Margariscus margarita (Cope, 1867)
Allegheny pearl dace
Margariscus margarita
photo by The Native Fish Conservancy

Family:  Leuciscidae (Minnows), subfamily: Plagopterinae
Max. size:  16 cm TL (male/unsexed); max. reported age: 4 years
Environment:  demersal; freshwater
Distribution:  North America: Atlantic Slope of USA from Hudson River drainage in Vermont and New York, south to Potomac River drainage in Virginia; upper Ohio River drainages in south New York to West Virginia (Ref. 86798); Canada from British Columbia to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia (Ref. 52559), Northwest Territories, and Yukon Territory (Ref. 119194).
Diagnosis:  Margariscus margarita is almost identical to Margariscus nachtriebi but can be distinguished from this species by having larger scales and usually 50-62 lateral scales (Ref. 86798).
Biology:  Inhabits pools of upland creeks and small rivers, and also ponds and lakes. Usually found over sand or gravel (Ref. 86798). Feeds on copepods, cladocerans, chironomids, beetles, filamentous algae, and Chara (Ref. 1998). Spawns during the spring (Ref. 1998).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 01 March 2012 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


Source and more info: www.fishbase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.