Joseph R. Tomelleri. Used with permission.
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Ozark Minnow
Notropis nubilus
Family:
Cyprinidae (minnows) in the order Cypriniformes (carps, minnows and loaches)
Description:
Small slender minnow with dark yellow-olive back and upper sides. Dark-edged scales. Lower sides are silvery with a prominent dusky stripe at midline that extends forward past the eye. Midline of back has a dusky stripe overlain with a series of golden spots that are visible when the fish is in the water.
Size:
Total length: 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 inches; maximum to about 3 inches.
Habitat and conservation:
Most abundant in creeks and small rivers with gravelly or rocky bottoms and strong, permanent flow. Usually found in protected backwaters near riffles or in pools directly below riffles. Often seen in large schools with other common minnows such as bleeding, cardinal and duskystripe shiners.
Foods:
Omnivorous, feeding mostly on plant material with some animal matter.
Distribution in Missouri:
One of the most common minnow species in the Ozark uplands.
Life cycle:
3 years. Most active in daytime.
Similar Species
Creek Chub
Semotilus atromaculatus
Gizzard Shad
Dorosoma cepedianum
White Sucker
Catostomus commersoni
Cypress Minnow
Hybognathus hayi
Trout-Perch
Percopsis omiscomaycus
Spring Cavefish
Forbesichthys agassizi
Northern Studfish
Fundulus catenatus
Hornyhead Chub
Nocomis biguttatus
Golden Shiner
Notemigonus crysoleucas
Southern Redbelly Dace
Phoxinus erythrogaster
About Fishes in Missouri
Missouri has more than 200 kinds of fish, more than are found in most neighboring states. Fishes live in water, breathe with gills, and have fins instead of legs. Most are covered with scales. Most fish in Missouri “look” like fish and could never be confused with anything else. True, lampreys and eels have snakelike bodies — but they also have fins and smooth, slimy skin, which snakes do not.
