Cyprinella spiloptera (Cope, 1867)
Spotfin shiner
Cyprinella spiloptera
photo by Dextrase, A.

Family:  Leuciscidae (Minnows), subfamily: Pogonichthyinae
Max. size:  12 cm TL (male/unsexed); max. reported age: 5 years
Environment:  benthopelagic; freshwater
Distribution:  North America: Atlantic Slope from St. Lawrence drainage in Quebec, Canada to Potomac River drainage in Virginia, USA; Great Lakes (except Lake Superior), Hudson Bay (Red River) and Mississippi River basins from Ontario, Canada and New York to North Dakota and south to Alabama and eastern Oklahoma, USA; isolated populations in Ozarks, USA.
Diagnosis:   
Biology:  Inhabits sand and gravel runs and pools of creeks, and small to medium (sometimes large) rivers (Ref. 5723, 86798). Adults feed on surface insects and aquatic immatures (Ref. 10294). Spawning season is from mid-June to mid-August. Eggs are deposited in crevices of rocks and logs and are defended by males (Ref. 27549).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 17 November 2011 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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