Mississippi Silvery Minnow

 

Characteristics

Elongate and slightly compressed body. The basioccipital process is broad with a concave tip. The snout overhangs the mouth, which has a blade-like lower jaw and is almost horizontal, but lacks a barbel. Pharyngeal teeth have broad grinding surfaces and are arranged in a 4-4 pattern. The complete lateral line has 37 to 30 scales. Dorsal and pelvic fins have 8 rays, while the anal fin may have 8 or 9 rays, and the pectoral fins have 15 or 16 rays. Coloration is pale-yellow to yellow, overlaid with silver on the back and sides, while the belly is white. A faint and dusky lateral line may be present.

Distribution

 

Widely distributed in the Mississippi River watershed including the Des Moines, Raccoon, Skunk, Iowa, Cedar, Wapsipinicon, Maquoketa and Turkey Rivers. Lives in the entire Mississippi River system from Louisiana to Minnesota and nearly all of the major stream systems except the Missouri River, where it is replaced with the Western Silvery Minnow.

Foods

State Record

State Records are not documented for non-game species.

Expert Tip

None

Details

This minnow prefers the main channels of the larger, more turbid rivers. They move about in large schools of 50 to 100 fish along the bottom of deep, quiet-water and feed by scraping the bottom ooze. Spawning takes place in late May or early June. Breeding males have yellowish fins. Adults may reach over 4-inches long.

Recent stream sampling information is available from Iowa DNR's biological monitoring and assessment program.