Western blacknose dace
Rhinichthys obtusus Agassiz, 1854
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Western blacknose dace (Rhinichthys obtusus) is a common species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Leuciscidae, the shiners, daces and minnows, and the genus Rhinichthys. Western blacknose dace have tan to dark brown backs, lighter sides, and cream colored undersides. Dark blotches are sporadically scattered across their sides and backs. A distinctive dark colored mid-lateral stripe from the tip of the snout to the caudal peduncle is present. The snout is relatively long and they have a slightly sub-terminal mouth. The stripe is dark brown in females and is a rusty pink color in males during spawning season. The lateral stripe is more pronounced and the caudal spot is present in juveniles. Similar to other species of dace the western blacknose dace give the illusion of having no scales but in actuality the scales are so small they are hard to see. Western blacknose dace are typically 2–3 inches long but can grow to as long as 4 inches.
Wikipedia contributors, Western blacknose dace; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T10:10:36.802069+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Rhinichthys obtusus Agassiz, 1854
- Name authority
- Agassiz, 1854
- Common name
- Western blacknose dace
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cypriniformes
- Family
- Cyprinidae
- Genus
- Rhinichthys
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderCypriniformes
- familyCyprinidae Rafinesque, 1815
- subfamilyLeuciscinae Bonaparte, 1835
- genusRhinichthys Agassiz, 1849
- speciesRhinichthys obtusus Agassiz, 1854
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Rhinichthys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| blacknose daceRhinichthys atratulus (Hermann, 1804) | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Loach MinnowRhinichthys cobitis (Girard, 1856) | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| speckled dacRhinichthys osculus (Girard, 1856) | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Umatilla daceRhinichthys umatilla (Gilbert & Evermann, 1894) | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Rhinichthys meleagris Agassiz, 1854 Agassiz, 1854 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Agassiz, L. (1854). Notice of a collection of fishes from the southern bend of the Tennessee River, in the State of Alabama. American Journal of Science and Arts (Series 2), v. 17: 297–308, 353–365. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.166584 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4S7V2. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.