Western sand darter

The western sand darter occurs in river systems from Lake Michigan to Texas, including several sections of the Mississippi Basin. ==Description==

This species is up to 7.1 centimeters in length. ==Biology==

This fish lives in medium and large rivers, over sandy and gravel substrates. It requires loose substrate, because it spends much of its time buried in the sand with just its head protruding. It feeds on invertebrates, especially the larvae of aquatic insects. ==Taxonomy==

The Western sand darter was first formally described in 1885 by the American ichthyologists David Starr Jordan (1851–1931) and Seth Eugene Meek (1859–1914) with the type locality given as the Des Moines River at Ottumwa, Iowa. This species forms a clade with the naked sand darter (A. beanii) the Florida sand darter (A. bifascia). ==Conservation==

This is considered to be a vulnerable species because it has a fragmented distribution and its habitat is degraded in many areas. Increased silt and pollution in river systems reduces the quality of its habitat. The Mississippi River and associated streams and tributaries are heavily channelized and partitioned by locks and dams, eliminating sites where the fish might live. ==References==