Range:
Dark Blue = Counties with designated critical habitat
Light Blue = Historical records
Comments: This small minnow only occurs in the Arkansas River and its tributaries
where it inhabits wide, shallow, sandy rivers and streams. This fish will reach about 2.5
inches in length and has a dark, chevronshaped spot at the base of the tail. It utilizes
the downstream side of the flow-formed sand ridges and faces upstream to feed on food
items carried by the current. Spawning occurs during high summer flows and increased water
turbidity. Due to dewatering and managed flow rates, this species is estimated to have
disappeared from 80 percent of its original range. There have only been a few collections
of the Arkansas River shiner in Kansas since the 1980s. It might still occur in Kansas in
the Cimarron River.
Kansas Wildlife Refuge Text: Ed Miller and Bob Gress Range Maps and Web Design: Jim Mason
Questions or comments? Send Email to Jim Mason
Or write us at:
Great Plains Nature Center
6232 E. 29th Street North
Wichita, KS 67220-2200
Call: 316-683-5499
Fax: 316-688-9555