Roundnose Minnow: Facts & Habitat

About Roundnose Minnow

The roundnose minnow (Dionda episcopa) is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish in the family Leuciscidae. This species is endemic to southwestern North America. The genus name Dionda is of Native American origin. The species name episcopa is Latin for "pope", and is named after John Pope who helped lead the party that collected the species holotype.

NativeFresh4 states

Description

As the name implies, roundnose minnow have a rounded snout with a small subterminal mouth. They also have 34-45 scales along their lateral line and 8 anal fin rays. Coloration usually includes olive green, white, and shades of yellow with a diagnostic black spot near the caudal fin base.

Distribution and habitat

The roundnose minnow is found in the Colorado, San Antonio, upper Nueces and Rio Grande drainages in Texas and New Mexico in the United States and Mexico. This species is locally abundant and is most common in spring-influenced streams with minimal temperature variation throughout the season.

Diet

Roundnose minnow are generally considered herbivorous. A gut content analysis was conducted in 2008 examining the stomach contents of three individuals from Independence Creek in Terrell County, TX. Stomach contents were primarily amorphous detritus (86.5% ±4.9) followed by filamentous algae (9.3% ± 6.4). Quantities below 2% of diatoms, fungi, and picoplankton were all also present.

Management

Little management for roundnose minnow occurs in the United States, as most populations appear stable. They have been used as baitfish in New Mexico.

Article text: Wikipedia contributors, Roundnose minnow (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; aquatic or other vascular plants; detritus or unidentified plant material. 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 streams and small rivers, creeks.

The source records associations with sand, gravel, cobble, vegetation. 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.

Batch or serial spawning has been reported somewhere in the species’ range. This does not establish the same spawning pattern for every population.

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

The reproductive-guild classification includes spawning on open substrates without guarding the brood.

Size and recorded longevity

FishTraits reports a maximum total length of 7.7 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 3.5 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.

Range

Where it lives

56.3%of mapped records

Share of 803 GBIF observation records with a state location, across 4 states.

Share of records by state

Habitat

Water and movement

Water: WoRMS records this species in fresh water.
Migration: Undetermined

Classification

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Superclass: Actinopterygii
Class: Teleostei
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Leuciscidae
Genus: Dionda
Species: Dionda episcopa
ITIS TSN: 163513
WoRMS AphiaID: 1021387
GBIF key: 2365635
Outside the US: ITIS also files it in Mexico.

Common questions about Roundnose Minnow

What is the scientific name of Roundnose Minnow?

The scientific name is Dionda episcopa, in the family Leuciscidae. Classification follows ITIS.

Does Roundnose Minnow live in fresh water or salt water?

WoRMS records this species in fresh water.

Where has Roundnose Minnow been recorded in the United States?

GBIF has observations in 4 states, with the most records in Texas, New Mexico, Mississippi. The map shows observation records, which do not establish the complete natural range.

Closest relatives