| Taillight shiner | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cypriniformes |
| Family: | Cyprinidae |
| Subfamily: | Leuciscinae |
| Clade: | Pogonichthyinae |
| Genus: | Notropis |
| Species: | N. maculatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Notropis maculatus (O. P. Hay, 1881) | |
| Synonyms | |
The taillight shiner (Notropis maculatus) is a species of freshwater fish in the cyprinid family. It is commonly found in the south-eastern USA.
The taillight shiner is found in the lower Mississippi River basin, parts of Cape Fear River in North Carolina, Sabine River in Texas, and throughout Florida, with the exception of the southern tip. Their habitat consists of shallow, slow moving pools, rivers, lakes or swamps, usually containing some aquatic plant life. They have been classified as least concern by the IUCN due to their wide distribution and large populations. [1]
The taillight shiner has a long thin body and a rounded snout. [2] Adult fish are typically 2-2.5 inches long. They have pale yellow colouring on their back, silvery white colouring on their belly and silvery stripes on their sides. They have a black spot at the base of their tail fin. During breeding season, the males have blackish colouring on the fins, and are suffused with pink or red on body, head and fins. [3]
It is a schooling species that feeds on crustaceans, insects and algae. It completes its entire life cycle in one year. Spawning begins in March, extends into early October and occurs near logs or similar objects. They prefer to spawn in water temperatures of 23–32 °C (73–90 °F). They reach maturity in 6–9 months, depending on the water temperature at the time of spawning. The female will typically lay between 72–408 eggs. [4] They have been observed to occasionally practice oral grasping behaviour in order to maintain stationary in flowing water. [2]
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.
The rosyface shiner is a small fresh water fish of the minnow and carp family (Cyprinidae). It is native to eastern North America.
The telescope shiner is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Notropis. Notropis telescopus is primarily found in a small range of waters located in the Southeastern Region of the United States. There is very little published record of the research and management involving the telescope shiner. The following research will provide information on this species that can be helpful toward monitoring efforts of Notropis telescopus populations. The primary population of telescope shiners occurs throughout drainages of the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers. This population is distributed throughout Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama. A second known population occurs in Arkansas and Missouri and is found in the White and Black river systems.
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.
The Cape Fear shiner is a North American species of freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is endemic to the central part of the state of North Carolina in the southeastern United States, and is only found in the shallow streams of the Cape Fear River basin. The fish is small and yellow with black lips and a black stripe that runs down the middle of the fish's side. This shiner is normally found in mixed schools with other minnow species. It is unique amongst its genus because it has elongated intestines that are specifically adapted to a primarily herbivorous diet. It can breed twice a year and normally lives for only two or three years in the wild. The males and females are normally similar in appearance but become different colors in the spawning season. This species of shiner was not discovered until 1962.
The swallowtail shiner is a North American species of freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae. It has a slender and long body of about 40–55 millimetres (1.6–2.2 in). The shiner has a pale yellow back with a blue stripe on its silver side. It also has a silvery white belly. Its fins are yellowish and it has a dorsal fin originating above the back half of the pelvic fin base and a tail fin with a black spot at its base. When viewed from above, two pigmented stripes are visible near the dorsal fin: one predorsally and the postdorsally. Its snout is either slightly pointed or slightly rounded. The swallowtail shiner lives in warm creeks and in river pools.
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 palezone shiner is a rare species of ray-finned fish in the family Cyprinidae. It is native to Alabama and Kentucky in the United States. It once occurred in Tennessee, but it has been extirpated from the state. There are two populations remaining. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.
The Texas shiner is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Notropis. It is found in the Colorado River to Rio Grande drainage from Texas and northeastern Mexico and the Rio Salado and Rio San Juan systems in Mexico to the lower Pecos River in Texas.
The popeye shiner is a North American species of freshwater cyprinid fish.
The bigeye shiner is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Notropis. This fish is a slender, silvery minnow with a dusky lateral stripe and a maximum total length of about 80 mm. Its distinct characteristic is its large-diameter eyes. It is a common species in upland streams of the middle Mississippi River system. Bigeye shiners prefer warm, quiet pools with clear water and silt-free substrates. Siltation, channelization, and gravel dredging are all threats to bigeye shiner populations. During spawning season, typically late April to August, bigeye shiners have several clutches of eggs. State agencies and the EPA have both played a role in the surveying of bigeye shiner populations. Populations have decreased in Ohio due mostly to habitat destruction. In addition to habitat destruction by humans, habitat alteration of the small streams and dried pools has also had a significant effect on abundance. Rivers and streams should not be channelized or modified in any way, which is becoming an increasingly popular trend in urban locations. Agricultural areas and properties within the watershed should adhere to regulations to prevent runoff into the streams.
The redlip shiner is a North American species of freshwater cyprinid fish. This shiner can be found in a few streams located in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. It inhabits rocky pools of clear headwaters, creeks and small rivers. Adults range in length from 40 to 55 mm.
The rainbow shiner is a North American species of ray-finned fish in the genus Notropis.
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 longnose shiner is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Notropis.
The carmine shiner is a freshwater fish species. In Manitoba, it was once known as the rosyface shiner. It is now recognized as a different species within the rosyface shiner species complex, largely based on zoogeographic information. 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.
The ironcolor shiner is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish from the family Cyprinidae, the minnows and carps. It is a widespread species in streams and rivers in eastern North America.
The blacktail shiner is a small freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae native to the United States.
The bleeding shiner is a freshwater ray-finned minnow in the family Leuciscidae, which was recently changed to distinguish between North American and Asian minnows. It occurs in tributaries of Ozark-draining tributaries of the Missouri, and Mississippi rivers in southern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas. Its preferred habitat is rocky and sandy pools and runs of headwaters, creeks and small rivers.
