They have small eyes situated high on the head, giving the impression of an upward-looking fish when viewed from above.

[2] The dorsal and anal fins are moderately high, about equally elevated, and slightly rounded at the tips.

The back and sides above the lateral line are pale yellow, with a dusky cross-hatched pattern and a thin, but noticeable, middorsal stripe.

[3] Longnose shiners generally feed during the day, with peak activity in the morning.

Longnose shiners also eat various plant materials, such as seeds of various sedges, diatoms, desmids, filamentous algae, and aquatic fungi.

[4][5] The longnose shiner is a benthic, schooling species found most often in moderate current over clean sand or small gravel substrata in medium to large streams.

[4] Though they are most abundant near the lower end of sand bars and shoal, where there is a reduced current flow, they are also commonly found in areas where stream banks are covered with woody or brushy vegetation.

Longnose shiners have also been found to colonize disturbed areas around bridge repair sites where the operation of heavy machinery has created a shallow, sand-bottom stream channel.

Variances in female size and average diameters of mature ova seem to be strongly correlated with the amount of surface runoff in the area.

[6][7] The breading season of longnose shiners typically lasts from March until October, in waters of about 17–29 °C (63–84 °F).

This type of reproduction results in a lack of parental care to both egg and larvae.