1992). Description. General head and body shape and coloration illustrated in Figure 3. Morphometric variables for males and females (sexually dimorphic) provided in Table 1. Distribution of lateral line scales, caudal fin rays, and pectoral fin rays provided in Table 2. Lateral line complete and virtually straight, from upper margin of gill opening to base of caudal fin. Scale rows above lateral line 4 (3 spms), 5 (34) or 6 (3) (Mean = 5.0, SD = 0.37). Scale rows below lateral line 6 (3), 7 (7), 8 (26), or 9 (4) (Mean = 7.8, SD = 0.84). Transverse scale rows 14 (6), 15 (27), or 16 (7) (Mean = 14.8, SD = 0.88). Transverse scale rows plus scale rows below lateral line 13 (5), 14 (6), 15 (22), 16 (6) or 17 (1) (Mean = 14.8, SD = 0.98). Caudal peduncle scale rows 10 (3), 11 (20), 12 (15) or 13 (2) (Mean = 11.3, SD = 0.82). Dorsal saddles 8 (40). Dorsal fin spines 6 (3), 7 (20), 8 (13), or 9 (1) (Mean = 7.3, SD = 0.67). Dorsal fin rays 9 (1), 10 (3), 11 (20), 12 (14), or 13 (2) (Mean = 11.3, SD = 0.82). Anal spines = 2 (40). Pelvic spines = 1 (40). Pelvic rays = 5 (40). Infraorbital pores 6 (2 spms), 7 (5) or 8 (3) (Mean = 7.1, SD = 0.74). Preopercularmandibular pores 7 (1), 8 (5) or 9 (2) (Mean = 8.3, SD = 0.67). Lateral canal pores 2 (10). Supratemporal canal complete, pores 2 (10). Supraorbital pores 3 (10). Coronal pore single (10). Nape scaled. Belly fully scaled. Breast naked. Coloration of breeding males. Dorsum of head and body cream colored except for series of black saddles on body, normally numbering 8. Dorsolateral scales lightly pigmented along edges. Lateral blotches black and continuous or nearly so across very narrow light cream line along lateral line. Scale row directly above lateral line deep crimson and continuous or nearly continuous; lateral blotches not oval; above lateral line lateral blotch small, circular, short and not distinct; most of lateral blotch below lateral line and obvious; above lateral line, blotches not clearly separated. Below lateral line single crimson-colored scale row separating dark blotches. Crimson line usually one scale row and dissipating posteriorly directly vertical origin to middle of second dorsal fin. Dark caudal spot present; above and posterior to caudal spot short crimson stripe; stripes overlapping light cream-colored spots dorsally and ventrally at base of fin. Some ventrolateral scales lightly pigmented with melanophores, especially along distal portion of scales. Broad reddish-orange ventrolateral stripe present and involving multiple scale rows, extending length of body and 3–4 scale rows from above base of anal fin and pelvic fin insertion. Ventrolateral color stripe narrow and not connected with crimson scales around complex lateral stripe. ......continued on the next page Opercle darkly pigmented dorsally becoming lighter ventrally; dark oblique line between cheek and preopercle; remainder of opercle lightly pigmented to immaculate; subopercle, branchiostegals, under side of head, preorbital area, breast and tip of snout turquoise. Distinct narrow suborbital bar, dark preorbital bar, middle of upper lip pigmented; remainder of lips yellowish to turquoise. Snout lightly pigmented and in distinct contrast to preorbital bars. Pectoral-fin rays pigmented and with two stripes, one a basal band covering 1/3 of rays and boarded distally by turquoise colored stripe; distal to this basal band light area, bordered distally by darker stripe, and distal-most 1/3 of fin with lightly pigmented rays; membranes without pigmentation. Base of fin and area of insertion reddish-orange. Spine of pelvic fin immaculate to turquoise; remaining rays turquoise to darkly pigmented. Base of fin and first three branched rays turquoise. Posterior rays immaculate. Spine and first three rays also pigmented with melanophores medially, creating a dark stripe; all membranes turquoise. Spinous dorsal fin with four stripes. Base of fin with narrow dark green stripe, area between this stripe and adjoining more distal stripe narrow and light cream. Distal dark stripe with pigment on rays and membranes. Subdistal stripe beginning with dark red irregular shaped spot between first and second spines and stripe that is less intense in color, continuing posteriorly from being narrow in anterior membranes and significantly increasing in width towards last membranes. Narrow blue distal band beginning at sixth spine and extending to posterior of fin. Distal margin of anterior five rays clear. Distal-most black stripe separated from brick red stripe by narrow clear stripe. Soft (second) dorsal fin with three distinct bands. Distinct broad median brick red stripe below and above darkly pigmented median stripe formed from pigmented rays and membranes. Basal half of first three rays may have alternating black and yellow/gold narrow stripes. Procurrent, principle and two adjacent branched rays of caudal fin turquoise. Two-three dark vertical bands located medially on caudal fin separated by yellow- to cream-colored narrow bars; distal margin lightly pigmented, appearing almost transparent. Coloration of Preserved breeding males. Adult males with dark brown dorsal saddles extending from occiput to posterior extent of caudal peduncle; occasionally blotches may be connected; blot