Minnow

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Minnow
Pimephales promelas.jpg
Fathead minnow
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Superfamily: Cyprinoidea
Included species

See text

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. [1]

Contents

While the common name can refer to a range of taxa, smaller fish in the subfamily Leusciscinae are considered by anglers to be "true" minnows. [2]

Types of minnows

Bluntnose minnow (Pimephales notatus): The bluntnose minnow is a primary bait fish for Northern America, and has a very high tolerance for variable water qualities, which helps its distribution throughout many regions. [3] The snout of the bluntnose minnow overhangs the mouth, giving it the bluntnose. There is a dark lateral line which stretches from the opercle to the base of the tail, where a large black spot is located. The average size of the adult is approximately 5 cm (2.0 in). [4]

Common shiner (Notropis cornutus): These fish are one of the most common type of bait fish and are almost exclusively stream dwellers. The common shiner can be identified by the nine rays on its anal fin and terminal mouth. This minnow is typically bluish silver on the sides and greenish blue on the back., save for breeding season in which case the male gains a rose colored tail and anal fin. The shiner grows about 5–10 cm (2–4 in) within one year and reach a size of 13 cm (5.1 in) at adulthood. [5] Notropis potteri is known as the chub shiner.

Common emerald shiner (Notropis atherinoides atherinoides): Common shiners are most abundant in the Great Lakes of North America, primarily Lake Erie. The name of the emerald shiner comes from the greenish emerald band that expands from the back of the gill cover to the tail. This type of minnow has a short, rounded snout, the only difference between the common emerald shiner and the silver shiner is that the silver shiner has a longer snout and a larger eye. These fish grow to an average length of about 6 cm. This is one of the most common bait fish used in the Lake Erie region of Ohio and many fishermen hold it over all other bait. [6]

Other fish specifically called minnows include

Rick Crawford visiting Anderson Farms, the world's largest minnow farm, in Lonoke, Arkansas. Anderson Farms in Lonoke, Arkansas.jpg
Rick Crawford visiting Anderson Farms, the world's largest minnow farm, in Lonoke, Arkansas.

As food

While primarily used for bait, minnows can also be eaten directly by humans. Some Native American cultures have used minnows as food. [8] If minnows are small enough, they can be eaten whole. [9]

Threats and conservation issues

Generally, minnows breed with the slightest rainfall and within a wide temperature range. Contrary to the long-standing presumptions, climate change poses 'negligible' threat to minnows' reproduction. Minnows are also flexible in attaining pre-spawning fitness, which makes them avoid 'skipped spawning' decisions while facing climatic variabilities. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emerald shiner</span> Species of fish

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.

<i>Pimephales</i> Genus of fishes

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.

Enteric redmouth disease, or simply redmouth disease is a bacterial infection of freshwater and marine fish caused by the pathogen Yersinia ruckeri. It is primarily found in rainbow trout and other cultured salmonids. The disease is characterized by subcutaneous hemorrhaging of the mouth, fins, and eyes. It is most commonly seen in fish farms with poor water quality. Redmouth disease was first discovered in Idaho rainbow trout in the 1950s. The disease does not infect humans.

<i>Notropis</i> Genus of fishes

Notropis is a genus of freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae. They are known commonly as eastern shiners. They are native to North America, and are the continent's second largest genus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridle shiner</span> Species of fish

The bridle shiner is a member of the minnow family (Cyprinidae). This species has been identified as being of Special Concern by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spottail shiner</span> Species of fish

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:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leuciscinae</span> Subfamily of fishes

Leuciscinae is a subfamily of the freshwater fish family Cyprinidae, which contains the true minnows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scarlet shiner</span> Species of fish

The scarlet shiner is a freshwater fish native to the eastern United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bluntnose minnow</span> Species of fish

The bluntnose minnow 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Yamaska River</span> River in Montérégie, Quebec, Canada

The North Yamaska river is a tributary of the Yamaska river. It flows over 47.8 kilometres (29.7 mi) on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence river in Quebec, Canada and passes through five municipalities, some of them sourcing their fresh water from it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pogonichthyinae</span> Subfamily of fishes

Pogonichthyinae is a subfamily of the freshwater fish family Leuciscidae, which contains the true minnows. Members of this family are known as American minnows or the North American (NA) clade of minnows. As the name suggests, all members of this family are found in North America (although they are not the only minnows native to North America, as Plagopterinae, Laviniinae, and Leuciscinae are also found there).

References

  1. cf. pinkeen and pink, Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition.Pinkeen Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved: 2011-12-11.
  2. "Subfamily Leuciscinae - Hierarchy - The Taxonomicon". taxonomicon.taxonomy.nl. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
  3. "Pimephales promelas (Black-head minnow)". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
  4. Trautman, Milton B. (6 July 1993). "Bluntnose Minnows in Ohio". Department of Natural Resources Ohio Division of Wildlife Document. 189 (R778).
  5. Trautman, Milton B. (30 June 1993). "Common Shiner in Ohio". Department of Natural Resources, Ohio Division of Wildlife Document. 189 (R778).
  6. Trautman, Milton B. (30 June 1993). "Common Emerald Shiner in Ohio". Department of Natural Resources, Ohio Division of Wildlife Document. 189 (R778).
  7. Proujan. C., (1979), SECRETS OF THE SEA, 2ND ED.,London: Reader's Digest Association Limited. Pg.60
  8. "Minnows | Traditional Animal Foods of Indigenous Peoples of Northern North America - Animals - Fish - Freshwater Fish". traditionalanimalfoods.org.
  9. "How to Cook Minnows".
  10. Sarkar, Uttam Kumar; Roy, Koushik; Naskar, Malay; Srivastava, Pankaj Kumar; Bose, Arun Kumar; Verma, Vinod Kumar; Gupta, Sandipan; Nandy, Saurav Kumar; Sarkar, Soma Das; Karnatak, Gunjan; Sudheesan, Deepa; Das, Basanta Kumar (March 2019). "Minnows may be more reproductively resilient to climatic variability than anticipated: Synthesis from a reproductive vulnerability assessment of Gangetic pool barbs (Puntius sophore)". Ecological Indicators. 105: 727–736. Bibcode:2019EcInd.105..727S. doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.03.037. S2CID   132490156.