Saffron shiner

Saffron shiner
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Cypriniformes
Family:	Cyprinidae
Subfamily:	Leuciscinae
Clade:	Pogonichthyinae
Genus:	Notropis
Species:	N. rubricroceus
Binomial name
Notropis rubricroceus (Cope, 1868)

The saffron shiner (Notropis rubricroceus) is a North American species of ray-finned fish in the genus Notropis. It is found in cold, clear rocky streams and creeks in the Tennessee River drainage.^[2] Characteristics are a relatively deep body, dorsal fin origin above back half of pelvic fin base, medium-sized eye, narrow rounded snout, sub-terminal mouth, elongate spot at base of tail fin, dark side stripe on back half of body, olive back, silver sides, white belly, fins pale except for black mark on tail fin, and breeding males will be bright red with blue stripe on the side.^[3] The adults grow to between 40–60 millimetres (1.6–2.4 in) in length and mature to reproductive status in one to two years. When spawning the females release approximately 440 to 1200 eggs and they either spawn over a chub nest or in gravel runs without a nest. Food sources for saffron shiners consist of insects, worms, spiders, plants and algae.^[4]

References

1. NatureServe (2013). "Notropis rubricroceus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T202322A18229667. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T202322A18229667.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
2. Etnier, David A. and Wayne C. Starnes. 1993. The Fishes of Tennessee. University of Tennessee Press. Knoxville, Tennessee.
3. Robert Jay Goldstein, Rodney W. Harper, Richard Edwards: American Aquarium Fishes. Texas A&M University Press 2000, ISBN 978-0-89096-880-2, p. 112 (restricted online copy, p. 112, at Google Books)3e
4. Dr. Lou Helfrich, Dr. Tammy Newcomb, Dr. Eric Hallerman, & Dr. Ken Stein: Efish:The Virtual Aquarium. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.