{{Short description|Common name for a number of species of small freshwater fish}} {{About||the boat in ''Gilligan's Island''|S. S. Minnow|the rugby team|Mighty Minnows}} {{Paraphyletic group | image = Pimephales promelas.jpg | image_caption = Fathead minnow | auto = yes | parent = Cyprinoidea | includes_text = Included species | includes = See text }}

'''Minnow''' is the common name for a number of species of small freshwater fish, belonging to several genera of the family Cyprinidae and in particular the subfamily Leuciscinae. They are also known in Ireland as '''pinkeens'''.<ref>cf. ''pinkeen'' and ''pink'', Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition.[http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pinkeen Pinkeen] Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved: 2011-12-11.</ref>

While the common name can refer to a range of taxa, smaller fish in the subfamily Leusciscinae are considered by anglers to be "true" minnows.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://taxonomicon.taxonomy.nl/TaxonTree.aspx?id=43602&tree=0.1|title=Subfamily Leuciscinae - Hierarchy - The Taxonomicon|website=taxonomicon.taxonomy.nl|access-date=2018-10-02}}</ref>

==Types of minnows==

Bluntnose minnow (''Pimephales notatus''): The bluntnose minnow is a primary bait fish for Northern America, and has a very high tolerance for variable water qualities, which helps its distribution throughout many regions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Pimephales_promelas/|title=Pimephales promelas (Black-head minnow)|website=Animal Diversity Web|language=en|access-date=2018-10-02}}</ref> The snout of the bluntnose minnow overhangs the mouth, giving it the bluntnose. There is a dark lateral line which stretches from the opercle to the base of the tail, where a large black spot is located. The average size of the adult is approximately {{convert|5|cm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Trautman |first=Milton B. |title=Bluntnose Minnows in Ohio |journal=Department of Natural Resources Ohio Division of Wildlife Document |date=6 July 1993 |series=189 (R778)}}</ref>

Common shiner (''Notropis cornutus)'': These fish are one of the most common type of bait fish and are almost exclusively stream dwellers. The common shiner can be identified by the nine rays on its anal fin and terminal mouth. This minnow is typically bluish silver on the sides and greenish blue on the back, save for breeding season in which case the male gains a rose colored tail and anal fin. The shiner grows about {{convert|5|–|10|cm|in|abbr=on}} within one year and reach a size of {{convert|13|cm|in|abbr=on}} at adulthood.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Trautman |first=Milton B. |title=Common Shiner in Ohio |journal=Department of Natural Resources, Ohio Division of Wildlife Document |date=30 June 1993 |series=189 (R778)}}</ref> ''Notropis potteri'' is known as the chub shiner.

Common emerald shiner (''Notropis atherinoides atherinoides''): Common emerald shiners are most abundant in the Great Lakes of North America, primarily Lake Erie. The name of the emerald shiner comes from the greenish emerald band that expands from the back of the gill cover to the tail. This type of minnow has a short, rounded snout, the only difference between the common emerald shiner and the silver shiner is that the silver shiner has a longer snout and a larger eye. These fish grow to an average length of about 6&nbsp;cm. This is one of the most common bait fish used in the Lake Erie region of Ohio and many fishermen hold it over all other bait.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Trautman |first=Milton B. |title=Common Emerald Shiner in Ohio |journal=Department of Natural Resources, Ohio Division of Wildlife Document |date=30 June 1993 |series=189 (R778)}}</ref> * Cheat minnow, a species in the genus ''Pararhinichthys'' * Cutlips minnow, a species in the genus ''Exoglossum'' * Desert minnows, fishes in the genus ''Dionda'' * Eurasian minnows, fishes in the genus ''Phoxinus'' * Fathead minnow (rosy-red minnow), a species in the genus ''Pimephales'' * Loach minnow, a species of the genus ''Rhinichthys'' * Balkan minnows, of the genus ''Pelasgus'' * Ozark minnow, a species in the shiner genus ''Notropis'' * Pikeminnows, fishes in the genus ''Ptychocheilus'' * Pugnose minnow, a species in the genus ''Opsopoeodus'' * Anatolian minnows, of the genus ''Ladigesocypris'' * Silverjaw minnow/Longjaw minnow, species in the genus ''Ericymba'' * Silvery minnows, fishes in the genus ''Hybognathus'' * Suckermouth minnows, fishes in the genus ''Phenacobius'' * White Cloud Mountain minnow/Vietnamese cardinal minnow, species in the genus ''Tanichthys''

Other fish specifically called minnows include * in the Southern Hemisphere, some fish in the family Galaxiidae, in particular those of genus ''Galaxias'' * in Southeast Asia, the danionins, including Razorbelly minnows * the Drakensberg minnow (''Labeobarbus aspius'') from the Congo Democratic Republic * the Maluti minnow (''Pseudobarbus quathlambae'') from Lesotho * the Falklands minnow from the Falkland Islands, a vernacular name for the Common galaxias * the pike topminnow (''Belonesox belizanus'') are confused for the northern pike, (''Esox lucius''), also called "minnow" for the little size. * the minnows of the deep (''Cyclothone sp.''), small bioluminescent bristlemouth fish approximately {{convert|8|cm|in|0}} long<ref>Proujan. C., (1979), SECRETS OF THE SEA, 2ND ED., London: Reader's Digest Association Limited. Pg.60</ref>

[[File:Anderson Farms in Lonoke, Arkansas.jpg|thumb|Rick Crawford visiting Anderson Farms, the world's largest minnow farm, in Lonoke, Arkansas.]]

==As food== While primarily used for bait, minnows can also be eaten directly by humans. Some Native American cultures have used minnows as food.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://traditionalanimalfoods.org/fish/freshwater/page.aspx?id=6408|title=Minnows &#124; Traditional Animal Foods of Indigenous Peoples of Northern North America - Animals - Fish - Freshwater Fish|website=traditionalanimalfoods.org}}</ref> If minnows are small enough, they can be eaten whole.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.leaf.tv/articles/how-to-cook-minnows/|title = How to Cook Minnows}}</ref>

==Threats and conservation issues== Generally, minnows breed with the slightest rainfall and within a wide temperature range. Contrary to the long-standing presumptions, climate change poses 'negligible' threat to minnows' reproduction. Minnows are also flexible in attaining pre-spawning fitness, which makes them avoid 'skipped spawning' decisions while facing climatic variabilities.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sarkar |first1=Uttam Kumar |last2=Roy |first2=Koushik |last3=Naskar |first3=Malay |last4=Srivastava |first4=Pankaj Kumar |last5=Bose |first5=Arun Kumar |last6=Verma |first6=Vinod Kumar |last7=Gupta |first7=Sandipan |last8=Nandy |first8=Saurav Kumar |last9=Sarkar |first9=Soma Das |last10=Karnatak |first10=Gunjan |last11=Sudheesan |first11=Deepa |last12=Das |first12=Basanta Kumar |title=Minnows may be more reproductively resilient to climatic variability than anticipated: Synthesis from a reproductive vulnerability assessment of Gangetic pool barbs (Puntius sophore) |journal=Ecological Indicators |date=March 2019 |volume=105 |pages=727–736 |doi=10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.03.037 |bibcode=2019EcInd.105..727S |s2cid=132490156 }}</ref>

==See also== * Mud minnow (disambiguation) * Cape Fear shiner * ''Epalzeorhynchos'', occasionally named sharkminnows

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Minnow |volume=18 |short=x}} *{{wiktionary-inline|minnow}}

{{forage fish}} {{Authority control}}

Category:Fish common names Category:Minnows