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The Mirror Shiner

Mirror Shiner is a freshwater minnow of the upper Tennessee drainage. It uses pools and backwaters even within steep streams where faster water is nearby.

Regional Range

Records include Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia within the upper Tennessee system. The scientific name is Notropis spectrunculus. A state-level locality is less precise than the tributary connection, especially where neighboring river basins support different small fishes.

Sheltered Patches

Rocky, sandy and muddy pools and backwaters occur in its habitat description. High-gradient creeks can contain these quieter patches alongside fast riffles. A steep stream should therefore not be described as uniform high-velocity habitat from bank to bank.

Size and Observation

The maximum reference is 7.9 centimeters total length. Body reflections change with lighting, so the common name should not replace structural identification. Preserve the head, body pattern, fins and actual pool or backwater locality when recording an observed fish.

Notice Quiet Water in Steep Streams

Backwaters and pools can occur in a high-gradient channel. Describe the patch occupied by the fish rather than only the stream’s overall slope.

All Lakes With Mirror Shiner

Browse all lakes and reservoirs with confirmed Mirror Shiner records in our database, listed alphabetically.

No published lakes are currently linked to this species in our confirmed records.

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