Species of Greatest Conservation Need

**Species of Greatest Conservation Need** (Updated: 06/16/2025)
Scientifc Name	Common Name	Taxonomic Group	SGCN Status	Federal Status	State Status	Global Rank	State Rank	Endemic	General Habitat Type(s)
Moxostoma austrinum	Mexican redhorse	Fish - Freshwater	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G3	S1	No	Limited/uncertain distribution within the Rio Grande. Rocky runs and riffles of creeks and small to medium rivers; often near boulders in swift water.
Notropis amabilis	Texas shiner	Fish - Freshwater	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G4	S4	No	In Texas, it is found primarily in Edwards Plateau streams from the San Gabriel River in the east to the Pecos River in the west. Typical habitat includes rocky or sandy runs, as well as pools.
Notropis atrocaudalis	blackspot shiner	Fish - Freshwater	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G4	S3	No	Occurs from the lower Brazos River to the Sabine River drainage; Red River drainage. Small to moderate size tributary streams in runs and pools over all types of substrates.
Notropis bairdi	Red River shiner	Fish - Freshwater	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G4	S3	No	Red River basin; typically found in turbid waters of broad, shallow channels of main stream, over bottom mostly of silt and shifting sand.
Notropis blennius	river shiner	Fish - Freshwater	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G5	S3?	No	Range in central Texas from the Colorado and Brazos basins northward to the Red River; found in large, often turbid rivers having exposed, shallow, sand-filled channels where sediments accumulate in shallow backwaters, gentle eddies, and along the deeper edges of sand �waves� that are formed on shifting substrate by actions of the current.
Notropis braytoni	Tamaulipas shiner	Fish - Freshwater	Yes	Not Listed	T 03/30/2020	G4	S1S2	No	Restricted to the Rio Grande basin in Texas including the lower Pecos River. Typically found in large rivers and creeks associated with a variety of flowng-water habitats such as runs and riffles over gravel, cobble, and sand.
Notropis buccula	smalleye shiner	Fish - Freshwater	Yes	E 08/04/2014	E 03/30/2020	G2	S1S2	Yes	Endemic to the Brazos River drainage; presumed to have been introduced into the Colorado River. Historically found in lower Brazos River as far south as Hempstead, Texas but appears to now be restricted to upper Brazos River system upstream of Possum Kingdom Lake. Typically found in turbid waters of broad, sandy channels of main stream, over substrate consisting mostly of shifting sand.
Notropis chalybaeus	ironcolor shiner	Fish - Freshwater	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G4	S3	No	Found only in northeastern streams from the Sabine to the Red River with the exception of an isolated population found in the San Marcos River headwaters. Found primarily in acidic, tannin-stained, non-turbid, sluggish Coastal Plain streams and<br />rivers of low to moderate gradient. Occurs in aggregation, often at the upstream ends of pools, with a moderate to sluggish current and sand, mud, silt or detritus substrates. Usually associated with aquatic vegetation.
Notropis chihuahua	Chihuahua shiner	Fish - Freshwater	Yes	Not Listed	T 07/18/1977	G3	S2	No	Limited to smaller tributaries of the Rio Grande in the Big Bend region; Mid-water or bottom-dwelling species, usually found over gravel to sand substrate, in clear, cool, moving waters; also collected over rubble bottom with some boulders, bedrock and mud; vegetation may be present
Notropis girardi	Arkansas River shiner	Fish - Freshwater	Yes	T 12/23/1998	T 11/16/2000	G2	S2	No	Canadian River. Typically found in turbid water over mostly silt and shifting sand substrates. Generally inhabits shallow water; found in slower currents in areas having high conductivity and low turbidity.
Notropis jemezanus	Rio Grande shiner	Fish - Freshwater	Yes	Not Listed	T 03/30/2020	G3	S1	No	Rio Grande drainage. Occurs over substrate of rubble, gravel and sand, often overlain with silt
Notropis maculatus	taillight shiner	Fish - Freshwater	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G5	S1	No	Restricted to the Sulphur and Cypress drainages in northeast Texas; Quiet, usually vegetated oxbow lakes, ponds, or backwaters.
Notropis megalops	West Texas shiner	Fish - Freshwater	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	GNR	SNR	No	In Texas occurs in the lower Pecos River, San Felipe Creek, Devils River and Sycamore Creek. No studies of habitat requirements.
Notropis oxyrhynchus	sharpnose shiner	Fish - Freshwater	Yes	E 09/03/2014	E 03/30/2020	G3	S1S2	Yes	Range is now restricted to upper Brazos River upstream of Possum Kingdom Lake. May be native to Red River and Colorado River basins. Typically found in turbid water over mostly silt and shifting sand substrates.
Notropis potteri	chub shiner	Fish - Freshwater	Yes	Not Listed	T 03/30/2020	G4	S2	No	Brazos, Colorado, San Jacinto, and Trinity river basins. Flowing water with silt or sand substrate
Notropis sabinae	Sabine shiner	Fish - Freshwater	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G4	S3	No	Inhabits small streams and large rivers of eastern Texas from San Jacinto drainage northward along the Gulf Coast to the Sabine River Basin; Habitat generalist with affinities for shallow, moving water and rarely found in pools and backwater areas;<br />closely restricted to substrate of fine, silt free sand in small creeks and rivers having slight to moderate current.
Notropis shumardi	silverband shiner	Fish - Freshwater	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G5	S4	No	In Texas, found from Red River to Lavaca River; Main channel with moderate to swift current velocities and moderate to deep depths; associated with turbid water over silt, sand, and gravel.
Percina apristis	Guadalupe darter	Fish - Freshwater	Yes	Not Listed	T 03/30/2020	G4	S2	Yes	Endemic to the Guadalupe River Basin; Found in riffles; most common under or around 25-30 cm boulders in the main current; seems to prefer moderately turbid water.
Percina maculata	blackside darter	Fish - Freshwater	Yes	Not Listed	T 03/01/1987	G5	S1	No	Restricted to the Red River Basin in the northeast part of the state although specimens have been taken in the lower Trinity and San Jacinto rivers; Often found in clear, gravelly streams.
Percina shumardi	river darter	Fish - Freshwater	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G5	S4	No	In Texas limited to eastern streams including Red River southward to the Neches River, and a disjunct population in the Guadalupe and San Antonio river systems east of the Balcones Escarpment. Confined to large rivers and lower parts of major tributaries; usually found in deep chutes and riffles where current is swift and bottom composed of coarse gravel or rock.
Phenacobius mirabilis	suckermouth minnow	Fish - Freshwater	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G5	S4	No	In Texas, occurs in limited numbers in Canadian, Red, Sabine, Trinity and Colorado river drainages. Riffles and shallow runs with clean sand, gravel, or larger substrate bottoms. May move into shallow riffles at night.
Platygobio gracilis	flathead chub	Fish - Freshwater	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G5	S2	No	Likely extirpated from Texas. Known from the Canadian River in the Panhandle in Texas. Found in strong currents over sandy bottoms and in shallow pools.
Polyodon spathula	paddlefish	Fish - Freshwater	Yes	Not Listed	T 01/30/1997	G4	S3	No	Species occurred in every major river drainage from the Trinity Basin eastward, but its numbers and range had been substantially reduced by the 1950�s; recently reintroduced into Big Cypress drainage upstream of Caddo Lake. Prefers large, free-flowing rivers but will frequent impoundments with access to spawning sites.
Prietella phreatophila	Mexican blindcat	Fish - Freshwater	Yes	E 06/02/1970	E 03/30/2020	GNR	S1	No	Subterranean freshwater cave environments in the northern Coahuila, Mexico and Val Verde County, Texas portions of the Edwards-Trinity Aquifer. Usually found associated with a silt substrate in still pools at water temperatures of 21 - 31.5 Celsius.
Pteronotropis hubbsi	bluehead shiner	Fish - Freshwater	Yes	Not Listed	T 03/01/1987	G3	S1	No	Mainstem and tributaries of Big Cypress Bayou and Caddo Lake in Texas. Quiet backwater areas of small to medium-sized, sluggish streams and oxbow lakes having mud or mud-sand substrate; water typically tannin-stained; heavy growth of submergent or semi-emergent vegetation often present.