Bandfin Shiner: Facts & Habitat

About Bandfin Shiner

The bandfin shiner (Coccotis zonistius) is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish in the family Leuciscidae, the shiners, daces and minnows. It occurs in tributaries of the Apalachicola River drainage in Georgia, Alabama and Florida, adjacent tributaries of Savannah, Altamaha, and Coosa rivers in Georgia, and the Tallapoosa River in Georgia and Alabama. Its preferred habitat is rocky and sandy pools and runs of headwaters, creeks and small rivers.

Native and introducedFresh5 states

Article text: Wikipedia contributors, Bandfin shiner (source revision). Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Diet and feeding

The FishTraits compilation records these diet categories for this species: invertebrates or larval fish. These are broad categories, not a claim that every individual consumes every example in a category.

Reported feeding positions include surface or water-column feeding. The compilation combines published observations; diets can vary with age, locality, and available food.

Habitat preferences

Reported habitat associations include streams and small rivers, creeks.

The source records associations with sand, gravel, cobble, bedrock. An association indicates reported use, rather than an exclusive requirement.

Reproduction and parental care

The compilation reports a representative maturity age of 1.5 years. Its maturity field summarizes mean, median, or modal estimates, usually for females; male estimates can be used when female data are unavailable. It is not a fixed age at which every fish first breeds.

Recorded spawning months are Mar, Apr, May for the source’s reporting region (AL). This is a regional calendar, not a range-wide schedule.

The reproductive-guild classification includes hiding a brood without subsequent guarding.

Size and recorded longevity

FishTraits reports a maximum total length of 10 centimetres. Some entries use an estimated asymptotic length; this value should not be treated as a certified record catch.

Recorded longevity in the compilation is 4 years. Wild observations were preferred, but captive records were accepted where wild records were unavailable, and unspecified records were assumed wild. The value is not a guaranteed wild lifespan or an aquarium life expectancy.

Identification and appearance

Gilbert (1964); Page and Burr (1991); Mettee et al. (1996); Boschung and Mayden (2004). Commonly used name is Notropis zonistius.

Native range

Apalachicola River drainage, Georgia, Alabama, Florida; adjacent tributaries of Savannah River, Georgia, Altamaha River, Georgia (Page and Burr 1991).

Introduction history

Unknown; probable bait bucket release.

Range

Where it lives

63.6%of mapped records

Share of 431 GBIF observation records with a state location, across 5 states.

Share of records by state

Habitat

Water and movement

Water: WoRMS records this species in fresh water.
USGS NAS habitat: Freshwater
US status: Native transplant — native to part of the United States, moved to other waters inside it.
Migration: Undetermined

Classification

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Superclass: Actinopterygii
Class: Teleostei
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Leuciscidae
Genus: Luxilus
Species: Luxilus zonistius
ITIS TSN: 163843
WoRMS AphiaID: 1015735
GBIF key: 2366959

Common questions about Bandfin Shiner

What is the scientific name of Bandfin Shiner?

The scientific name is Luxilus zonistius, in the family Leuciscidae. Classification follows ITIS.

Does Bandfin Shiner live in fresh water or salt water?

WoRMS records this species in fresh water.

Where has Bandfin Shiner been recorded in the United States?

GBIF has observations in 5 states, with the most records in Georgia, Alabama, Florida. The map shows observation records, which do not establish the complete natural range.

Closest relatives