Swallowtail Shiner

Description

The swallowtail shiner (Miniellus procne) is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Leuciscidae, the shiners, daces and minnows. This species is found in North America. It has a slender and long body of about 40–55 millimetres (1.6–2.2 in). The shiner has a pale yellow back with a blue stripe on its silver side. It also has a silvery white belly. Its fins are yellowish and it has a dorsal fin originating above the back half of the pelvic fin base and a tail fin with a black spot at its base. When viewed from above, two pigmented stripes are visible near the dorsal fin: one predorsally and the postdorsally. Its snout is either slightly pointed or slightly rounded. The swallowtail shiner lives in warm creeks and in river pools. It is known to live in Atlantic drainages from New York to South Carolina. It may have been introduced to the New River system in Virginia, although it is possible that it is native there. It may have spread via canals into tributaries of Lake Ontario. It is often found near plants. The shiner eats insects, worms, mites, microcrustaceans, and algae. Juvenile shiners mature after a year and spawn from mid-May to July when the water reaches a temperature of 25.6 °C (78.1 °F). Fecundity is unknown in this species and it breeds well in aquariums. It is similar to the closely related Cape Fear shiner and sand shiner.

Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Swallowtail shiner”.