The Cypress minnow (Hybognathus hayi) is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish from the carp family Cyprinidae.

The Cypress minnow is a rather stout-bodied, silvery fish which had reasonably large eyes and a small, upward pointing mouth.

[3] The Cypress minnow is a lowland species which occurs in the backwaters of large, sluggish rivers and in oxbow lakes over substrates of sand, silt and organic debris.

This is supported by a study in Kentucky which found that these fish consumed sand, detritus, algae and other plant materials.

[2] The Cypress minnow is not common and has been described as being sporadic or rare, and to have declined drastically in abundance at the edges of its range in the states of Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, Florida, and Arkansas.