In Texas, animal or plant species of conservation concern may be listed as threatened or endangered under the authority of state law and/or under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Species may be listed as state threatened or endangered and not federally listed. The state list deals only with the status of the species within Texas. A federal listing means that an animal is in decline throughout its entire range which may encompass several other states or nations. This series includes wildlife which may be close to extinction and is comprised of birds, fish, invertebrates, mammals, plants, amphibians and reptiles.
Fountain Darter (Etheostoma fonticola)
Texas Status: Endangered
Description: Fountain darters are less than 1 inch long.
Life History: Small aquatic invertebrates form the fountain darter's diet. Females lay eggs year-round. Their lifespan is 1-2 years. Only two populations exist in the world.
Habitat: Fountain darters require clean, spring-fed waters with bottom vegetation.
Distribution: This small fish lives only in the San Marcos and Comal River headwaters (where the rivers begin) in Hays and Comal counties, Texas. They are most often found in mats of filamentous green algae. Adults occupy the quiet and flowing parts of the river, but the young stay mostly in slow-flowing backwater areas with lots of vegetation.
Other: Fountain darters are endangered because there is less water flowing from the springs now than in the past. Human population growth and increased use of groundwater in the area have caused decreased flow from the springs, especially in years of low rainfall. You can help this and other aquatic species by conserving water and keeping the San Marcos and Comal Rivers clean and free from trash.
Because this series is quite a distance from my house, maintenance is rather difficult. Log's get wet, containers break, and sometimes caches just flat go missing. If you dont find the cache, and believe it to be gone, or it needs maintenance, please feel free to make it whole again. As a thank you, you may add a second log to any that you do maintenance on. And thanks for the help.