Chihuahua shiner

Chihuahua shiner
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Vulnerable  (NatureServe)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Cypriniformes
Family:	Cyprinidae
Subfamily:	Leuciscinae
Clade:	Pogonichthyinae
Genus:	Notropis
Species:	N. chihuahua
Binomial name
Notropis chihuahua Woolman, 1892

The Chihuahua shiner (Notropis chihuahua) is a species of freshwater

The Chihuahua shiner is found in the Rio Grande drainage from near the mouth to mouth of Rio Conchos and lower Pecos River in Texas. It is also found in the smaller tributaries of the Rio Conchos in Chihuahua and Durango in Mexico where it is abundant.^[2]

Habitat and ecology

The Chihuahua shiner is a species of small to medium sized streams where it occurs in areas with gravel to sand substrates, in clear, cool, flowing waters; it has also been recorded over rubble bottoms with some boulders, bedrock and silt. It may occur where vegetation is present.^[3] Areas where it is found are often associated with springs.^[2] It has a long spawning season which lasts from March through to early August. The females have 400 to 900 mature ova in their ovaries and there are usually more males than females with the sex ratio varying from 1.3 males: 1 female to 1.6 males:1 female. Examination of the gut contents show that these fish prey mostly on small aquatic insects. The most common intestinal parasite is a nematode. They are known to live for up to two years.^[5]

Conservation

Threats to the Chihuahua shiner include the depletion of water in the tributary creeks which are critical to the breeding and rearing of young and the introduction of exotic fish which may compete with or prey on this species.^[3]

References