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DACE, common name for any of several small silvery fishes of the minnow family, Cyprinidae. In the U.S. the name is applied to about 17 species of small freshwater cyprinids, including the southern redbelly dace, Phoxinus erythrogaster; the striped or blacknose dace, Rhinichthys atratulus, the longfin dace, Agosia chrysogaster; and the desert dace, Eremichthys acros. Some species are brilliantly colored during courtship. Schools of dace occur most frequently in fast-flowing streams, and the fish feed mainly on aquatic insects and plants. Breeding habits vary among species. Dace are not good food fish for humans but are eaten by many larger fish. The name is also applied to a European freshwater fish, Leuciscus leuciscus, of the same family. |