Cape Fear shiner
| Cape Fear shiner | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cypriniformes |
| Family: | Cyprinidae |
| Genus: | Notropis |
| Species: | N. mekistocholas |
| Binomial name | |
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Notropis mekistocholas Snelson, 1971 |
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| Counties in North Carolina in which the Cape Fear Shiner is found; green indicates presence | |
The Cape Fear shiner (Notropis mekistocholas) is a North American species of freshwater fish in the Cyprinidae family. It is endemic to the central part of the state of North Carolina in the southeastern United States and is only found in the shallow streams of the Cape Fear River basin. The fish is small and yellow with black lips and a black stripe which runs down the middle of the fish's side. This shiner is normally found in mixed schools with other minnow species. It is unique amongst its genus because it has elongated intestines that are specifically adapted to a primarily herbivorous diet. It can breed twice a year and normally lives for only two or three years in the wild. The males and females are normally similar in appearance but become different colors in the spawning season. This species of shiner was not discovered until 1962.
The shiner is critically endangered due to its small population size and threats to its habitat from dam construction and pollution. It was first recognized as threatened in 1987. The species has since undergone a successful captive breeding program and its status has been a significant factor in the destruction of a dam that destroyed part of the shiner's habitat. However, the species is still limited to just five populations in the wild and some experts believe that a single toxic chemical spill into the Cape Fear River could wipe out the entire wild population.
The Cape Fear shiner was only discovered in 1962 and described as a distinct species by Franklin F. Snelson, Jr. in 1971. The specific epithet is derived from the Greek mēkistos/μηκιστος - 'longest/tallest' or 'very long' (a superlative from mēkos/μηκος - length) and...cholas/χολας 'intestines' or 'bile'. This fish belongs to the carp and minnow family Cyprinidae, and within this family, it belongs to the genus Notropis, which includes a large number of eastern North American minnows. The Cape Fear shiner is unusual in its genus because its intestines are elongated and more convoluted than those of other Notropis species, a trait shared only by the Ozark Minnow. This feature better adapts the shiner to a diet primarily of plant material. It is superficially different from similar members of its genus because of the angle and size of its mouth, head shape, eight anal fin rays, and black edge on its lower lip. It is also one of the few Notropis to have a black peritoneum. Its closest relatives are the Swallowtail Shiner and the Sand Shiner. It has no subspecies.
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