Some Life History Aspects of the River Shiner in the Arkansas River, Crawford County, Arkansas

Hudson, L. D., Fisheries and Wildlife Biology Program, Arkansas Tech University, Russellville AR 72801

Buchanan, T. M., Department of Biology, Westark College, Fort Smith, AR 72903

The river shiner, Notropis blennius, is widely distributed throughout the Arkansas and Mississippi rivers and well as the lower Wisconsin River. Most previous records of the river shiner are from the Mississippi River and the lower Wisconsin River and contain little information. The purpose of this study was to determine some aspects of the river shiner’s food habits, reproductive biology, and age and growth in a population in the Arkansas River, Crawford County, Arkansas. We collected samples of the river shiner by seine monthly from May 1996 through April 1997, biweekly from May 1997 through September 1997, and every three hours for a twenty-four-hour period on June 29 and 30, 1998. The reproductive season extended from May through September with notable peaks in both June and August. During the reproductive season we noted tubercle formation in males on the dorsal side of the pectoral fin rays 2 - 7. The diet of the river shiner consisted mainly of detritus and algae although a variety of food items were found, including insects, crustaceans, seeds, and vegetation. Seasonal feeding intensity was greatest during the summer. The 24-hour feeding intensity was greatest around 6:30 p.m. However, feeding never completely ceased during the sample period. Length frequency distributions indicate that the river shiner lives for approximately 2 years and reaches lengths up to 68 mm standard length. The river shiner’s long success in the Arkansas River is probably due to its long reproductive season and its utilization of a wide variety of food sources in its diet.

Copyright © 1999
Texas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society
Last modified: 01/07/09 06:45:17 AM