Its main physical characteristic is the black colored stripe that runs along the side of the body.

The streams in which this Minnow lives are typically consistent and run year long.

Oxbow lakes are especially important habitat for Topeka shiners, as in faster moving bodies of water, they are easily picked off.

The water quality changes and the minnow are impacted when natural plant life is taken away.

In particular, the infilling of oxbow lakes due to agricultural runoff-induced erosion and channelization robbed the shiners of slow currents and vegetation to spawn in and hide from predators.