The flagfin shiner (''Pteronotropis signipinnis'') is a species of is a species of freshwater

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians, is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of sk ...

belonging to the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Leuciscidae Leuciscidae is a family of freshwater ray-finned fishes, formerly classified as a subfamily of the Cyprinidae, which contains the true minnows. Members of the Old World (OW) clade of minnows within this subfamily are known as European minnow ...

, the shiners, daces and minnows. This species is found in North America.

Distribution

This freshwater species is

benthopelagic The demersal zone is the part of the sea or ocean (or deep lake) consisting of the part of the water column near to (and significantly affected by) the seabed and the benthos. The demersal zone is just above the benthic zone and forms a layer of ...

and usually occurs over sand near vegetation, in creeks, small rivers, and flowing pools and runs of headwaters. They are found in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in the

Apalachicola River The Apalachicola River is a river, approximately long, in the state of Florida. The river's large drainage basin, watershed, known as the ACF River Basin, Apalachicola, Chattahoochee and Flint (ACF) River Basin, drains an area of approximately ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

Pearl River The Pearl River (, or ) is an extensive river system in southern China. "Pearl River" is often also used as a catch-all for the watersheds of the Pearl tributaries within Guangdong, specifically the Xi ('west'), Bei ('north'), and Dong ( ...

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

, and parts of

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. They are also found in

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

but occur rarely.

Description

It is small and colourful, growing to between . The body tapers to a narrow caudal peduncle. Much of the sides are covered by a lateral band dark in colour. The caudal, dorsal and anal fins are yellow or red-orange with black marginal rays. Present on the caudal fin base are two bright sulfur-yellow spots, with the region between the spots being substantially darker. The flagfin shiner exists syntopically with the

sailfin shiner The sailfin shiner (''Pteronotropis hypselopterus'') is a species of is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Leuciscidae, the shiners, daces and minnows. This species is endemic to the southeastern United States. Desc ...

, ''P. hypselopterus'', and the two can be difficult to differentiate. It can be distinguished by its red fins, yellow tail spots, and smaller

nuptial tubercles Nuptial tubercles or breeding tubercles (also called pearl organs or nuptial efflorescence) are noticeable skin roughness or horny nodules that form on male fish during breeding. They are made of keratin, the same material as hair, hooves, and ...

Etymology

"Pteronotropis" means "winged keeled back", which refers to the breeding males' enlarged dorsal fin. "Signipinnis" means "banner fin", referring to the striking color of the median fins.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5478328 Pteronotropis Cyprinid fish of North America Fish of the United States Fish described in 1952 Taxa named by Reeve Maclaren Bailey Taxa named by Royal Dallas Suttkus