This fish was first described in 1989. It is similar to its close relative, the mimic shiner (P. volucellus). The Cahaba Shiner is about 2.5 inches long (6.35 centimeters). It is silver in color with a dark lateral stripe and a peach-colored lateral stripe above.
This fish has been collected from about 76 miles of the Cahaba River, but as of the early 1990s its range had been reduced to about 60 miles of the river. Most individuals of the species are located in a 15-mile stretch of the waterway. It may have once occurred in the Coosa River, but if so, it has been extirpated from there. The reduction in range has been caused by the degradation of water quality in the river system, the result of urbanization and sedimentation.
Article text: Wikipedia contributors, Cahaba shiner (source revision). Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Retrieved 2026-10-11.
Diet and feeding
The FishTraits compilation records these diet categories for this species: algae or phytoplankton; invertebrates or larval fish. These are broad categories, not a claim that every individual consumes every example in a category.
Reported feeding positions include bottom feeding and 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 medium to large rivers, streams and small rivers.
The source records associations with open water. An association indicates reported use, rather than an exclusive requirement.
Reproduction and parental care
The compilation reports a representative maturity age of 1 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 Apr, May, Jun, Jul for the source’s reporting region (AL). This is a regional calendar, not a range-wide schedule.
Size and recorded longevity
FishTraits reports a maximum total length of 5.1 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 2 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.
