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rosyface shiner

rosyface shiner (Notropis rubellus)
Photo © Uland Thomas

Features and Behaviors

FEATURES

The rosyface shiner is about two to three inches in length. It is blue or green on the back and upper sides. There is a dark band on each side from the base of the tail fin to the back of the gill cover. The lower sides and belly are silver or white. The base of the dorsal fin is pink. The rosyface shiner has a slender body and a long snout. Teeth are present in the throat. The front edge of the dorsal fin is behind the front edge of the pelvic fin. The breeding male has bright orange or red on the head and pectoral fin bases and small bumps (tubercles) on the head, body and pectoral fin.

BEHAVIORS

The rosyface shiner may be found in the northern one-half of Illinois. It lives in clear, fast-moving creeks and rivers that have a gravel bottom. Rosyface shiners form schools with other minnows in riffles and clear pools that are silt-free. Spawning occurs in May and June. The male repeatedly swims at and collides with the female. Eggs are released and fertilized during these collisions. Approximately 450  to 1,500 eggs are deposited per spawning season. This species may spawn over the nests of other fishes. The rosyface shiner eats invertebrates. It lives for about three years.

Illinois Range

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia​
Phylum: Chordata​
Class: Actinopterygii​
Order: Cypriniformes​
Family: Leuciscidae

Illinois Status: common, native