Fish Familes:Cyprinidae

Family Cyprinidae

The minnows, shinners, dace, and chubs













Michigan species we have seen in the field:

bluntnose minnow, Pimephales notatus
fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas
golden shiner, Notemigonus crysoleucas
redside dace, Clinostomus elongatus
blacknose dace, Rhinichthys atratulus
stoneroller, Campostoma anomalum
creek chub, Semotilus atromaculatus
striped shiner, Luxilus chrysocephalus
common shiner, Luxilus cornutus
silver shiner, Notropis photogenis
river chub, Nocomis micropogon
horneyhead chub, Nocomis biguttatus
rosyface shiner, Notropis rubellus
spotfin shiner, Cyprinella spiloptera
emerald shiner, Notropis antherinoides
spottail shiner, Notropis hudsonius
silverjaw minnow, Notropis buccatus
sand shiner, Notropis stramineus

Key Characteristics of the family:
single soft rayed dorsal fin
toothless jaws, teeth in throat only
cycloid scales
most numerous group in numbers of species in Michigan