The duskytail darter is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, a darter from the subfamily Etheostomatinae, part of the family Percidae, which also contains the perches, ruffes and pikeperches. It is endemic to the eastern United States where it is native to the upper Tennessee River drainage in Virginia. It was federally listed as an endangered species of the United States in 1993, shortly before it was formally described as a new species.