Finescale dace
Encyclopedia
The finescale dace, Phoxinus neogaeus, is a species of freshwater fish in the Cyprinidae family of order Cypriniformes
. It is native to the northern portions of Minnesota
.
to areas of Minnesota
, and more southward to the areas that lie near the Great Lakes Basin
. The populations have been shown to inhabit areas in Minnesota
including Brule Lake
, as well as those bodies of water
occupying the Lake Superior
drainage areas of St. Louis and Cook counties. This species has also been found to live in the Great Lakes
drainage stream regions of Wisconsin
(although rarely seen in southern parts of Wisconsin
). Although more northernly distributed, they have been seen to exist as Glacial relict populations in the Sand Hills of Nebraska
, the Black Hills
of South Dakota
, Colorado
, and parts of Wyoming
.
is characterized by its large, blunt head, and dark lateral bands running parallel to the length of its bronze and black body. On each lateral line there may be more than 80 scales. These scales are classified as leptoid scales. The leptoid scales are thin and flexible and cover the extent of the body. Leptoid scales are divided in two groups of specificity. The finescale dace has what are called ctenoid scales, called this because of the cteni that run along the posterior area of the fish. A lateral line system exists on the fish and allows it to orient itself in moving water. Main row teeth are distributed 5-4 usually, but have been seen as 4-4, 4-5, and 5-5 as well. The fish has paired fins lying on the pectoral and pelvic fins. The pectoral fins lie on the sides of the body. The pelvic fins are placed in the thoracic position. They range in size from 60 millimetre long, about the length of an average person's thumb.
ponds provide them with the most satisfaction, however, as they are found hidden in the safety among sunken logs and downed brush. They prey on tiny invertebrates including small insects such water beetles. Their diet also includes a variety of crustacean
s, plankton
, algae
, and in the Northern parts of Minnesota
, fingernail clams.
, Minnesota
, and Canada
, as well as pets in home aquariums.
and ends in June
, when the internal temperature of the streams heat to at least 15 degrees Celsius. The yellow and red colors exhibited in the pigments on the underside of a male's body during breeding season alerts the female of sexual readiness. The brightly colored pigments attracted the more muted colored females to large indentations in the sandy bottom of the stream, underneath waterlogged timber and brush. The pair will shoot into the indentation together and the female will proceed to lay her eggs while the male begins to fertilize them with his sperm
. The eggs settle on the bottom of the floor and are left unattended by both parents. This breeding
process takes in total only fifteen to thirty seconds.
The spawning continues for several more days, which exhausts the female. She may lay several hundred more eggs in the span of the spawning season, depending much on her size and reproductive fitness. the eggs rest in the depressions and will hatch in 4 days if they have successfully avoided predation
.
The finescale dace has been seen to reproduce with the northern redbelly dace, Phoxinus eos, but produces hybrid offspring that are always females.
It is advantageous for females to grow larger and live longer than males. This way, they can reproduce longer and produce more supple eggs. Recorded in Minnesota
, the largest documented female was measured at 85 mm (3.3 in) long at approximately six years of age. In a similar location, the largest recorded male was 58 mm (2.3 in) long and roughly five years of age. However, it is typical to find both sexes living to three or four years at an average length of 60 millimetre long.
Cypriniformes
The Cypriniformes are an order of ray-finned fish, including the carps, minnows, loaches and relatives. This order contains 5-6 families, over 320 genera, and more than 3,250 species, with new species being described every few months or so, and new genera being recognized regularly...
. It is native to the northern portions of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
.
Distribution
The finescale dace occupies the regions ranging across the southern and northwest parts of CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to areas of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, and more southward to the areas that lie near the Great Lakes Basin
Great Lakes Basin
The Great Lakes Basin consists of the Great Lakes and the surrounding lands of the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in the United States, and the province of Ontario in Canada, whose direct surface runoff and watersheds form a large...
. The populations have been shown to inhabit areas in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
including Brule Lake
Brule Lake
Brule Lake forms part of the border between the States of Michigan and Wisconsin and is the headwater of the Brule River at .The source of the name is the Ojibwa name for the river, "Wisakota", meaning burned or burnt, which the French Voyaguers translated as Brulé....
, as well as those bodies of water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
occupying the Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
drainage areas of St. Louis and Cook counties. This species has also been found to live in the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
drainage stream regions of Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
(although rarely seen in southern parts of Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
). Although more northernly distributed, they have been seen to exist as Glacial relict populations in the Sand Hills of Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, the Black Hills
Black Hills
The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, USA. Set off from the main body of the Rocky Mountains, the region is something of a geological anomaly—accurately described as an "island of...
of South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, and parts of Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
.
Description
Finescale dace gets its name from the fine scales running along its body The speciesSpecies
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
is characterized by its large, blunt head, and dark lateral bands running parallel to the length of its bronze and black body. On each lateral line there may be more than 80 scales. These scales are classified as leptoid scales. The leptoid scales are thin and flexible and cover the extent of the body. Leptoid scales are divided in two groups of specificity. The finescale dace has what are called ctenoid scales, called this because of the cteni that run along the posterior area of the fish. A lateral line system exists on the fish and allows it to orient itself in moving water. Main row teeth are distributed 5-4 usually, but have been seen as 4-4, 4-5, and 5-5 as well. The fish has paired fins lying on the pectoral and pelvic fins. The pectoral fins lie on the sides of the body. The pelvic fins are placed in the thoracic position. They range in size from 60 millimetre long, about the length of an average person's thumb.
Ecology
This fish is most often found in the cool, acidic waters of the north. More specifically, they are found in the calm waters of slow-moving creeks and in cool, boggy ponds. BeaverBeaver
The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
ponds provide them with the most satisfaction, however, as they are found hidden in the safety among sunken logs and downed brush. They prey on tiny invertebrates including small insects such water beetles. Their diet also includes a variety of crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s, plankton
Plankton
Plankton are any drifting organisms that inhabit the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. That is, plankton are defined by their ecological niche rather than phylogenetic or taxonomic classification...
, algae
Algae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
, and in the Northern parts of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, fingernail clams.
Importance to humans
Finescale daces are predated on by a multitude of species including diving beetles, mink, brook trout, and kingfishers, but however, are not consumed by humans. Instead, they are sold as bait in many parts of Minnesota and Canada.Conservation status
No concern is taken for the populations of finescale dace. Their resiliency and sturdiness make them a great species for the bait industry in WisconsinWisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, as well as pets in home aquariums.
Life cycle
Breeding begins in AprilApril
April is the fourth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and one of four months with a length of 30 days. April was originally the second month of the Roman calendar, before January and February were added by King Numa Pompilius about 700 BC...
and ends in June
June
June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and one of the four months with a length of 30 days. Ovid provides two etymologies for June's name in his poem concerning the months entitled the Fasti...
, when the internal temperature of the streams heat to at least 15 degrees Celsius. The yellow and red colors exhibited in the pigments on the underside of a male's body during breeding season alerts the female of sexual readiness. The brightly colored pigments attracted the more muted colored females to large indentations in the sandy bottom of the stream, underneath waterlogged timber and brush. The pair will shoot into the indentation together and the female will proceed to lay her eggs while the male begins to fertilize them with his sperm
Sperm
The term sperm is derived from the Greek word sperma and refers to the male reproductive cells. In the types of sexual reproduction known as anisogamy and oogamy, there is a marked difference in the size of the gametes with the smaller one being termed the "male" or sperm cell...
. The eggs settle on the bottom of the floor and are left unattended by both parents. This breeding
Breeding
Breeding is the reproduction, that is, producing of offspring, usually animals or plants:* Breeding in the wild, the natural process of reproduction in the animal kingdom* Animal husbandry, through selected specimens such as dogs, horses, and rabbits...
process takes in total only fifteen to thirty seconds.
The spawning continues for several more days, which exhausts the female. She may lay several hundred more eggs in the span of the spawning season, depending much on her size and reproductive fitness. the eggs rest in the depressions and will hatch in 4 days if they have successfully avoided predation
Predation
In ecology, predation describes a biological interaction where a predator feeds on its prey . Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation always results in the death of its prey and the eventual absorption of the prey's tissue through consumption...
.
The finescale dace has been seen to reproduce with the northern redbelly dace, Phoxinus eos, but produces hybrid offspring that are always females.
It is advantageous for females to grow larger and live longer than males. This way, they can reproduce longer and produce more supple eggs. Recorded in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, the largest documented female was measured at 85 mm (3.3 in) long at approximately six years of age. In a similar location, the largest recorded male was 58 mm (2.3 in) long and roughly five years of age. However, it is typical to find both sexes living to three or four years at an average length of 60 millimetre long.