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Minnow
           
                        MINNOW, common name loosely applied to any small fish, but technically
                        restricted to fishes in the minnow family, Cyprinidae, order Cypriniformes. This is
                        the largest of the fish families and includes more than 2070 species, including such
                        familiar forms as the chub, dace, goldfish, and shiner. Cyprinids in general are
                        characterized by a single, usually soft-rayed dorsal fin and by one to three rows of
                        teeth in the throat but never in the jaw. Species more specifically known as carp are
                        differentiated from most other cyprinids by a stiff spine at the leading edge of a long,
                        15-rayed dorsal fin, usually two pairs of barbels at the mouth corners, and three
                        rows of throat teeth. Minnows are distributed throughout almost all fresh waters in
                        northern temperate regions, Africa, southeastern Asia, and China. In North America
                        the family is represented by more than 300 species. Most of the Cyprinidae are only
                        a few centimeters in length, but India?s mahseer, Barbus tor, measures up to 2.7 m
                        (9 ft) and may weigh more than 45 kg (100 lb). Minnows are extremely important as
                        food fishes, particularly in Southeast Asia where they are an important source of
                        protein. 

                        Several other families include fishes that are often popularly called minnows. These
                        include the Cyprinodontidae, in which the various species of killifish are placed; the
                        Poeciliidae, or live-bearers (which include the mosquito fish, Gambusia); the
                        Anablepidae and the mudminnows of the family Umbridae.