Animal Diversity Web

Geographic Range

Pugnose shiners are mostly restricted to the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins from eastern Ontario and western New York to southeastern North Dakota and central Illinois, where they are now extirpated. They can also be found in the Red River drainage (Hudson Bay basin) of Minnesota and South Dakota. ("COSEWIC assessment and update status report on the pugnose shiner in Canada.", 2002; Derosier, 2004; Page and Burr, 2011)

• Biogeographic Regions
• nearctic
  • native

Habitat

Pugnose shiners inhabit clear vegetated lakes as well as similar habitats in pools and runs of low gradient streams and rivers. They are extremely intolerant to turbidity. (Derosier, 2004)

• Habitat Regions
• temperate
• freshwater

• Aquatic Biomes
• lakes and ponds
• rivers and streams
• temporary pools

• Range depth

  2 (high) m

  6.56 (high) ft

Physical Description

Pugnose shiners have a very small mouth that sits at an extremely sharp upward angle. Laterally, they are silver-colored with a dark midlateral stripe, which extends anteriorly around the snout and posteriorly to form a wedge on the base of the caudal fin. Dorsally, they show a yellow to olive color, as well as a thin, dark line along the back. (Page and Burr, 2011)

Pugnose shiners have a black peritoneum, which helps to distinguish them from the similarly colored pugnose minnow (Opsopoeodus emiliae), which has a silvery-white peritoneum. They have clear fins with 7 or 8 anal fin rays, and a complete lateral line, which distinguishes this species from the brindle shiner (Notropis bifrenatus), which has a similar appearance, but has an incomplete lateral line. (Page and Burr, 2011)

• Other Physical Features
• ectothermic
• bilateral symmetry

• Range length

  20 to 59 mm

  0.79 to 2.32 in

• Average length

  46 mm

  1.81 in

Development

There are no direct studies of pugnose shiner development. Studies of the early development and life history of two related species, N. girardi and N. rubellus, indicate that Notropis eggs generally hatch one to two days after fertilization. Larvae possess a large yolk sac that is absorbed approximately four days after hatching, which corresponds with the development of mouth parts. The pectoral and caudal fin buds are visible on hatching, followed by the development of the dorsal, anal, and pelvic fins. The air bladder is formed after approximately one week of development. Growth is rapid in the first two months, and slows considerably afterwards. (Moore, 1944; Reed, 1958)

Reproduction

Sexual dimorphism occurs within pugnose shiners. In males the pelvic fin extends beyond the anal opening, while in females it does not. Both males and females have multiple mates. (Becker, 1983)

• Mating System
• polygynandrous (promiscuous)

Pugnose shiners spawn in densely vegetated shallow water with a maximum depth of 2m. Spawning generally occurs when the water temperature is between 21°C to 29°C. (Bouvier, et al., 2010)

• Key Reproductive Features
• semelparous
• seasonal breeding
• sexual
• fertilization
  • external
• broadcast (group) spawning
• oviparous

• Breeding interval

  Breeding interval in pugnose shiners is not known.

• Breeding season

  Spawning and fertilization occurs in the summer.

• Range number of offspring

  530 to 1275

• Range time to hatching

  1 to 3 days

• Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)

  1 to 2 years

• Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)

  1 years

• Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)

  1 to 2 years

• Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)

  1 years

Pugnose shiners do not build nests for spawning. They instead scatter eggs randomly and do not defend them after spawning. (Stewart and Watkinson, 2004)

• Parental Investment
• pre-fertilization
  • provisioning
  • protecting
    • female

Lifespan/Longevity

Very little information is known the longevity of this species or any other species within the genus Notropis. The oldest known pugnose shiner caught was 3 years old, which corresponds with the maximum age indicated for the Arkansas River shiner, N. girardi. (Bouvier, et al., 2010; Moore, 1944; Stewart and Watkinson, 2004)

Behavior

Pugnose shiners are known to feed, travel, and spawn in schools. Very little information is known about their behavior because of the rarity of this species. (Becker, 1983)

• Key Behaviors
• natatorial
• motile

Home Range

No information is available regarding territoriality or home range in pugnose shiners.

Communication and Perception

There is no known specific information about pugnose shiner communication abilities and environmental perception. However, as a member of the superorder Ostariophysi, their first four vertebrae are modified to form a Weberian apparatus, which connects the swim bladder with the auditory system, and enhances the ability to detect auditory stimuli. As a member of the genus Notropis, pugnose shiners also possess (as do many other members of the Ostariophysi) an alarm substance called "Shreckstoff" that is released when an individual is injured, and can act as a warning signal to other pugnose shiners (or other closely related species) in the area. There is evidence, however that the alarm substance of Ostariophysan fishes may also attract additional predators to the area where it is released. (Nelson, 2006; Smith, 1992)

• Communication Channels
• visual
• chemical

• Perception Channels
• visual
• tactile
• acoustic
• vibrations
• chemical

Food Habits

Pugnose shiners are omnivorous. They consume various animal and plant products up to 2 mm in size. Examples of food items include: Chara vulgaris, Daphnia ambigua, Bosmina longirostris, and Hirudo medicinalis. ("COSEWIC assessment and update status report on the pugnose shiner in Canada.", 2002)

• Primary Diet
• carnivore
  • eats eggs
  • insectivore
  • vermivore
• herbivore
  • algivore
• omnivore
• detritivore

• Animal Foods
• eggs
• insects
• terrestrial worms

• Plant Foods
• algae

Predation

Pugnose shiner predators include larger fishes. (Bouvier, et al., 2010)

Ecosystem Roles

Little information is known about pugnose shiners and the ecological roles associated with the species. They are low to middle level consumers and "the rarity of the species probably limits its significance in nutrient transfer in its community". It is also important to point out the damage two invasive species have caused. Cyprinus carpio (common carp) and Myriphyllum spicatum (Eurasian water milfoil) are considered greater threats to pugnose shiners than predation itself. These two species cause loss of biodiversity within the ecosystems pugnose shiners inhabit and outcompete them for resources. (Stewart and Watkinson, 2004)

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

Pugnose shiners are too rare to have any direct economic impact, but they are a good indicator species for the overall health of the ecosystem. (Stewart and Watkinson, 2004)

• Positive Impacts
• ecotourism

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

There are no known adverse effects of pugnose shiners on humans.

Conservation Status

This species is rare throughout its range, and has been identified as threatened, endangered, or of special concern in nearly all of the states where it occurs (Ohio is the exception), as well as in Canada. They are listed as "Near Threatened" by the IUCN Red List.

• IUCN Red List

  Near Threatened

• US Federal List

  No special status

• CITES

  No special status

• State of Michigan List

  Endangered

Contributors

Lindsay Wright (author), Minnesota State University, Mankato, Jeremy Wright (author, editor), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Robert Sorensen (editor), Minnesota State University, Mankato, Catherine Kent (editor), Special Projects.

References

2002. "COSEWIC assessment and update status report on the pugnose shiner in Canada." (On-line). Accessed April 14, 2011 at http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection/CW69-14-309-2003E.pdf.

2003. "Development and Growth in fish" (On-line). Earthlife.net. Accessed May 02, 2011 at http://www.earthlife.net/fish/development.html.

2006. "Rare species explorer-Notropis anogenus" (On-line). Michigan natural features inventory. Accessed April 14, 2011 at http://web4.msue.msu.edu/mnfi/explorer/species.cfm?id=11316.

Becker, G. 1983. Fishes of Wisconsin. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.

Bouvier, L., A. Boyko, N. Mandarak. 2010. Information in support of a recovery potential assessment of Pugnose shiner in Canada. Fisheries and Oceans-Canada, 23: 23. Accessed May 02, 2011 at http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2011/mpo-dfo/Fs70-5-2010-009.pdf.

Derosier, A. 2004. "Special Animal Abstract for Nortopis anogenus (pugnose shiner)." (On-line). Michigan Natural Features. Accessed April 20, 2011 at http://web4.msue.msu.edu/mnfi/abstracts/zoology/Notropis_anogenus.pdf.

Moore, G. 1944. Notes on the early life history of Notropis girardi. Copeia, 1944: 209-214.

Nelson, J. 2006. Fishes of the World, 4th Edition. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons, Inc..

Page, L., B. Burr. 2011. Peterson Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of North America North of Mexico, 2nd Edition. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Reed, R. 1958. The early life history of two cyprinids, Notropis rubellus> and <<Campostoma anomalum pullum. Copeia, 1958: 325-327.

Smith, R. 1992. Alarm signals in fishes. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, 2: 33-63.

Stewart, K., D. Watkinson. 2004. The Freshwater Fishes of Manitoba. Winnipeg: Univeristy of Manitoba Press. Accessed May 02, 2011 at http://books.google.com/books?id=VyzuWkePgtsC&pg=PA81&dq=freshwater+fishes+Notropis+anogenus&hl=en&ei=-fy-TavLEOnc0QHs_6TaCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CD4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=freshwater%20fishes%20Notropis%20anogenus&f=false.