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channel shiner
channel shiner (Notropis wickliffi)
Photo © Uland Thomas
Features and Behaviors
FEATURES
The origin of the dorsal fin is about equally placed between the tip of the snout and the base of the tail. The stripe along each side of the body fades toward the head. Teeth are present in the throat. There are no scales on the breast. The back is yellow-green, and the sides and belly are silver-white. The fins are plain. Breeding males may have tubercles on their head and pectoral fins. Adults are about one and three-fourths to two and three-fourths inches long.
BEHAVIORS
The channel shiner lives in the Mississippi and Ohio rivers and the lower reaches of their large tributaries. As its name indicates, this species tends to live in the open river channel in schools near the surface often associated with other shiners. It spawns from late spring through late summer. The diet is composed of small aquatic animals.
Illinois Range
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Leuciscidae
Illinois Status: common, native
