Dusky shiner
The dusky shiner is a small freshwater minnow belonging to the family Cyprinidae, specifically the species Notropis cummingsae. Typically measuring between 1 1/5 to 2 1/2 inches long, these fish are characterized by their dark scales, a coppery-brown lateral band, and a distinctive steel blue stripe along their sides. Found primarily in the blackwater acid streams of the southeastern United States, their habitat ranges from the Neuse River in North Carolina to northern Florida and eastern Alabama, often inhabiting areas with firm, sandy bottoms. Dusky shiners are carnivorous, feeding on small insects and zooplankton, and they are preyed upon by larger fish, mammals, and reptiles. They are commonly used as bait by fishermen, making them a popular choice in recreational fishing. The mating season for dusky shiners occurs in the spring, with spawning typically happening over hard, sandy substrates. The young, known as fry, develop independently of their parents and have a lifespan of about three years. With their vibrant appearance and ecological significance, dusky shiners play an important role in their aquatic environments.
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Dusky shiner
Like other minnows, dusky shiners are often sold commercially by bait dealers. Fishermen use dusky shiners as bait to catch larger fish. These little minnows are also frequently caught themselves, especially by children fishing from the edges of lake docks.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Cyprinidae
Genus: Notropis
Species: Cummingsae
Dusky shiners grow to between 1 1/5 and 2 1/2 inches (30 to 60 millimeters) long. They have dark scales on their backs with a light coppery-brown band along their sides. They have a steel blue stripe running the length of their sides. Dusky shiners have short, flattened heads, large fins, and stout bodies.
Like many fish, dusky shiners breathe through gills on the sides of their heads. They take water into their mouths, use the oxygen from the water, and filter the waste chemicals out through their gills. Dusky shiners process oxygen in this way because they do not have lungs and cannot breathe oxygen from the air.
These freshwater minnows live in the blackwater acid streams throughout the southeastern United States from the Neuse River in North Carolina southward to northern and western Florida and eastern Alabama. They are found in places where the sand is packed hard and firm against the bottom of the stream.
Like other fish, dusky shiners move through their watery homes using their fins. They balance themselves in the water with their dorsal and anal, or back and belly, fins, while their caudal, or tail, fins move from side to side propelling them through the water. Dusky shiners also use their pairs of pectoral and pelvic fins as paddles.
Dusky shiners are carnivorous fish. This means they live on a diet of meat alone. They feed on small insects and tiny, microscopic organisms called zooplankton. Larger fish, mammals, and reptiles prey on dusky shiners. Humans use dusky shiners as bait to catch other fish.
The mating season for dusky shiners takes place in the spring, most likely from May to July. Schools, or large groups, of dusky shiners spawn near the bottom of their freshwater homes. Dusky shiners usually spawn, or mate, over hard, sandy ground. The females deposit their eggs and the males fertilize them. Young dusky shiners are called fry. Fry mature and develop independently of their parents.
Dusky shiners have a life span of about three years.
Bibliography
"Dusky." Outdoor Alabama, www.outdooralabama.com/shiners/dusky. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.
"Notropis Cummingsae." Florida Museum, www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/florida-fishes-gallery/dusky-shiner. Accessed 5 Apr. 2024.