Missouri Department of Conservation
Home » Discover Nature » Field Guide

Sabine Shiner

Notropis sabinae
Family: 
Cyprinidae (minnows) in the order Cypriniformes (carps, minnows and loaches)
Description: 

A slender, silvery minnow with small eyes and a rather large, nearly horizontal mouth. Barbels absent. Front of dorsal fin base much closer to tip of snout than to base of tail fin. Undersurface of head distinctly flattened. Snout bluntly rounded, projecting slightly beyond upper lip. Upper jaw reaching past front of eye. Eyes directed slightly upward, rather than to sides, so lower margin of pupil is visible when fish is viewed from above.

Back pale olive-yellow without a definite streak along midline or dark edgings on scales. Sides silvery. Belly silvery-white. Fins plain. Breeding males without special colors but have small tubercles on snout, cheeks and jaws.

Size: 
Adult length: about 2 inches; maximum about 2½ inches.
Habitat and conservation: 
The Black River, in the stretch inhabited by this shiner, is a large, moderately clear river with a predominance of sand and small-gravel substrate. This species was collected near sandbars in slight to moderate current, and it lives on or near the bottom. Commonly found in association with the blacktail shiner, emerald shiner, Mississippi silvery minnow and the bullhead minnow.
Foods: 
Probably feeds on aquatic animals taken from the bottom.
Distribution in Missouri: 
Known only from a 25-mile stretch of the Black River in Butler County, where this stream flows from the Ozark Uplands into the Southeastern Lowlands.
Status: 
State Endangered; a Species of Conservation Concern in Missouri. It occurs in streams from southeastern Missouri to southeastern Texas. Being a lowland species, this fish has probably never been widespread in Missouri, and its continued presence in our state requires us to protect its small amount of current and potential habitat.
Life cycle: 
This species apparently spawns in the summertime. In Louisiana, the Sabine shiner breeds from early April through September, and females lay their eggs in groups at intervals during the spawning season. Most individuals mature during their second summer of life, and few survive beyond their third summer.
Human connections: 
You can learn a lot from a name. This minnow was first described from the Sabine River in Texas (suh-BEAN). Spanish explorers called the river “Sabine” because that was their word for the cypress trees lining its banks. The Black River in our state, home of this fish, is a lowland river, too.
Ecosystem connections: 
The Sabine shiner and its interwoven community of plants and animals are special creatures of a special world, perfectly suited not just to an aquatic environment, but to the peculiar transition zone between Ozark uplands and Bootheel lowlands.

Other Content You May Like

  • Taillight Shiner

    One of the rarest Missouri minnows, the taillight shiner is known only from a few localities in Southeast Missouri—in habitats representing the last remnants of low-gradient streams and swamps that once characterized that region.

  • Topeka Shiner

    Currently found in only a few Missouri streams, this endangered native minnow has declined precipitously because of environmental pollution, siltation and loss or alteration of habitat.

  • Cypress Minnow

    Missouri’s Bootheel lowlands are unlike any other place in the state, and many of the animals and plants that live there occur nowhere else within our borders. The cypress minnow, like the habitat it prefers, is in danger of vanishing from Missouri.

  • Flathead Chub

    This active, big-river fish formerly occurred along the entire length of the Missouri River. In the 1940s, it constituted 31 percent of all small fishes in the Missouri River! By the early 1980s, that figure was 1.1 percent. Today, it has all but vanished from our state.

  • Endangered Fish Benefit Landowners

    What's good for rare fish proves a boon for nearby landowners.

  • Scaleshell

    Rarely seen, this Endangered freshwater mussel has a thin and delicate shell that is strikingly beautiful inside.

  • Snuffbox

    The snuffbox has been classified as Endangered in Missouri and is a candidate for federal Endangered status. Perhaps it should also be a candidate for a new common name, since the popularity of snuff-taking is long past.

MDC's Mission, Vision, Priorities

MDC protects and manages Missouri's fish, forest, and wildlife resources.

We also facilitate your participation in resource-management activities, and we provide opportunities for you to use, enjoy and learn about nature.

Find out more

Discover Nature-Schools
Shortened URL
http://mdc.mo.gov/node/17762
Serving Nature and You

MDC protects and manages Missouri's fish, forest, and wildlife resources.
We also facilitate your participation in resource-management activities, and we provide opportunities for you to use, enjoy and learn about nature.

Featured Pic

Check out the featured picture and other images at the MDC Media Gallery

Visit the media gallery
Popular Topics

Follow MDC on Twitter Facebook YouTube Flickr Pinterest Slideshare MDC RSS feeds

© 2013 Conservation Commission of Missouri. All rights reserved.