Silverjaw minnows (''Ericymba buccata'') are part of 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 ...

, which includes

carps Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. While carp is consumed in many parts of the world, they are generally considered an invasive species in parts of ...

and

minnows Minnow is the common name for a number of species of small freshwater fish, belonging to several genera of the families Cyprinidae and Leuciscidae. They are also known in Ireland as pinkeens. Smaller fish in the subfamily Leusciscidae are co ...

. With over 300 known species, there are more species of minnows native to North America's fresh waters than any other fish. Minnows can be hard to distinguish because many look alike.McClane, A.J. 1965. ''McClane's Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of North America''. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. All minnows have one

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through conv ...

, ventral fins near the

anus The anus (Latin, 'ring' or 'circle') is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to control the expulsion of feces, the residual semi-solid waste that remains after food digestion, which, d ...

, a

lateral line system The lateral line, also called the lateral line organ (LLO), is a system of sensory organs found in fish, used to detect movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the surrounding water. The sensory ability is achieved via modified epithelial ...

(in most species), and smooth, round cycloid scales.Page, L.M. and Burr, B.M. 2011. ''Peterson Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of North America North of Mexico''. Boston, New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Their jaws lack teeth, but they have one to three rows of

pharyngeal teeth Pharyngeal teeth are teeth in the pharyngeal arch of the throat of cyprinids, suckers, and a number of other fish species otherwise lacking teeth. Defining physical characteristics such as the number and type of fin rays, type of scales, and pattern of pharyngeal teeth are used to distinguish minnows. Silverjaw minnows have a head with a flat underside and large silvery-white chambers on the sides that form their complete lateral line system. Since these fish are relatively small, 2-3 inches in length, large numbers can exist in a small area and still find necessary resources. They are native to many streams and rivers in the United States in a

disjunct distribution In biology, a taxon with a disjunct distribution is one that has two or more groups that are related but considerably separated from each other geographically. The causes are varied and might demonstrate either the expansion or contraction of a s ...

Physical description

The silverjaw minnow has a

with many distinctive silvery-white pores connecting to an internal canal that helps the fish detect

prey Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the ...

.''Silverjaw minnow''. 2012. Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/species-and-habitats/species-guide-index/fish/silverjaw-minnow (accessed May 2016). One key feature of all minnows is that their dorsal fin has fewer than ten supporting structures, called

rays Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (gra ...

.Phillips, G.L., Schmid, W.D. and Underhill, J.C. 1982. ''Fishes of the Minnesota Region''. Minneapolis, Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press. Silverjaw minnows have eight soft-rays which are thin, flexible membranous structures. Their dorsal fin is over their pelvic region where their ventral fins are located. They are light tan with a dark line on their back and have darkly outlined scales. Another defining feature is the presence of breast scales, which distinguishes them from the

longjaw minnow The longjaw minnow (''Ericymba amplamala'') is a species of cyprinid fish that is endemic to the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country prima ...

. These fish are

edentulous Toothlessness, or edentulism, is the condition of having no teeth. In organisms that naturally have teeth, it is the result of tooth loss. Organisms that never possessed teeth can also be described as edentulous. Examples are the members of the ...

, lacking teeth on their jaws; however, they do have

pharyngeal teeth Pharyngeal teeth are teeth in the pharyngeal arch of the throat of cyprinids, suckers, and a number of other fish species otherwise lacking teeth. Their eyes are nearly atop their heads pointing upward. They have a slightly compressed body with the deepest part by the back of their neck. Their long snout which projects slightly past their subterminal mouth relates to their feeding behaviors as bottom dwelling fishes. Silverjaw minnows grow to be 2-3 inches in length.

Range/distribution

This species exhibits a

, existing in a northern and southern range in the United States.Nico, L. 2004. Notropis Buccatus. ''USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database''. https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=588 (accessed May 2016). The northern range extends from eastern Missouri to Maryland, extending north into the southern

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

and south to the Cumberland River Drainage in northern Tennessee. They commonly inhabit the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

, and Atlantic Coastal

tributaries A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage b ...

. The southern range includes areas of Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, and Georgia. Major habitats in this range include the

Apalachicola River The Apalachicola River is a river, approximately 160 mi (180 km) long in the state of Florida. The river's large watershed, known as the ACF River Basin, drains an area of approximately into the Gulf of Mexico. The distance to its fa ...

and

Pearl River The Pearl River, also known by its Chinese name Zhujiang or Zhu Jiang in Mandarin pinyin or Chu Kiang and formerly often known as the , is an extensive river system in southern China. The name "Pearl River" is also often used as a catch-all ...

drainage Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of a surface's water and sub-surface water from an area with excess of water. The internal drainage of most agricultural soils is good enough to prevent severe waterlogging (anaerobic conditio ...

Habitat

Silverjaw minnows exist in large schools at the bottom of shallow, freshwater creeks, streams, and small to medium rivers with gravelly or sandy floors. They prefer the continuously moving water of riffles. Typically they inhabit clear waters without silt.

Diet and feeding behavior

The silverjaw minnow is a bottom-feeder that feeds mostly during the day on prey of the order

Diptera Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced ...

including

chironomids The Chironomidae (informally known as chironomids, nonbiting midges, or lake flies) comprise a family of nematoceran flies with a global distribution. They are closely related to the Ceratopogonidae, Simuliidae, and Thaumaleidae. Many species s ...

(non-biting midges), ephemeroptera (mayflies), and

cladocera The Diplostraca or Cladocera, commonly known as water fleas, are a superorder of small crustaceans that feed on microscopic chunks of organic matter (excluding some predatory forms). Over 1000 species have been recognised so far, with many more ...

(water fleas).Hoyt, R.D. 1970. Food habits of the silverjaw minnow, Ericymba buccata cope, in an intermittent stream in Kentucky. ''American Midland Naturalist'', 84, 226-236. They also prey at night due to the low density of prey in the

benthos Benthos (), also known as benthon, is the community of organisms that live on, in, or near the bottom of a sea, river, lake, or stream, also known as the benthic zone. Their four main feeding behaviors are searching, mouthing, jabbing, and digging.Wallace, D.C. 1976. Feeding behavior and developmental , seasonal and diel changes in the food of the silverjaw minnow, Ericymba buccata cope. ''American Midland Naturalist'', 95, 361-376. The amount of food available and the behaviors of other individuals in the school influence which behavior is chosen. All behaviors involve skimming the bottom of the water source in search for food. Silverjaw minnows are selective feeders, only feeding on less than 50% of benthos organisms. They determine what food to consume through taste and

tactile Tactile may refer to: * Tactile, related to the sense of touch * Haptics (disambiguation) * Tactile (device), a text-to-braille translation device See also * Tangibility, in law * Somatosensory system, where sensations are processed * CD96 CD9 ...

senses.

Reproduction and life cycle

Silverjaw minnows have a typical life span of three to four years.Wallace, D.C. 1971. The age and growth of the silverjaw minnow, Ericymba buccata cope. ''American Midland Naturalist'', 86, 116-1127. Eggs hatch between late spring and late summer. Growth of fish in their second and third summers occurs from May or June to the end of July. Growth stops during the fall and winter months due to a slowed

metabolic rate Metabolism (, from el, μεταβολή ''metabolē'', "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run cell ...

Sexual maturity Sexual maturity is the capability of an organism to reproduce. In humans it might be considered synonymous with adulthood, but here puberty is the name for the process of biological sexual maturation, while adulthood is based on cultural definitio ...

is obtained late in their first summer or in their second summer.Etnier, D.A. and Starnes W.C. 1993. ''The Fishes of Tennessee''. Knoxville, Tennessee: The University of Tennessee Press. Adults typically

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: Ar ...

in mid-spring, but spawning occurs in July for the previous year's offspring. Eggs are scattered along the bottom substrate.

Importance to humans

The fishing industry economically profits from minnows as a commonly used bait. Minnows are also an important food source for larger game fish prized by fishermen.

Etymology

The silverjaw minnow gets its name from silvery-looking sensory organs along its jaw. The word ''minnow'' comes from the ancient Anglo-Saxon word for small, ''myne''. The scientific name, ''Ericymba buccata'' comes from the Greek word''eri'', meaning intensifying, the Greek word''cymba'', meaning cavity, and the Latin word''buccata'', meaning cheek.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3756770 Ericymba Fish described in 1865 Freshwater fish of North America