Micros from Illinois and Ohio

Today I stopped at a stream near Rantoul, IL. I was hoping to find creek chubsuckers here, but apparently a stoneroller convention was in town, and the chubsuckers weren't invited. The stonerollers look like they've been getting busy. Also caught redfin shiners, female orangethroat darters, and a bunch of bluntnose minnows (not pictured).

Central Stoneroller male (Campostoma anomalum)

Central Stoneroller female (Campostoma anomalum)

Central Stoneroller juvenile (Campostoma anomalum)

Redfin Shiner (Lythrurus umbratilis)




Orangethroat Darter female (Etheostoma spectabile)

This morning I stopped at some of the forks of the Vermilion River in Champaign and Vermilion Counties. Water clarity wasn't as good as I was hoping, so my netting was pretty much done blindly. Here are a few of the notables. Not pictured is a brook silverside (not sure why I didn't take a picture of it) and small shiners that were probably either emerald or carmine.

Central Greenside Darter (Etheostoma blennioides pholidotum)




Rock Bass juvenile (Ambloplites rupestris)

 Longear Sunfish juvenile (Lepomis megalotis)

Stonecat (Noturus flavus)


Blackstripe Topminnow (Fundulus notatus)


Met up with Skipjack in the SW corner of Ohio today. It was my first time seining. Had a great time, thanks Matt! We weren't able to track down any variegate darters, but turned up quite a few mountain madtoms. Fish not pictured include stonecats, rainbow darters, greenside darters, banded darters, central stonerollers, bluntnose minnows, and a few shiner species. The male darters are beginning to show signs of spawning colors, but still have a ways to go.

Mountain Madtom (Noturus eleutherus)