Name:
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- Notropis, from the Greek, "back keel"
- heterodon, from the Greek, "varying tooth"
- Common name from the extension of the dark lateral band forward to the
lower jaw
- Other common names include: Black-chinned Minnow, Black-striped Minnow,
Shiner
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Taxonomy:
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- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Chordata, animals with a spinal chord
- Subphylum Vertebrata, animals with a backbone
- Superclass Osteichthyes, bony fishes
- Class Actinopterygii, ray-finned and spiny rayed fishes
- Subclass Neopterygii
- Infraclass Teleostei
- Superorder Ostariophysi
- Order Cypriniformes, minnows and suckers
- Family Cyprinidae, carps and minnows
- Genus Notropis, the eastern shiners
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Description:
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- A small black stripe minnow of northern lakes.
- Length 2"-3"
- Weight
- Coloration
- olive-straw overlaid with silvery on the back
- shading to silvery-white on the belly
- prominant lateral band from chin through eye to the tail, surrounding the
snout and lower mandible, giving rise to the common name.
- Body
- stout
- dorsal, anal, and pelvic fins of 8 rays
- pectoral fins of 12-14 rays
- scales on breast ahead of pectoral fins
- lateral line of 36 scales, but not all have pores
- Head
- mouth terminal, with an oblique angle
- barbel lacking
- pharyngeal teeth strongly hooked, with well developed cutting edges, in a 1, 4-4, 1 pattern
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Identification:
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Distribution:
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- North Dakota to Quebec, south to Iowa and New York.
- Abundant in the lake region of northern Minnesota.
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Habitat:
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- Slow, clear, vegetated water over a sand bottom in large streams and the
shallow parts of lakes.
- Appears intolerant of silt and is becoming uncommon over much of its range.
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Foods:
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- A great variety of prey, about half from open water and the other half
from vegetation, the surface, and the bottom.
- Aquatic insects and cladocera at the water's surface.
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History:
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Uses:
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- Its intolerance of silt and its need for dense weed beds make it a good
indicator of water quality.
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Reproduction:
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Comments:
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Links:
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Last updated on 18 October 1999
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