Identity
This database entry uses Notropis girardi. Recent references also use Alburnops girardi for the same species. The name change should not result in a second profile or a different fish being attached to the existing record.
Size and Weight
A published summary gives 8 cm total length, about 3.1 inches. Some agency descriptions give an adult size nearer two inches. The larger published maximum is not an ordinary adult measurement. A maximum weight was not verified.
Habitat and Food
The species uses flowing water over sand. Aquatic invertebrates provide food, and research describes feeding near the bottom. Its habitat needs differ from those of a fish that completes its life cycle within a still pond.
Reproduction and Conservation
Spawning releases eggs into the current. The eggs remain in transport during development, making continuous flowing reaches important. River fragmentation and altered flows can disrupt the conditions that connect spawning with successful recruitment.
The River Carries the Next Generation
Semi-buoyant eggs move with the flow rather than remaining attached to a nest. Suitable river length and current help keep that early life stage moving. The life cycle explains why conserving an isolated patch of water may be insufficient for this shiner.
All Lakes With Arkansas River Shiner
Browse lakes and reservoirs with documented Arkansas River Shiner records, listed alphabetically. Records do not establish current abundance or public access. Check the evidence and managing authority for the water you choose.
No published lakes are currently linked to this species in our confirmed records.