Longnose Dace
Rhinichthys cataractae
- Class
- Ray-finned fish
- Rarity
- Common
- Observations
- 1,966
- Most observed in
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Description
The longnose dace (Rhinichthys cataractae) is a freshwater minnow native to North America. Rhinicthys means snout fish (reference to the long snout) and cataractae means of the cataract (first taken from Niagara Falls). Longnose dace are small, typically less than 100 mm and characterized by their fleshy snout that protrudes past the mouth. They are well adapted for living on the bottom of fast-flowing streams among stones. Longnose dace eat algae and aquatic insects and are important forage minnows for larger predatory fish.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Longnose dace”.