Pimephales notatus
Bluntnose Minnow
NS
G5
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Cypriniformes (Carps and Minnows)
Cyprinidae (Carps and Minnows)
Pimephales
Pimephales notatus (Bluntnose Minnow)
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.
Distribution
North America: Great Lakes, Hudson Bay (Red River) and Mississippi River basins from southern Quebec to southern Manitoba, Canada and south to Louisiana, USA; Atlantic Slope from St. Lawrence River in Quebec to Roanoke River in USA; Gulf Slope from Mobile Bay drainage in Alabama to Mississippi River, USA.
Habitat Associations
Freshwater. demersal. Found in: streams, lakes.
Biology
Occurs almost anywhere in its range but most common in clear rocky streams (Ref. 3814, 10294); also inhabits large rivers, reservoirs and glacial lakes to the north. Feeds on algae, detritus, entomostraca, and immature insects, especially midge larvae and pupae (Ref. 10294).
Max length: 11.0 cm TL; common length: 6.5 cm TL; max age: 5 years.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; guarders (nesters). A hole nester.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2012-03-01. Resilience: Medium (tmax=5).
References
Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea and W.B. Scott (1991) Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. Am. Fish. Soc. Spec. Publ. (20):183 p.
Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr (1991) A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 432 p.
Balon, E.K. (1990) Epigenesis of an epigeneticist: the development of some alternative concepts on the early ontogeny and evolution of fishes. Guelph Ichthyol. Rev. 1:1-48.
Johnson, J.H. and D.S. Dropkin (1995) Diel feeding chronology of six fish species in the Juniata River, Pennsylvania. J. Freshwat. Ecol. 10(1):11-18.
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