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Longnose Dace
Rhinichthys cataractae

The longnose dace has three close relatives: the umatilla dace, the leopard dace, and the speckled dace. The longnose dace is the most common of all the dace.

What do longnose dace look like? The longnose dace, like all the other dace, has a big nose. All the dace species share the Latin name "Rhinichythys," which means "snoutfish." In the case of the longnose dace, the nose is long as well as large, hanging over the lower jaw. A longnose dace is also easy to identify because it is yellowy-green, shaped like a wedge, and has a very thick tail. You can tell the difference between a longnose dace and the other kinds of dace quite easily. The longnose dace is the only dace in the family that has just one fin on the bottom - the others have two. Also, the longnose dace has solid colouring, while all the other dace have spots or mottled colouring.

Where do longnose dace live? You can find dace along the rocky bottoms of fast streams and the edges of large lakes all over north central North America and the Columbia River Basin in British Columbia and Washington. Unlike similar fish, the longnose dace usually travels alone, rather than in schools. The other dace have more restricted ranges, and generally are not found as far north and east as the longnose.

What is the life cycle of the longnose dace?

The longnose dace may spawn at any time over the spring and summer, but they usually do so in August. The eggs, which stick to the bottom and are nearly invisible, are deposited by a female, and then defended by the male. Little else is known about their spawning habits. The oldest longnose dace on record was five years old. Because their spawning time overlaps, cross-breeding with similar species like lake chub and redside shiners is possible.

Food for Thought… The umatilla dace may be a cross-breed between the leopard and speckled dace. However, it is been discovered living in areas where one of the parents species does not live. How might you explain this?

Did you know that … one of the favourite foods of the longnose dace is blackfly larvae, making them our very good friends!