The Topeka shiner (''Notropis topeka'') is a North American species of

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 ...

freshwater fish. The Topeka shiner is a type of minnow that does not grow longer than a few inches. This minnow is a shiny silver color its main physical characteristic is the black colored stripe that runs along the side of the body. It is distributed in the

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 ...

basin, from southern

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

and southeastern

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

south to central

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

and southern

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

. The Topeka shiner lives mainly in prairie streams. In order for the Topeka shiner to survive the water must be cold and clear. The streams in which this Minnow lives are typically consistent and run year long. In cases in which the stream does dry up, the Topeka Shiner needs to find a new stream or permanent body of water to survive. The Topeka shiner was listed as Endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1998. The species is endangered primarily because of the water quality need. This species relies on clean water to survive. When the streams water quality changes the Topeka shiner has difficulty adjusting to the changes. The water quality can change due to both environmental and human impact. A main cause for the decline in population is human activity. The water quality changes and the minnow are impacted when natural plant life is taken away. Any type of construction such as road work, new homes and other types of development can affect the habitat in which the Topeka shiner lives.

References

* USFWS Fact Shee

Iowa Dept. Agriculture and Land Stewardship
* Robert Jay Goldstein, Rodney W. Harper, Richard Edwards: ''American Aquarium Fishes''. Texas A&M University Press 2000, , p. 95 () Notropis, Topeka shiner Endemic fauna of the United States Fish of the Eastern United States Freshwater fish of the United States Fauna of the Plains-Midwest (United States) Natural history of Kansas

Topeka shiner The Topeka shiner (''Notropis topeka'') is a North American species of cyprinid freshwater fish. The Topeka shiner is a type of minnow that does not grow longer than a few inches. This minnow is a shiny silver color its main physical characteris ...

Taxa named by Charles Henry Gilbert {{Notropis-stub