ANIMAL: Rosyface Shiner Notropis rubellus Type of Animal: Cyprinid Habitat: Clear waters w/ moderate to fast current over gravel/rock/rubble/sand: creek pools, small river pools, creek riffles, riffles in small rivers, in/around riffles of moderate-sized to large streams, deeper stream pools, stream eddies, swifter areas of large & moderate-sized streams, riffles at pool heads, creeks Location(s): C & E US as well as small parts of SE Canada Appearance: Small spindle-shaped fish w/ silvery sides, transparent fins, blue & green lateral iridescent stripes, pointed snout, forked tail fin, breeding males have rosy faces, breeding females show minimal red, pectoral/pelvic fins in abdominal region Food/Diet: Insects, insect larvae, fish eggs, algae, diatoms Status in Wild: Stable Conservation: Population monitoring in certain parts of range Lifestyle: Schools of 12-120 fish Additional Info: Called: Male Female Young: Fry Group: School Gestation: 2.5 days Life Span: 2-3 years Body Length: Adult: 2-3 in Young: 0.197 in Mature at a year old. Males grow faster before females & often live shorter. Spawn in schools, vibrating over depression for 5-6 seconds, then stopping for 30 seconds, then repeating cycle for 5 minutes before moving away from spawning riffle. After 10 minutes, fish move back towards spawning riffle. Females deposit 450-1,500 eggs per spawning season. Often school w/ other minnow species. Typically spawn in May & June. These fish will spawn over nests of other Nocomis species as well as those of Common Shiners & different sunfish species. Sometimes hybridize w/ other Nocomis species as well as Common Shiners. In some areas where Silver Shiner present, this species spawns before Silver Shiners avoiding hybridization. Due to strong preference for clear waters, they may be important indicators of habitat health. Fun Fact(s): These fish have been known to jump out of water to catch flying insects. These fish sometimes used as bait.
