Lepidomeda mollispinis
Virgin Spinedace
NS
G2
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Cypriniformes (Carps and Minnows)
Cyprinidae (Carps and Minnows)
Lepidomeda
Lepidomeda mollispinis (Virgin Spinedace)
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
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Characters
Body shape: elongated. Lepidomeda molispinis can be distinguished by the following characters: scales on lateral line 77-91; anal fin with 9 rays; pharyngeal teeth 2,5-4,2; rounded snout; large terminal mouth; large males with red-orange at paired and anal fin bases, upper edge of gill cover, sometimes on belly; and opercle with black specks confined to upper half (Ref. 86798).
Distribution
North America: Virgin River system in Utah, Nevada and Arizona, USA. Two subspecies were recognized: Lepidomeda mollispinis mollispinis and Lepidomeda mollispinis pratensis
Habitat Associations
Freshwater. demersal. Found in: streams.
Biology
Inhabits gravel and sand-bottomed flowing pools and runs of fast and usually clear creeks and small rivers (Ref. 86798).
Max length: 15.0 cm TL; common length: 7.2 cm TL; max age: 3 years.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external.
IUCN Red List Status: Vulnerable (VU), assessed 2012-03-02. Resilience: High (tmax=3).
References
Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr (2011) A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 663p.
Comments On Lepidomeda mollispinis