The Spottail Darter is found in the lower Ohio River Drainage including the lower Cumberland River in Tennessee and Kentucky. They are found in cobble pools and adjacent riffles of smaller streams. Like other members of the subgenus Catonotus, this species spawns on the underside of flat rocks. In this group, males of some species have small knobs on the rays of their second dorsal fin that are hypothesized to serve as an “egg-mimic” to attract females for spawning. As the common name suggests, Spottail Darters have three spots at the base of their tail.