Dace
Dace are any of several small, slender, and active freshwater fishes belonging to the family Cyprinidae, the carp or minnow family, primarily found in Europe and North America. These schooling species typically inhabit well-oxygenated rivers, streams, and lakes, where they feed on insects, algae, worms, snails, and plants, often using specialized pharyngeal teeth to grind food. Growing to lengths of 3–8 inches (8–20 cm) on average, dace play key ecological roles as prey for larger predatory fish like pike and as indicators of water quality due to their sensitivity to pollution and siltation.[1][2][3] In Europe, the common dace (Leuciscus leuciscus) serves as the archetype for the group, native to fast-flowing lowland rivers and brackish waters across much of the continent, including the UK. This silvery fish, with yellowish eyes and a streamlined body, matures at 3–4 years and spawns up to 9,500 adhesive eggs in shallow, gravelly streams during April, contributing to its populations in waterways like the Llangollen and Kennet & Avon Canals. Its lifespan ranges from 6 to 12 years, and it is often targeted by anglers using light tackle and baits such as maggots.[3][1] North American dace encompass diverse species across genera like Rhinichthys and Chrosomus, with over 290 minnow species in the Cyprinidae family continent-wide, many bearing the "dace" designation. For instance, the blacknose dace (Rhinichthys atratulus) is one of the most widespread, occurring in cool-to-cold streams throughout the eastern and central United States, where it thrives in riffles and pools, growing to about 3–4 inches and spawning from April to June. Similarly, the longnose dace (Rhinichthys cataractae) boasts the broadest distribution of any North American cyprinid, spanning from northern Canada to Mexico and inhabiting a variety of freshwater habitats, including the Missouri River basin, where it serves as bait and forage for sportfish. These species are prolific spring spawners, broadcasting eggs over substrates, and are valued for monitoring stream health due to their intolerance of degraded conditions.[2][4][5]Overview
Definition and Usage
Dace is a vernacular term primarily referring to small, slender-bodied freshwater fishes belonging to the family Leuciscidae, which encompasses minnows, daces, and chubs and was formerly classified as a subfamily within the broader Cyprinidae family.[6] This family includes over 670 species distributed globally, predominantly in freshwater habitats of Europe, North America, and Asia.[6] The name emphasizes their typically agile, darting swimming behavior, distinguishing them loosely from bulkier relatives like chubs, though overlaps exist in common nomenclature across the family.[7] In unmodified usage, "dace" most commonly denotes the common dace (Leuciscus leuciscus), a European species found in rivers and streams from the British Isles to the Black Sea basin.[8] This species serves as a representative for the term's core application, often measuring 15–30 cm in length and inhabiting clear, flowing waters.[8] Regional variations in the term's application are notable: in Europe, it centers on Leuciscus and related genera, while in North America, it extends to diverse Leuciscidae species such as the northern redbelly dace (Chrosomus eos) and speckled dace (Rhinichthys osculus), reflecting local adaptations in naming small cyprinid-like fishes.[9][10] Historically, the name derives from Middle English "dace," evoking quick, dart-like movement, and has been used since at least the 15th century to describe such fishes in English-speaking regions.[7]Etymology
The word dace entered English in the mid-15th century as a term for a small, swift freshwater fish, deriving from Middle English dace or darce, which is a variant of darse. This, in turn, comes from Old French dars (or darz), meaning "dart," alluding to the fish's quick, darting movements in water.[11][1] The Old French dars derives from dart ("dart"), from Medieval Latin dardus, from Frankish *darōþu, from Proto-Germanic *darōþuz ("dart, spear"), rooted in the Proto-Indo-European *dʰerh₃- ("to leap" or "to spring"), a verbal root associated with rapid motion and agility that appears in various Indo-European terms for swift actions or objects.[12][13] In related languages, cognates reflect similar connotations of speed or smallness; for instance, the German name for the common dace, Hasel or Döbel, may indirectly connect through regional dialects emphasizing the fish's lively behavior, though Döbel derives from Middle High German terms for a type of small fish without direct ties to the PIE root for darting. The modern French term vandoise for the species, however, stems from a separate Celtic origin in Old French vendoise, from Proto-Celtic wind-ēsyā ("white one"), highlighting brightness rather than agility.[14][15] The term's evolution is evident in early angling literature, where it first appears in print in 1496 in Dame Juliana Berners' A Treatyse of Fysshynge wyth an Angle, part of The Boke of Saint Albans. Here, dace and its variant darse are described as a "gentyll fysshe" suitable for angling, with recommended baits varying by month, such as red worms in March or house flies in July, underscoring its role in medieval fishing practices.[16] From the 16th century onward, dace became standardized in English texts on fishing, appearing in works like Izaak Walton's The Compleat Angler (1653), where it retained its association with swift river species targeted by anglers.[1]Taxonomy
Classification
Daces are small freshwater fishes classified within the order Cypriniformes, belonging to the family Leuciscidae. They occur in various subfamilies, including Leuciscinae (e.g., Leuciscus) and Pogonichthyinae (e.g., Rhinichthys).[17] This family encompasses a diverse group of Holarctic minnows, with daces representing key genera such as Leuciscus.[18] Historically, Leuciscidae was recognized as the subfamily Leuciscinae within the larger family Cyprinidae until molecular phylogenetic revisions in the early 2010s justified its elevation to full family status, distinguishing it from the predominantly Old World Cyprinidae sensu stricto.[17][19] At the family level, Leuciscidae are diagnosed by several morphological traits, including pharyngeal teeth arranged in a single row on the lower pharyngeal jaw (typically in formulas like 5-4 or 2,5-5,2), the absence of barbels around the mouth, and the presence of cycloid scales covering the body.[17][20] These features contrast with the multiple rows of pharyngeal teeth and frequent presence of barbels in Cyprinidae, aiding in taxonomic differentiation.[17] Molecular phylogenetic studies conducted in the 2000s and 2010s, utilizing mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences, have confirmed the monophyly of Leuciscidae and clarified intra-family relationships.[19] These analyses reveal close evolutionary ties between dace genera and others such as Chrosomus (encompassing redbelly daces) and Rhinichthys (including longnose and speckled daces), often grouping them within major clades based on shared genetic markers like cytochrome b and ribosomal RNA genes.[21][19] For instance, sequence data from over 200 species support Leuciscidae as a distinct lineage within Cypriniformes, with daces forming part of a well-resolved Holarctic radiation.[22]Principal Species
The principal species referred to as dace are members of the family Leuciscidae, characterized by their small size (typically under 30 cm in maximum length), freshwater orientation, and regional naming conventions that distinguish them from similar minnows.[23][24][8] In Europe, the common dace (Leuciscus leuciscus), also known by the synonym Leuciscus vulgaris, represents the archetypal species, widely distributed across rivers and streams.[8][25] In North America, the term "dace" applies to several Leuciscidae species, including:- Longnose dace (Rhinichthys cataractae), a widespread riffle-dweller with a maximum length of 22.5 cm.[26]
- Blacknose dace (Rhinichthys atratulus), common in eastern streams, reaching up to 12.4 cm.[27]
- Northern redbelly dace (Chrosomus eos), found in northern lakes and creeks, with a maximum length of 8.0 cm.[28]
- Southern redbelly dace (Chrosomus erythrogaster), inhabiting central U.S. headwaters, growing to 9.1 cm.[29]
- Pearl dace (Margariscus margarita), known from Appalachian and Great Lakes drainages, attaining 16.0 cm.[30]
- Redside dace (Clinostomus elongatus), a species of eastern North American rivers, with a maximum length of 12.0 cm.[31]