Species profile
Southern Redbelly Dace
Chrosomus erythrogaster
At a glance
Southern Redbelly Dace (Chrosomus erythrogaster) is an IUCN Least Concern bony-fish species with specific harvest rules tracked in 1 of 66 jurisdictions covered by CatchRules.
Confirmed by 1,143 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with Tennessee, Missouri, and Ohio the top jurisdictions by observation count.
Notable details
- Males sport two bold dark stripes and a bright red belly during breeding season.
- They prefer clear, cold springs and headwater streams in the central United States.
- Southern redbelly dace are pollution-sensitive and serve as indicators of high water quality.
- Adults rarely exceed 3 inches in total length.
- They feed mainly on algae and microscopic organisms scraped from stream substrate.
Where Southern Redbelly Dace are seen
Jurisdictions with rules for Southern Redbelly Dace
Background
The southern redbelly dace (Chrosomus erythrogaster), is a North American species of temperate freshwater fish of the Cyprinidae family. The natural geographic range extends from Western New York to Minnesota, and south to Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Alabama. This fish prefers flowing pools of creeks and streams.
Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Southern Redbelly Dace article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.
Other bony fish on CatchRules
Photo credit: iNaturalist / Wikipedia. Identification reference only — verify regulations with the issuing wildlife agency before retaining a catch.