Pimephales promelas

Pimephales promelas
Fathead Minnow – Pimephales promelas
FamilyScientific NameAuthorYearCommon Name
LeuciscidaePimephales promelasRafinesque1820Fathead Minnow

Pimephales promelas

Unique Characters: Much smaller scales on nape than elsewhere. Second ray of dorsal fin short and stout, separated from third ray by a membrane. Deep body. Blunt snout, oblique. Herringbone lines on upper side. Black spot on caudal fin base absent or indistinct. Lateral line usually incomplete.

Similar Species:

Bluntnose Minnow Pimephales notatus. Blunt snout overhanging small, subterminal, horizontal mouth. Black spot on caudal fin base. Slender body nearly square in cross section. Head and nape flattened. Lateral line complete.

Pimephales notatus
Bluntnose Minnow – Pimephales notatus

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