comely shiner

Comely Shiner (Notropis amoenus)

The comely shiner lives on the Atlantic Coastal Plain and Piedmont from the Hudson River south to the Cape Fear River system in North Carolina. There is one recent collection from the Yadkin River in North Carolina and one old record from Seneca Lake in New York.

The comely shiner seems to prefer moderate-sized to larger streams and areas where the water is 2 feet or more deep. Lakes and reservoirs are marginal habitats and it sometimes enters smaller streams of low gradient. It tolerates a wide range of currents but seems to keep to pools and backwaters of swifter streams. In the Hudson drainage, it sometimes occurs with the rosyface shiner.

Apparently, the comely shiner spawns in late spring and summer, although its spawning behavior has not been reported.

The feeding habits of this species have also not been reported, but the shape and the position of its mouth suggest that it is a midwater feeder with a diet likely consisting of aquatic and terrestrial insects.

distribution

Distribution of the comely shiner in NY state. Dark dots represent where actual samples of the comely shiner were taken. White dots represent historic distributions.

A 57 KB image of the comely shiner is also available for download.

The above species description was taken out of "The Inland Fishes of New York State" by C. Lavett Smith, published by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, 1985.

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