FIELD BOOK OF PONDS AND STREAMS 



Minnows and Carps — CyprinidcB 



The minnow family, CyprinidcB, contains over a thousand 

 species of North American fresh water fishes, many of which 

 are difficult to distinguish from each other. Familiar mem- 

 bers of the family are the large German carp or lake trout of 

 the markets, gold fish, and such small fishes as the dace, chub 

 and brook minnows. 



Fig. 

 nasus. 



274. — Black-nosed dace, Rhinicthys atro- 



Black-nosed dace, Rhinicthys atronasus. — This is a little 

 minnow (Fig. 274) usually less than three inches long, which 

 can be caught by shuffling the stones and gravel of brook beds, 

 at the same time holding the net on the downstream side of 

 them (p. 34). During the fall and winter months they are 

 almost sure to be carrying young mussels on their fins (p. 319). 



The "black-nose" is marked by a broad black band which 

 runs along each side of its bo^y from the tip of the nose back 

 to the tail, separating the olive green of the back from the 

 silver}'" white of the underside. The short underjaw makes 

 its head look blunt. 



Black-nosed dace avoid the wide creeks and live in little 

 streams where there are rapids and clear pools. They are 

 nearly always found in trout streams and brook trout are 

 known to eat the young ones. The}^ breed in spring and early 

 summer. Then the male's fins are tinged with red and the 

 long black stripe is bordered with bronze. Although they 



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