The Red Shiner (Cyprinella lutrensis) is a North American species of
freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae. They are deep-bodied and laterally compressed, and can grow to about three inches in length. For most of the year, both males and females have silver sides and whitish abdomens. Males in breeding coloration, though, have iridescent pink-purple-blue sides and a red crown and fins, except the dorsal fin which remains dark.
Red shiners can live up to three years. They are
omnivorous; they eat both aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, as well as algae. Red shiners have also been known to
eat the eggs and larvae of native fish found in locations where they have been introduced.