Studies Of Topeka Shiner (Notropis Topeka) Life History And Distribution In Minnesota

The Topeka shiner (Notropis topeka) was reportedly common in headwater prairie streams throughout the central United States (Tabor 1998). Its historic range extended from central Missouri and Kansas to southeastern South Dakota and southern Minnesota (Bailey and Allum 1962). Stream surveys conducted in Kansas and Missouri during the early 1990's indicated that the Topeka shiner's distribution and abundance in these states had vastly declined during the previous 25 years (Tabor 1998). Although it was already known that this species' distribution had declined in parts of its range (Minckley and Cross 1959; Bailey and Allum 1962; Pflieger 1971; Eddy and Underhill 1974), the magnitude of the more recent declines was unexpected. Since this discovery, interest in and concern for this native prairie minnow has intensified. During the 1990's, surveys were conducted across the Topeka shiner's range to determine its status. Surveys of the Topeka shiner in Minnesota suggested that this species was far more common in [this state] than was once thought (Hatch 2001). This was not the case in other parts of this species' range however"