The saffron shiner (''Notropis rubricroceus'') is a North American species of

ray-finned fish Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or h ...

in the genus ''

Notropis ''Notropis'' is a genus of freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae. They are known commonly as eastern shiners.''Not ...

''. It is found in cold, clear rocky streams and creeks in the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names ...

drainage.Etnier, David A. and Wayne C. Starnes. 1993. ''The Fishes of Tennessee''. University of Tennessee Press. Knoxville, Tennessee. Characteristics are a relatively deep body,

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through c ...

origin above back half of

pelvic fin Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral surface of fish. The paired pelvic fins are homologous to the hindlimbs of tetrapods. Structure and function Structure In actinopterygians, the pelvic fin consists of two e ...

base, medium-sized eye, narrow rounded snout, sub-terminal mouth, elongate spot at base of tail fin, dark side stripe on back half of body, olive back, silver sides, white belly, fins pale except for black mark on tail fin, and breeding males will be bright red with blue stripe on the side.Robert Jay Goldstein, Rodney W. Harper, Richard Edwards: ''American Aquarium Fishes''. Texas A&M University Press 2000, , p. 112 ()3e The adults grow to between in length and mature to reproductive status in one to two years. When spawning the females release approximately 440 to 1200 eggs and they either spawn over a

chub Chub is a common fish name. It pertains to any one of a number of ray-finned fish in several families and genera. In the UK, the term ''chub'' usually refers to the species '' Squalius cephalus''. In addition, see sea chub. In family Cyprinid ...

nest or in gravel runs without a nest. Food sources for saffron shiners consist of insects, worms, spiders, plants and

algae Algae ( , ; : alga ) are any of a large and diverse group of photosynthetic, eukaryotic organisms. The name is an informal term for a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from ...

.Dr. Lou Helfrich, Dr. Tammy Newcomb, Dr. Eric Hallerman, & Dr. Ken Stein: ''Efish:The Virtual Aquarium''. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3757082 Notropis Fish described in 1868