and April. Mature eggs are orange and translucent. The fish are insectivorous, with analyzed gut contents containing Nematocera larvae, more specifically black fly (Simuliidae) and midge (Chironomidae) larvae. Significant numbers of mayfly (Ephemeroptera) and caddisfly (Trichoptera) nymphs were also found. Taxonomy and etymology The blenny darter was first formally described in 1887 by the American zoologists Charles Henry Gilbert (1859-1928) and Joseph Swain (1857-1927) with the type locality given as Cox's Creek and tributary of the Tennessee River near Florence, Alabama. There are 51 morphological characteristics which were used to indicate that the Swannanoa darter (E. swannanoa) is the blenny darter's closest relative and E. swannanoa is in a clade called the seagreen darter group after the seagreen darter (E. thalassinum) There are two recognized subspecies: E. b. blennius occurs in the Buffalo and Duck Rivers, and White Oak Creek. E. b. sequatchiense is limited to Sequatchie River in Tennessee; intergrades between the two subspecies occur throughout their distribution in Alabama and in the Elk River of Tennessee. The generic name Etheostoma is a compound of the Greek meaning "filter or strain" and meaning "mouth" while the specific name blennius refers to the resemblance of this species to a marine blenny. The subspecific name sequatchiense means "of the Sequatchie River". Conservation Herbert T. Boschung and Richard L. Mayden (2004) recommend Etheostoma blennius for Special Concern status in Alabama due to its limited distribution. Much of the area in Alabama where the species occurs is proposed for a number of floodwater-retarding dams, and such structures would greatly degrade the remaining habitat. References Etheostoma Fish described in 1887