blacknose dace
Rhinichthys atratulus (Hermann, 1804)
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
Eastern blacknose dace (Rhinichthys atratulus) is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Rhinichthys. Its name originates from the Old French word "dars" which is the nominative form of the word "dart" in reference to their swimming pattern. The western blacknose dace (Rhinichthys obtusus) formerly was considered conspecific. While morphologically the two species are not significantly different, they are allopatric. The eastern blacknose dace is found across the southeast portion of Canada and down along the United States' east coast. It is dark brown to olive on its dorsal surface and silvery white below, the two shades separated by the darkly pigmented lateral line. In the breeding season, males develop darker pigmentation and an orange lateral line. Blacknose dace live in rocky streams and rivers where they feed upon small invertebrates and microscopic biological matter and provide forage for larger fish.
Wikipedia contributors, Eastern blacknose dace; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:09:53.842944+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Rhinichthys atratulus (Hermann, 1804)
- Name authority
- (Hermann, 1804)
- Common name
- 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 atratulus (Hermann, 1804)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Loach MinnowRhinichthys cobitis (Girard, 1856) | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Western blacknose daceRhinichthys obtusus Agassiz, 1854 | 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 atratulus atratulus (Hermann, 1804) (Hermann, 1804) | synonym |
| Cyprinus atratulus Hermann, 1804 Hermann, 1804 | synonym |
| Cyprinus atronasus Mitchill, 1815 Mitchill, 1815 | synonym |
| Rhinichthys atratulus meleagris Agassiz, 1854 Agassiz, 1854 | synonym |
| Rhinichthys atronasus (Hermann, 1804) (Hermann, 1804) | 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.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=159985 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:6WTP4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.