Striped Shiner

Striped shiner male in spawning colors, side view photo with black background
Scientific Name
Luxilus chrysocephalus
Family
Cyprinidae (minnows) in the order Cypriniformes (carps, minnows, and loaches)
Description

The striped shiner is a rather large, deep-bodied minnow with large, silvery scales on the sides. The back is olive green with a broad dark stripe along the midline. The chin is darkened by a dusky pigment.

Striped shiners often hybridize with bleeding, duskystripe, and rosyface shiners since all share the spawning nests of the hornyhead chub; the offspring will share characteristics of both parents, making them more challenging to identify. The striped shiner is closely related to the common shiner, which is similar in appearance and ecology but has a more northern distribution.

Size

Total length: 3 to 5 inches; maximum about 7 inches.

Where To Find
image of Striped Shiner distribution map

Occurs mostly south of the Missouri River.

Occurs in clear, permanent-flowing streams with clean gravelly or rocky bottoms. It prefers relatively warm and quiet water, and it is less tolerant of turbidity than its close relative the common shiner.

Insects, fish, crustaceans, plant material, algae, and bottom ooze.

Nongame fish.

Media Gallery
Striped shiner male in spawning colors, side view photo with black background
Striped shiner, Luxilus chrysocephalus, male in spawning coloration
Lance Merry
1/2
Striped shiner
Jim Rathert
2/2
Striped shiner male in spawning colors, side view photo with black background
Striped shiner
Similar Species
About Fishes in Missouri
Missouri has more than 200 kinds of fish, more than are found in most neighboring states. Fishes live in water, breathe with gills, and have fins instead of legs. Most are covered with scales. Most fish in Missouri “look” like fish and could never be confused with anything else. True, lampreys and eels have snakelike bodies — but they also have fins and smooth, slimy skin, which snakes do not.