BRASSY MINNOW 



BRASSY MINNOW Hybognathus hankinsoni 



Also called Grass Minnow. 



LIFE HISTORY 



Description. — Small minnow 

 with large, easily removed scales; 

 scales not small and crowded be- 

 liind head ; brassy sheen on sides of 

 body; snout blunt and rounded, 

 mouth small; fins short, rounded 

 on tip and free edges; lining of 

 body cavity black, intestine (coiled 

 like a watch spring) more than 

 twice as long as body. 



Range. — One of the most com- 

 mon and widespread bait fishes of 

 the Great Lakes region, except 

 Lake Erie in Ohio; ranges from 

 Montana to southern Ontario, and 

 the Lake Champlain region, south- 

 ward to Missouri, Nebraska, and 

 Colorado in the West. This min- 

 now is often found in small creeks, 



commonly in bog streams, and 

 sometimes in lakes. 



Breeding. — Little is known of its 

 spawning habits, but adhesive eggs 

 probably are scattered over bottom 

 sand, mud, or debris early in the 

 spring when water temperatures 

 reach 50° to 55° F. Growth is 

 slow and maturity probably is 

 reached at the age of 2 years with 

 a length of 2% to 3 inches. Larger 

 specimens may be raised in ferti- 

 lized ponds. 



Food. — The food of the brassy 

 minnow is varied. A summary of 

 food studies made by two investi- 

 gators indicates the following per- 

 centages : Zooplankton, 25.9 ; phyto- 

 plankton, 31.6; aquatic insects, 

 21.3 ; plants, 3.4 ; surface drift, 16.1 ; 

 and silt, 1.7. 



BLUNTNOSE MINNOW Hyborhynchus notatus 





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