Redlip shiner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Redlip shiner |
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Hybopsis chiliticus Cope, 1870 |
The redlip shiner (Notropis chiliticus) is a small freshwater fish found in North America. You can find this shiner in streams in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. It likes clear, rocky parts of creeks and small rivers. Grown-up redlip shiners are about 4 to 5.5 centimeters long. That's like 1.6 to 2.2 inches.
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What Does the Redlip Shiner Look Like?
The redlip shiner gets its name from its bright red lips! Its top, bottom, and tail fins also have a similar red color. This fish has a thin body that is a bit flat on the sides. Its top fin starts a little behind its belly fins.
It has a pointed snout that is wider than the space between its eyes. The mouth is slightly underneath its head. Redlip shiners have large eyes. They have special teeth in their throat, called pharyngeal teeth. These are counted as 2, 4-4, 2.
The body, not counting the tail fin, is about four times longer than its head. It is also about five and a half times longer than its body is deep. These shiners have about 34 to 37 scales along their side. They also have seven rows of scales between their top fin and the side line. There are usually 14 to 18 scales before the top fin.
A thin golden stripe runs along the top edge of its side line. A wider, silver stripe goes from its head to a dark spot on its tail. Redlip shiners usually have eight or nine rays in their anal fin.
Colors of the Redlip Shiner
Redlip shiners are mostly an olive-green color. They have scattered black spots on their sides. When it's time to breed, the male fish become very colorful! Their eyes turn a bright scarlet-red, and their bellies become red too. Their heads turn a bright yellow-gold. The males' fins also become yellow-gold, and their red lips look even brighter during this time.
Where Do Redlip Shiners Live?
The redlip shiner lives in clear, flowing pools. These are often found in the headwaters, creeks, and small rivers of the Piedmont and Appalachian Mountains. It is believed to live in the New River and Cape Fear river systems in North Carolina and Virginia.
This shiner has a very small living area in South Carolina. This is the southernmost part of where it can be found. Scientists think that redlip shiners might have been brought to other areas, like the PeeDee river system. However, it's also possible they were just not found there in the past because not enough samples were taken.
Redlip shiners like water that is cool or cold. They prefer areas with sandy, gravelly, or rocky bottoms.
Redlip Shiner Behavior and Reproduction
Redlip shiners breed when the water temperature is between 11.6 and 16.6 degrees Celsius (53 to 62 degrees Fahrenheit). The male shiners gather over the nests of another fish called the Nocomis leptocephalus.
The female shiner starts the spawning process. She swims over a nest until a male follows her. The nests are small pits. Once the male guides the female to the nest, they clasp together. Sometimes, there are "fake" nests nearby that the fish don't use. This suggests that the presence of live Nocomis leptocephalus fish is important for the redlip shiner. Other types of Notropis fish also show this behavior towards Nocomis fish.
Redlip shiners become old enough to breed in 1 to 2 years. They usually spawn around the month of May.
You can often find redlip shiners swimming in groups of a dozen or more. They usually stay in the middle of the water. They are often seen swimming with other minnows, like the crescent shiner.
See also
- Cyprinidae
- Notropis
- Nocomis
- Nocomis leptocephalus
- Luxilus cerasinus
