Notemigonus crysoleucas
(Mitchill 1814)
Family Leuciscidae

Lateral view of two golden shiners
The golden chubs pictured above were collected from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission Blackwater Hatchery, top, and a Bradford County, Florida Santa Fe River drainage, bottom. These fish are now part of the Florida Museum ichthyology collection. Top: UF 238443 Bottom: UF 236246 Florida Museum photo by Zachary Randall

The golden shiner is a member of the minnow, shiner and chub family. It has a pointed snout and a strongly decurved lateral line. There is a scaleless keel along belly and a dusky stripe along the side of its body in small individuals. Golden shiners can be found in lakes, ponds and swamps and in the backwaters and pools of creeks and small to medium rivers. This species is usually found near vegetation.

Status & distribution

  • Status — Native freshwater
  • Florida Distribution — Western and North Central drainages
  • River Drainages — Perdido River, Escambia River, Blackwater River, Yellow River, Choctawhatchee River, Econfina River, Apalachicola River, Ochlockonee River, minor Gulf tributaries, Suwannee River, Withlacoochee River, Tampa Bay, the Myakka or Peace River, Lake Okeechobee, Caloosahatchee River, the Everglades, Indian River, the Tolomato or Matanzas River, St. John’s River and the St. Mary’s River
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