The bridle shiner (''Notropis bifrenatus'') is a member of the minnow 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 ...

). This species has been identified as being of ''Special Concern'' by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).

Distribution

The bridle shiner is found in eastern North America, from eastern

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...

, east to

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

, and south to

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 = ...

. In Ontario, it is found in lowland areas in the eastern Lake Ontario drainage and the

Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connectin ...

. The most stable population is found around the

Thousand Islands The Thousand Islands (french: Mille-Îles) constitute a North American archipelago of 1,864 islands that straddles the Canada–US border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. They stretch for abo ...

Characteristics

*Small, slender body; somewhat compressed laterally *Average adult length of 50 mm *Snout length usually smaller than eye diameter *Small, angular, terminal mouth *Large scales; lateral line incomplete *Straw-coloured, silvery dorsal side with a green-blue iridescence and silvery-white on ventral side *Prominent black lateral band from tail to snout *Males develop minute nuptial tubercles on the head, nape and pectoral fin

Habitat and life history

The bridle shiner is found in quiet areas of streams and occasionally in lakes. It is usually associated with abundant submersed aquatic vegetation and a river bottom composed of silt and sometimes sand. It uses the vegetation for protection, feeding, and spawning. It has been found in moderately turbid water, but prefers clear water.

Diet

The bridle shiner mainly feeds on

zooplankton Zooplankton are the animal component of the planktonic community ("zoo" comes from the Greek word for ''animal''). Plankton are aquatic organisms that are unable to swim effectively against currents, and consequently drift or are carried along by ...

and aquatic insect larvae such as

chironomid 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. Plant materials make up a small portion of its diet.

Threats

Like all members of the minnow family, they can be prey for larger fish species such as

northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus '' Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a ...

, smallmouth bass, and

yellow perch The yellow perch (''Perca flavescens''), commonly referred to as perch, striped perch, American perch, American river perch or preacher is a freshwater perciform fish native to much of North America. The yellow perch was described in 1814 by Samu ...

. This species is vulnerable to poor water quality and high turbidity, particularly in agricultural areas. In areas where

zebra mussel The zebra mussel (''Dreissena polymorpha'') is a small freshwater mussel. The species originates from the lakes of southern Russia and Ukraine, but has been accidentally introduced to numerous other areas and has become an invasive species in ma ...

s have

invaded An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing con ...

, the improved water clarity may benefit this species. The densely growing Eurasian

watermilfoil ''Myriophyllum'' (water milfoil) is a genus of about 69 species of freshwater aquatic plants, with a cosmopolitan distribution. The center of diversity for ''Myriophyllum'' is Australia with 43 recognized species (37 endemic). These submersed ...

aquatic plant hinders spawning areas for the minnow and may contribute to its decline.

Similar species

The sand shiner (''

Notropis stramineus The sand shiner (''Notropis stramineus'') is a widespread North American species of freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae. Sand shiners live in open clear water streams with sandy bottoms where they feed in schools on aquatic and terrestrial i ...

'') and mimic shiner ('' Notropis volucellus'') are similar, but lack a prominent lateral band. The bridle shiner is very similar to other black-lined shiners, including the pugnose shiner ('' Notropis anogenus''), blackchin shiner (''

Notropis heterodon The blackchin shiner (''Notropis heterodon'') is an abundant North American species of freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae. Described by Edward Drinker Cope in 1865, it is not a well-known species. It is a close relative of the blacknose ...

'') and blacknose shiner (''

Notropis heterolepis The blacknose shiner (''Notropis heterolepis'') is a species of fish belonging to the family Leuciscidae. Description The blacknose shiner is a soft-rayed species up to 9.8 cm with toothless jaws, but gill arches that contain one or two ro ...

''). The bridle shiner can be distinguished from pugnose and blackchin shiners by the lack of pigment on the lower jaw. Blacknose shiners also lack this pigment, but have a more subterminal mouth as well as eight anal rays: bridles typically have seven.

References

* Robert Jay Goldstein, Rodney W. Harper, Richard Edwards: ''American Aquarium Fishes''. Texas A&M University Press 2000, , p. 89 () {{Taxonbar, from=Q3034897 Notropis Fish described in 1867