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Sticksh33p/WikiProject Fishes

Campostoma anomalum, also known as the common stoneroller, dough belly, racehorse chub, rotgut minnow, steel-backed minnow, stone luger, stoneroller, or tallow-mouth minnow, is a small species of freshwater fish that inhabits small streams throughout most of the eastern, central and Midwestern United States. It belongs to the family Cyprinidae, and there are three other species in the genus, Campostoma oligolepis (the largescale stoneroller), Campostoma pauciradii (the bluefin stoneroller), and Campostoma ornatum (the Mexican stoneroller).

Physical Description
C. anomalum has a small, stout body, typically growing only 3-5 inches (7.62-12.7 cm), with a notched caudal fin. The head has a bulbous snout with a subterminal mouth containing a cartilaginous ridge which is used to scrape algae from rocks. The mouth is always white, and the rest of the body ranges in color from dark olive to gray on top fading to white on the belly. The sides are generally speckled with darker spots, evidence of regenerated scales. Breeding males have a black band running through the central part of the pelvic, dorsal, and anal fins and have tubercles covering much of their heads. The fins are soft-rayed, and the lateral line system contains 49-57 scales. This species is characterized by having an extremely long intestine wound spirally around the air bladder.

Distribution
C. anomalum is widespread in freshwater streams throughout a large portion of the eastern, central, and Midwestern United States. It is present in the Atlantic, Great Lakes, Mississippi River, and Hudson Bay basins in the U.S., from New York east to North Dakota and Wyoming and south to South Carolina and Texas. There are also isolated populations in Canada and Mexico.

Habitat
C. anomalum is benthopelagic, inhabiting either the midwaters or bottom of freshwater streams and rivers. It requires some current and is most commonly found in riffles and pools of moderate to high gradient streams with a gravel substrate bottom. However, it is a very tolerant species and can be found in almost any stream system with adequate food, leading to it widespread distribution.

Diet
C. anomalum is generally herbivorous, feeding primarily on algae scraped from rocks and logs with the cartilaginous ridge on its lower jaw. It also feeds on detritus, diatoms, other microorganisms, and the occasional aquatic insect. It is classified as a grazing minnow in its feeding behavior, and large schools of these fish often feed together in large schools.

Life Cycle
Maturity is reached in 1-4 years. Breeding males begin building nests in late winter and continue throughout mid-summer, creating a large bowl-shaped depression in calmer waters by rolling stones along the bottom with their noses, giving them their most common name. The males aggressively defend their nests against rival males. Spawning occurs in early spring and summer, varying by region, with those fish in warmer climates generally spawning earlier than those in colder climates. Females remain in deeper water outside the nesting site, entering only briefly to lay anywhere between 200-4800 eggs in a nest. The male fertilizes the eggs, causing them to become adhesive and lodge in the gravel of the nest, preventing them from being carried away by the current. The eggs are then abandoned by both parents, hatching within a few days. The newly hatched fish school together to feed in the warmer and more protected backwaters and vegetated stream margins.

Importance to Humans
"C. anomalum" are not generally sought after by fishermen; however, it is sometimes used as a bait fish. More importantly, it has been shown that C. anomalum can limit the reproduction of brown trout (a popular game fish) through destruction of their redds.

Name Etymology
Campostoma anomalum comes from the Latin for "curved mouth" and "extraordinary."