Identification
This is a slender, compressed shiner with a pointed snout. A breeding male’s orange fins and orange-blue body are especially conspicuous. Females and fish outside breeding condition are less colorful, so the strongest colors should not be expected in every individual.
Size and Weight
A published maximum total length of 9 cm is about 3.5 inches. Total length includes the tail fin. Although body size is documented, a dependable measured maximum weight was not located and is omitted from Quick Facts.
Habitat and Natural Food
Small streams and ponds provide habitat within its southwestern range. It eats terrestrial and aquatic insects along with algae and other plant material. This mixed diet distinguishes its ecology from that of a fish depending entirely on other fishes for food.
Recovery and Fishing Context
Beautiful Shiner has been included in native-fish recovery work involving protected waters and refuge populations. It is a conservation species rather than a fish for which this profile recommends harvest. Keeping native aquatic habitats connected and limiting impacts from introduced predators are relevant to its recovery.
Color That Changes With the Season
The striking male breeding colors explain why this small shiner attracts attention. They are a seasonal display rather than a permanent appearance shared by both sexes, an important distinction when identifying a less colorful fish.
All Lakes With Beautiful Shiner
Browse all lakes and reservoirs with confirmed Beautiful Shiner records in our database, listed alphabetically.
No published lakes are currently linked to this species in our confirmed records.