BELOW: Candy Darter. Two male candy darters spar over territory and spawning opportunities with any nearby females. Described as one of the most beautiful fish in the world, male candy darters develop deep iridescent blue, white and bright orange colorations each spring. Unfortunately, they are federally endangered due to the introduction of variegate darters, which outcompete and hybridize with them. ABOVE: Three Dace. Mountain redbelly dace, rosyside dace and blacknose dace swarm over a bluehead chub mound in a tiny mountain stream. The mountain redbellies and rosysides are here to spawn, but the blacknoses are here to eat the eggs they lay. Active chub mounds are essentially buffets for a number of species, which gather to eat both the freshly laid eggs and the fish. RIGHT: Greenbreast Darter. The greenbreast darter (Nothonotus jordani) is a charming little fish (only an inch or two long). This male spent a long time rooting around in the shallows of a pool on the Conasauga River, allowing closeups of his beautiful bluishgreen face and throat. JULY/AUGUST 2024 59