Bluntnose minnow | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Cypriniformes |
Family: | Cyprinidae |
Subfamily: | Leuciscinae |
Genus: | Pimephales |
Species: | P. notatus |
Binomial name | |
Pimephales notatus (Rafinesque, 1820) | |
Synonyms | |
The bluntnose minnow (Pimephales notatus) is a species of temperate freshwater fish belonging to the genus Pimephales of the cyprinid family. Its natural geographic range extends from the Great Lakes south along the Mississippi River basin to Louisiana, and east across the Midwestern United States to New York State. The bluntnose is very ubiquitous, and may be the most common freshwater fish in the Eastern U.S. [2]
Bluntnose minnows are commonly 6.5 cm (2.6 in) long, with a maximum length of 11 cm (4.3 in). On the first two or three dorsal rays are dark pigmented spots. The scales between the head and the dorsal fin are noted to be smaller than the rest of the scales on the body. [3] They have a rounded head and a terminal mouth, although the snout hangs a little bit over the mouth. The dark coloring on the edges of the scales cause a cross-hatched look along the body. The scales on these fish are cycloid scales, a type of leptoid scale. It is possible to find the age of a fish from the rings on the scales. The lateral line of a bluntnose minnow runs from its head to tail, ending in a black spot that makes them distinguishable from the fathead minnow. [4] These minnows have a pale olive upper body (above the lateral line) and a silvery lower body (below the lateral line), with silvery-blue scales near the lateral line. [5]
The bluntnose minnow can be found in North America, in the Hudson Bay and Mississippi River basins from southern Quebec to southern Manitoba, Canada to Louisiana, United States. They are also found from the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec to the Roanoke River on the east coast of United States. [6] There are also many non-indigenous populations found in Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Michigan, thought to have been introduced by bait bucket release or stock contamination. [7] Bluntnose minnows are thought to be the most abundant freshwater fish in the eastern part of the country. [8]
Bluntnose minnows can be found in lakes, rivers, ponds and streams, showing a preference for shallow, clear water with a sandy bottom. [4] Their habitats range from headwater bogs, swamps, and springs to rivers, ponds, and lakes. Sometimes, up to a dozen species of minnows can be found in a single stream of moderate size. They can be found swimming in large groups or alone. [9]
These fish prefer to feed on aquatic insects, algae, diatoms, aquatic insect larvae, and small crustaceans called entomostracans. Occasionally they will eat fish eggs or small fish. [8]
Bluntnose minnows spawn from early spring to midsummer, depending on their habitat. They attach their eggs under stones in depressions they have dug. [9] During the mating season, the heads of the males will become darker and their bodies bluish. They also develop three rows of nuptial tubercles (bumps) on their heads. Eggs hatch in eight to fourteen days. [8]
The genus name Pimephales means fat head, the specific epithet notatus means marked or spotted. [3]
Minnow is the common name for a number of species of small freshwater fish, belonging to several genera of the family Cyprinidae and in particular the subfamily Leuciscinae. They are also known in Ireland as pinkeens.
The bluegill, sometimes referred to as "bream", "brim", "sunny", or, as is common in Texas, "copper nose", is a species of North American freshwater fish, native to and commonly found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and wetlands east of the Rocky Mountains. It is the type species of the genus Lepomis, from the family Centrarchidae in the order Perciformes.
The black crappie is a freshwater fish found in North America, one of the two types of crappies. It is very similar to the white crappie in size, shape, and habits, except that it is darker, with a pattern of black spots. Alternate names for the species include calico bass, speck, speckled perch, speckled bass, moonfish, grass bass, strawberry bass, shiner, crawpie, oswego bass, sac-a-lait, and marigane noire.
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The emerald shiner is one of hundreds of small, silvery, slender fish species known as shiners. The identifying characteristic of the emerald shiner is the silvery emerald color on its sides. It can grow to 3.5 inches in length and is found across North America from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, commonly in large, deep lakes and rivers, though sometimes in smaller bodies of water as well. It feeds on small organisms such as zooplankton and insects, congregating in large groups near the surface of the water. It is a quite common fish and is often used as a bait fish.
Pimephales, commonly known as the bluntnose minnows, is a genus of cyprinid fish found in North America. All of the four species are small fish, with P. notatus being the largest at 11 cm. These minnows can be found all over North America and are commonly used as fish bait.
Fathead minnow, also known as fathead or tuffy, is a species of temperate freshwater fish belonging to the genus Pimephales of the cyprinid family. The natural geographic range extends throughout much of North America, from central Canada south along the Rockies to Texas, and east to Virginia and the Northeastern United States. This minnow has also been introduced to many other areas via bait bucket releases. Its golden, or xanthic, strain, known as the rosy-red minnow, is a very common feeder fish sold in the United States and Canada. This fish is best known for producing Schreckstoff.
The sand shiner is a widespread North American species of freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae. Sand shiners live in open clear water streams with sandy bottoms where they feed in schools on aquatic and terrestrial insects, bottom ooze and diatoms.
The spotfin shiner is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is a small sized freshwater fish found abundantly in many watercourses of North America.
The spottail shiner or spottail minnow is a small- to medium-sized freshwater minnow. It can be found as far north as Canada and as far south as the Chattahoochee River in Georgia. These shiners live in lakes, rivers, and creeks. They occupy the rocky or sandy shorelines and bottoms of the water. One of the defining features of a spottail shiner is the black spot found at the base of the caudal fin. These shiners generally spawn from late June through July.
The carmine shiner is a freshwater fish species. In Manitoba, it was once known as the rosyface shiner. Based mostly on zoogeographic data, it is currently classified as a distinct species within the rosyface shiner species complex. The carmine shiner is a member of the Minnow family, Cyprinidae. It has the following characteristics and distinguishing features:
The weed shiner is a North American species of freshwater fish in the cyprinid genus Notropis. Prior to 1958, this species was named Notropis roseus.
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The speckled chub is a species of freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of the order Cypriniformes, which also includes carps, suckers, and loaches.
The Mississippi silvery minnow is a species of fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is one of the 324 fish species found in Tennessee. Relative to other minnows, the Mississippi Silvery Minnow is a large minnow. These minnows require a body of water with little to no current. The most documentation of these minnows is from the Little and Great Miami river along with the Ohio river and tributes off these rivers. In terms of conservation, the population in Ohio is at an all-time low, but overall there is little conservation concern about this specific minnow. In general there has been little research done on the Mississippi silvery minnow.
The scarlet shiner is a freshwater fish native to the eastern United States.
The bullhead minnow is a species of freshwater demersal fish, native to the Mississippi River system in the United States, to tributaries of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan and to northern Mexico.
The bluntnose 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 found in eastern North America where it is found in slower moving and still waters.
Mylocheilus caurinus, the peamouth, peamouth chub, redmouth sucker or northwestern dace, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish from the family Cyprinidae, the carps and minnows, that is found in western North America. It is the only species in its genus.
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