Distribution in Local Area:
Cannon Lake, Card Lake, Jimmies
Lake, Rock Lake, Salt Lake,
Name:
Phoxinus, from the Greek, a
name of a fish
eos, from the Greek, "dawn"
Common Name from the dark red belly of breeding males,
and its northern range
Taxonomy:
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata, animals with a spinal chord
Subphylum Vertebrata, animals with a backbone
Superclass Osteichthyes, bony fishes
Class Actinopterygii, ray-finned and spiny rayed fishes
Subclass Neopterygii
Infraclass Teleostei
Superorder Ostariophysi
Order Cypriniformes, minnows and suckers
Family Cyprinidae, carps and minnows
Genus Phoxinus, the redbelly daces
Description:
A small minnow of cool, acidic
northern waters
Length:
2"
Coloration:
black, olive to dark brown back
silver, cream below the dark band on its side; brilliant
red in breeding males
breeding fish have yellowish fins
Head:
snout short and blunt
Lifespan:
matures in second or third summer
lives at least 3 years
Habitat:
Boggy lakes, creeks, and ponds.
Often found in cool, dark, tea-colored, and slightly
acidic waters of northern bogs.
Prefers the slow parts of streams; only occasionally
found in moderate current.
Food:
Much plant material, including
diatoms and filamentous algae, as well as zooplankton,
aquatic insects, and occasionally fish.
Reproduction:
Spawns
in spring and early summer, with at least some females
spawning twice a year.
Spawning takes place on clumps of filamentous algae.
A female accompanied by one or more males darts from
one algal mass to another with a spawning embrace of
2 to 4 seconds at each one. During each spawning episode,
5 to 30 non-adhesive eggs are released and become entangled
in the algal filaments. The eggs hatch in 8-10 days
at 70º to 80º F.
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