The Tennessee shiner (''Notropis leuciodus'') is a species of fish in the family

Cyprinidae 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 ...

, the carps and minnows. It is native to the

southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...

Description

This is a slender minnow about 5 to 6.5 centimeters long. A lateral band and a paler stripe run from the

gill A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are ...

s to the tail fin. There is a rectangular spot on the caudal peduncle. The scales along the back are dark and the belly is white. The breeding male is red-orange in color.Tennessee Shiner.
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. 2008.

Distribution

The fish is distributed throughout several river basins in the states of

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

.''Notropis leuciodus''.
NatureServe. 2013. It occurs in much of the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names, ...

drainage, especially the upper tributaries, and the

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

and

Green River Green River may refer to: Rivers Canada * Green River (British Columbia), a tributary of the Lillooet River *Green River, a tributary of the Saint John River, also known by its French name of Rivière Verte *Green River (Ontario), a tributary of ...

drainages. It occurs in the

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

and

Kanawha River The Kanawha River ( ) is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 97 mi (156 km) long, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The largest inland waterway in West Virginia, its valley has been a significant industrial region of the stat ...

systems, where it may be an

introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived there ...

. Its non-native range is not clear, but there are several sites to which it was likely introduced when it was used for bait and released.Nico, L. and P. Fuller
''Notropis leuciodus''.
USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, Florida, USA. Revised 2010.

Biology

This

freshwater fish Freshwater fish are those that spend some or all of their lives in fresh water, such as rivers and lakes, with a salinity of less than 1.05%. These environments differ from marine conditions in many ways, especially the difference in levels of s ...

lives in pools, creeks, and small to medium rivers. It prefers cool, clear waters over gravelly substrates.Froese, R. and D. Pauly. (Eds.
''Notropis leuciodus''.
FishBase. 2011. In this habitat it is associated with some of its congeners, such as the telescope shiner (''N. telescopus'') and the bigeye shiner (''N. boops''). Breeding has been observed in late spring. Males in breeding colors aggregate in swarms in shallow pools and are briefly visited by females, which

spawn Spawn or spawning may refer to: * Spawn (biology), the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals Arts, entertainment, and media * Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise ** '' Spawn: ...

and then depart. It may also spawn over the nests of other species, such as the

river chub The river chub (''Nocomis micropogon'') is a minnow in the family Cyprinidae. It is one of the most common fishes in North American streams. Appearance and anatomy The river chub is a robust minnow, dark olivaceous above to dusky yellow below, ...

(''Nocomis micropogon'') and

largescale stoneroller The largescale stoneroller (''Campostoma oligolepis'') is a fish in the family Cyprinidae native to the eastern United States. Geographic distribution The largescale stoneroller is found natively in many of North American streams, rivers, lakes, ...

(''Campostoma oligolepis'').

Conservation

This is a widespread species with many populations which are likely stable or declining only slowly. There may be threats to local ecosystems, but the species faces no major threats and is not of high conservation concern.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q388110

Fish of the Eastern United States Freshwater fish of the Southeastern United States Fish described in 1868