Identification
A dark stripe runs from the snout along the side and expands into a roughly square spot at the tail base. A yellowish stripe can lie above it. The eye is relatively large, and dark pigment outlines scales on the back. Those details help separate it from other small striped shiners.
Streams and Food
The fish occurs in clear upland streams with gravel or bedrock, including cool spring-influenced reaches. Drifting insects are important foods, with plant material also reported. A record should retain whether the fish occupied a pool, run or spring-fed section rather than only naming the larger river.
Range and Spawning
The Coosa and Tallapoosa are principal systems, with upper Chattahoochee records also reported in regional accounts. Reproduction occurs in the warmer spring and summer period, with timing varying among accounts. The common reference length is well below the maximum, and both include the tail.
Follow the Stripe to the Tail
The enlarged tail-base spot is an important part of the pattern. A photograph cropped before the tail loses a useful identification feature.
All Lakes With Coosa Shiner
Browse lakes and reservoirs with documented Coosa 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.