The ribbon shiner (''Lythrurus fumeus'') is a species of freshwater fish of the

cyprinid Cyprinidae is a family of freshwater fish commonly called the carp or minnow family. It includes the carps, the true minnows, and relatives like the barbs and barbels. Cyprinidae is the largest and most diverse fish family and the largest verte ...

genus ''

Lythrurus ''Lythrurus'', the finescale shiners, is a genus of cyprinid fish found in North America. There are currently 11 species in this genus. Species * ''Lythrurus alegnotus'' ( Snelson, 1972) (warrior shiner) * ''Lythrurus ardens'' (Cope, 1868) (r ...

'' and is native to the United States.

Description

The ribbon shiner belongs to the family Cyprinidae. ''L. fumeus'' has a short snout that is rounded with a relatively large terminal mouth. The head is short with large eyes, and the diameter of the eye is greater than the length of the snout. The body is moderately deep, elongated, and laterally compressed. Its dorsal fin lacks the prominent black spot. This species has a dorsal fin that lacks the prominent black spot. The dorsal surface of the fish is typically an olive or straw color that has a silver overlay, and there is a dusky strip along its back. The ventral surface is a silvery white, and has a silver-black strip along its side. There are more than 21 predorsal scale rows, the scales are small, and there are 10-12 anal rays. The maximum length is 55 mm (2.16 inches).

Diet

Ribbon shiners school in mid or surface waters. In the wet season, 64% of their prey comes from the surface, while 34% of their diet comes from

benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "t ...

animals. During the dry season, when the feeding conditions are unfavorable, 37% of their diet comes from the surface, and 8%-21% comes from midwater and benthic animals.

Habitat

The ribbon shiners are commonly found in small to moderate sized calm streams. The streams can be clear to cloudy, and the sediment can range for sand, mud, clay, silt, or detritus.

Reproduction and life cycle

Ribbon shiners spawn during the late spring or summer. The breeding colors of the males is yellow, and there is no sexual dimorphism in adult sizes. They are broadcast spawners. There is currently no information about the age of maturation.

Distribution

The ribbon shiner is located in Gulf drainages from Lake Pontchartrain (Louisiana) to the Navidad River (Texas), and they are located in all drainage systems of Lake Pontchartrain, but excluding the Tangipahoa. They are also native to the Mississippi River Basin, from the lower Mississippi drainages to the Tennessee drainages, Central Illinois, southwestern Indiana, eastern Oklahoma, western Kentucky, to northwestern Alabama, and mostly fall below Fall Line but extends above in the Arkansas River drainage.

Etymology

''Lythrurus fumeus'' means smoky red tail, with ''Lythrurus'' coming from the Greek ''lythron'' and ''oura'', respectively meaning "blood" and "tail", whereas ''fumeus'' is Latin for smoky.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5602686 Lythrurus Fish described in 1892 Freshwater fish of the United States