They require cool water. Being in the perch family, they lack swim bladders and tend to stay at the bottom. These darters grow to about 1 to 2.5 inches and have dark bars on their backs. They have red, blue, green, yellow, and natural colors on their pretty bodies. Their gills are orange.
Males are brighter.
Unlike other darters, they are not overly shy. The orangethroat darter is usually found in small, clear streams with sand and gravel bottoms. They like it cold but not as cold as most other darters. The orangethroat darter is often found in association with the rainbow darter. Non-breeding orangethroat darters may be thought to be rainbow darters.