Range and Identity
Hybognathus amarus historically occupied Rio Grande and Pecos waters in New Mexico and Texas. Historical range is not the same as current occupancy, which has contracted substantially. A record should retain its date and whether it concerns a natural population or a conservation release.
Habitat and Behavior
Adults prefer slower to moderately flowing water over silt or sand and silt. Pools, backwaters, shoreline areas and eddies behind debris provide habitat. Their elongated digestive tract and observed algal feeding support a largely plant-based diet, with small animals sometimes consumed incidentally.
Food and Life History
The agency upper reference is about 4.6 inches total length. Females release semi-buoyant eggs that drift with the current, and development speed depends on temperature. This mobile early stage differs from an adult sheltering near a bank or within a shallow eddy.
Field Note
Include life stage in habitat notes. Drifting eggs and larvae need to be understood alongside the quieter areas used by adults, rather than treated as contradictory observations.
All Lakes With Rio Grande Silvery Minnow
Browse all lakes and reservoirs with confirmed Rio Grande Silvery Minnow records in our database, listed alphabetically.
No published lakes are currently linked to this species in our confirmed records.