FishDatabase

West Texas Shiner

Notropis megalops

Leuciscidae · freshwater water fish

1 minute read · Species guide

West Texas Shiner field guide illustration

About West Texas Shiner

Notropis megalops, the West Texas shiner, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish from the family Leuciscidae, the shiners, daces and minnows. It was originally described by the French ichthyologist Charles Frédéric Girard in 1856 but was thought to be a misidentification for the Texas shiner (Notropis amiabilis) but detailed genetic and morphological studies have shown that N. megalops and N. amabilis are two valid but separate species. N. megalops has been found only in the drainage of the Rio Grande where it has a fragmented distribution and low levels of genetic diversity. Notropis megalops is endemic to the Rio Grande drainage of Texas and in Coahuila and Nuevo León in Mexico and does not overlap with N. amiabilis and despite their morphological similarity they do not appear to be closely related.

NativeFresh

Range

Where it lives

GBIF holds no US occurrence record for this species under this name. That is a gap in the record, not evidence that the fish is absent: ITIS files it as a US species.

Habitat

Water and movement

Water
WoRMS records this species in fresh water.

Classification

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Superclass
Actinopterygii
Class
Teleostei
Order
Cypriniformes
Family
Leuciscidae
Genus
Notropis
Species
Notropis megalops
ITIS TSN
1199384
WoRMS AphiaID
1568644
Outside the US
ITIS also files it in Mexico.

Common questions about West Texas Shiner

What is the scientific name of West Texas Shiner?
The scientific name is Notropis megalops, in the family Leuciscidae. Classification follows ITIS.
Does West Texas Shiner live in fresh water or salt water?
WoRMS records this species in fresh water.

Closest relatives

Other Notropis species

Arkansas River Shiner5 states
Notropis girardiLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh
Bedrock Shiner3 states
Notropis rupestrisLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Bigeye Shiner17 states
Notropis boopsLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh
Bigmouth Shiner21 states
Notropis dorsalisLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh
Blackchin Shiner13 states
Notropis heterodonLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Blackmouth Shiner3 states
Notropis melanostomusLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Blacknose Shiner21 states
Notropis heterolepisLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh
Blackspot Shiner5 states
Notropis atrocaudalisLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Bluntnose Shiner3 states
Notropis simusLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Bridle Shiner22 states
Notropis bifrenatusLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Burrhead Shiner3 states
Notropis asperifronsLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Cahaba Shiner1 states
Notropis cahabaeLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Cape Fear Shiner1 states
Notropis mekistocholasLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Carmine Shiner16 states
Notropis percobromusLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Channel Shiner15 states
Notropis wickliffiLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Chihuahua Shiner1 states
Notropis chihuahuaLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh
Chub Shiner4 states
Notropis potteriLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh
Coastal Shiner8 states
Notropis petersoniLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Comely Shiner11 states
Notropis amoenusLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh
Coosa Shiner9 states
Notropis xaenocephalusLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh
Dusky Shiner6 states
Notropis cummingsaeLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Emerald Shiner35 states
Notropis atherinoidesLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh
Fluvial Shiner3 states
Notropis edwardraneyiLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Ghost Shiner16 states
Notropis buchananiLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh

Same family

More Leuciscidae

Alabama Shiner4 states
Cyprinella callistiaLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Allegheny Pearl Dace19 states
Margariscus margaritaLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh
Altamaha Shiner1 states
Cyprinella xaenuraLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Alvord Chub2 states
Siphateles alvordensisLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Apalachee Shiner3 states
Pteronotropis grandipinnisLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Arkansas River Shiner5 states
Notropis girardiLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh
Arroyo Chub1 states
Gila orcuttiiLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh
Bandfin Shiner5 states
Luxilus zonistiusLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh
Bannerfin Shiner5 states
Cyprinella leedsiLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Beautiful Shiner3 states
Cyprinella formosaLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Bedrock Shiner3 states
Notropis rupestrisLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Bigeye Chub25 states
Hybopsis amblopsLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh
Bigeye Shiner17 states
Notropis boopsLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh
Bigmouth Chub3 states
Nocomis platyrhynchusLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Bigmouth Shiner21 states
Notropis dorsalisLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh
Blackchin Shiner13 states
Notropis heterodonLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Blackmouth Shiner3 states
Notropis melanostomusLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Blacknose Shiner21 states
Notropis heterolepisLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh
Blackside Dace2 states
Chrosomus cumberlandensisLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Blackspot Shiner5 states
Notropis atrocaudalisLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Blacktail Shiner14 states
Cyprinella venustaLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh
Blacktip Shiner4 states
Lythrurus atrapiculusLeuciscidaeNative and introducedFresh
Bleeding Shiner8 states
Luxilus zonatusLeuciscidaeNativeFresh
Blotched Chub6 states
Erimystax insignisLeuciscidaeNativeFresh

All 267 species in Leuciscidae