Brassy minnow | |
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Hybognathus hankinsoni | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Cypriniformes |
Family: | Cyprinidae |
Subfamily: | Leuciscinae |
Clade: | Pogonichthyinae |
Genus: | Hybognathus |
Species: | H. hankinsoni |
Binomial name | |
Hybognathus hankinsoni C. L. Hubbs, 1929 | |
The brassy minnow (Hybognathus hankinsoni) is a species of fish belonging to the family Cyprinidae. The family Cyprinidae consists of mainly freshwater minnows and carps. The fish gets its scientific name (Hybognathus hankinsoni) from the Greek word Hybognathus, meaning bulging jaw, and hankinsoni from the American scientist, T.L. Hankinson. [2] It is commonly found throughout the northern United States and Canada. [3]
The brassy minnow is typically 4-7.5 cm long and weighs 0.7-4 g. [4] It can be identified by its brassy side coloration, cream underbelly and olive green back. It has larger than usual leptoid(bony ridge) scales. [5] and dark stripe that runs from its gill cover to its tail. [6] Hybognathus hansinkoni have a small dorsal fin with a rounded tip, and two pelvic fins that lie behind the dorsal fin in the abdominal position. [5] Female brassy minnows tend to be larger than the males. Additionally, brassy minnows have a small subterminal mouth with a crescent shaped lower jaw, and their caudal (tail) fins are notched.
Range extends from the St. Lawrence River and Lake Champlain drainages, throughout the Great Lakes and Northern United States and into Alberta and British Columbia. [3]
The brassy minnow typically lives in cool, slow moving streams [7] and creeks that have sand, mud or gravel bottoms overlaid with organic sediment. [4] They are also found in overflow ponds near rivers, boggy lakes, brackish tidal waters, and ditches with weedy bottoms. They live in water with a large range of pH's, and are able to survive at low oxygen levels, displaying high levels of environmental tolerance. [6] The water can be clear or turbid. Brassy minnows appear to do better in habitats with minimal predators, or those that have structure for them to hide in, as they are very susceptible to predation. [5]
Hybognathus hankinsoni are omnivorous eating algae, plankton and aquatic invertebrates [4] that live in the organic sediment or the weeds that grow in their environment. Although omnivorous, the brassy minnow is typically vegetarian, mainly eating the algae, especially diatoms and desmids, found growing in the streams and ponds it inhabits. The minnows feed in schools with peak feeding times around 1-3 pm. [6] Additionally, brassy minnows are first level consumers and are therefore important in the transfer of nutrients to higher trophic levels. [6]
The brassy minnow becomes sexually active at one to two years of age. [4] The fish spawn (biology) during the months of April through July, depending on the location. In the more northerly range of the brassy minnow, they spawn later in the year than in the south part of their range. The spawning time occurs when the water temperature reaches sixteen to seventeen degrees Celsius. [6] They lay their legs on the vegetation and along the bottom of the streams and ponds it inhabits. [4] A female brassy minnow can lay up to 2500 eggs, depending on her size, and usually releases the eggs over the course of a week. The eggs take about 7–10 days to hatch and the larvae grow rapidly for the first months. [6] The brassy minnow lives up to 5 years and spawns annually. The species is considered to be globally secure, and therefore does not have any conservation concerns. [6]
The brown bullhead is a fish of the family Ictaluridae that is widely distributed in North America. It is a species of bullhead catfish and is similar to the black bullhead and yellow bullhead. It was originally described as Pimelodus nebulosus by Charles Alexandre Lesueur in 1819, and is also referred to as Ictalurus nebulosus.
The Utah chub is a cyprinid fish native to western North America, where it is abundant in the upper Snake River and throughout the Lake Bonneville basin.
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Hybognathus is a genus of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae. Its members are collectively known as the silvery minnows. Hybognathus are pelagophils that are native to North America. The populations of such pelagophils, including species of Hybognathus, continue to decrease in their natural habitats.
Phenacobius, the suckermouth minnows, is a genus of cyprinid fishes endemic to the United States. Historically the suckermouth minnow was not found as far eastward as Ohio, now they seem to be a stable species living throughout the Midwest and parts of southern states such as Texas, New Mexico, and Alabama. Many forests and prairies were cleared out to make farmland, this caused for drainage streams and rivers to take form, moving the minnows eastward. Originally the suckermouth minnows probably never crossed the Mississippi River prior to the developed farm land. They have a lifespan of roughly 3–5 years, but is hard to measure due to predation, survival rate of about 50 percent. There are currently five described species. Etymologically, "phenacobius" means "deceptive life", possibly because these species eat insects despite an herbivorous appearance.
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 White Cloud Mountain minnow is a hardy species of freshwater fish and coldwater fish often kept in an aquarium. The species is a member of the carp family of the order Cypriniformes, native to China. The White Cloud Mountain minnow is practically extinct in its native habitat, due to pollution and tourism. It was believed to be extinct for over 20 years in 1980, but an apparently native population of this fish was discovered on Hainan Island, well away from the White Cloud Mountain. They are bred in farms and are easily available through the aquarium trade. However, inbreeding in farms has led to genetically weak stock that is vulnerable to disease and prone to physical deformities.
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The pugnose shiner is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Notropis. It is in the family Cyprinidae which consists of freshwater carps and minnows. Cyprinidae is the largest fish family which consists of about 369 genera and 3,018 species. Its distribution has been decreasing due to the removal of aquatic plants in order to create swimming beaches and boating access in freshwater lakes and is now mostly found in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
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Silverjaw minnows are part of the family Cyprinidae, which includes carps and minnows. With over 300 known species, there are more species of minnows native to North America's fresh waters than any other fish. Minnows can be hard to distinguish because many look alike. All minnows have one dorsal fin, ventral fins near the anus, a lateral line system, and smooth, round cycloid scales. Their jaws lack teeth, but they have one to three rows of pharyngeal teeth to grind food. Defining physical characteristics such as the number and type of fin rays, type of scales, and pattern of pharyngeal teeth are used to distinguish minnows.
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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.
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The creek chubsucker is a freshwater fish of the sucker family (Catostomidae).
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