spot at the front base of the dorsal fin. The fins of the breeding 

 male are bright red with greenish bases, and the head is blue. 



Size. Adult, about 75 mm. long. 



Habitat. Common only in large, sluggish, muddy streams of 

 southeastern Michigan and southward. 



Breeding Habits. Spawning occurs in June. 



Food. Chiefly small crustaceans and insects. 



This minnow is a colorful aquarium fish. Little is known about 

 its behavior in captivity. 



Northern Steelcolor Shiner 

 (Notropis spiloptencs) 



Appearance. The body is strongly compressed and deep, partic- 

 ularly in larger fish. The scales are large, darkened at the edges, 

 distinctly diamond shaped on the front third or more of the fish, 

 an unusual characteristic helpful in identification. The eye is small 

 in proportion — less than one-fourth the length of the triangular 

 head. The appearance is brilliantly silver, with a dark line along 

 the middle of the back from head to tail. The small mouth slants 

 downward, the upper jaw concealing most of the lower. The breed- 

 ing males are among our most beautiful minnows. The back is 

 olive green, shading along the sides into metallic silver underlaid 

 with tinges of blue, green, and lavender. The under parts are paler, 

 or satin white. The male dorsal fin has a prominent black spot 

 posteriorly. The fins on the underside of the body are yellow and, 

 like the other fins, may have milky white edges. Tiny tubercles 

 ornament the top of the head and body of the breeding male. 

 Size. Adult length, 76-100 mm. 



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