Blacknose shiner

Blacknose shiner
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Genus: Notropis
Species: N. heterolepis
Binomial name
Notropis heterolepis
C. H. Eigenmann & R. S. Eigenmann, 1893

The blacknose shiner (Notropis heterolepis) is a species of fish belonging to the family Cyprinidae.

Appearance

The blacknose shiner is a soft-rayed species with toothless jaws, but gill arches that contain one or two rows of distinctive teeth. It has cycloid scales, but a scaleless head. There are 19 caudal rays, and the dorsal and anal fins are very short. The anal fin is closer to the middle of the body than to the caudal fin. Usually, it is a murky yellow on the dorsal side with a pale underside. There are two long, lateral stripes on the fish along the center of the body, and on the dorsal side of the fish.

Occurrence

The blacknose shiner ranges from the Atlantic, Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, and Mississippi River north to Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan, south to Ohio, Illinois, south-central Missouri. It is more prevalent in the northern sections of its range, and seems to be disappearing in the southern portions. It lives typically in cool weedy creeks, small rivers, and lakes over sand.

References

2. NatureServe 2013. Notropis heterolepis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 25 February 2015. 3. United States Geological Survey. 2015. Notropis heterolepis. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL. http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=2562 Revision Date: 1/1/1900