Southern Redbelly Dace
Chrosomus erythrogaster
- Class
- Ray-finned fish
- Rarity
- Common
- Observations
- 909
- Most observed in
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Description
The southern redbelly dace (Chrosomus erythrogaster) is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Leuciscidae, which includes the daces, chubs and related fishes. The natural geographic range extends from Western New York to Minnesota, and south to Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Alabama. This fish prefers flowing pools of creeks and streams. The extremely similar northern redbelly dace can be distinguished by a rounder, blunter head and a more upturned mouth, as well as by differences in spawning behavior. Also, male southern redbelly dace show a characteristic red belly in spring while their northern counterparts keep a white belly.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Southern redbelly dace”.