dace

dace
/days/, n., pl. (esp. collectively) dace, (esp. referring to two or more kinds or species) daces.
1. a small, freshwater cyprinoid fish, Leuciscus leuciscus, of Europe, having a stout, fusiform body.
2. any of several similar or related fishes of the U.S.
[1400-50; late ME darce, darse < OF dars < LL darsus]

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Any of various small, slim, active freshwater fishes of the carp family (Cyprinidae).

In England and Europe, the dace (Leuciscus leuciscus), a relative of the European chub, inhabits streams and rivers. It is a small-headed, silvery fish that grows to 10–12 in. (25–30 cm) long and weighs 1–1.5 lbs (0.5–0.7 kg). It lives in schools and eats plant and animal material. It is a good bait and sport fish but is not highly valued as food. In North America, the name is applied to various small cyprinids found in creeks and bogs, mostly in the central and southern U.S.

European dace (Leuciscus leuciscus).

Jane Burton
Bruce Coleman Ltd.

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fish
 any of a number of small, slim, active freshwater fishes of the carp family, Cyprinidae. In England and Europe, the dace is Leuciscus leuciscus, a relative of the chub. Usually found in moderately swift streams and rivers, the European dace is a rather small-headed, silvery fish attaining a usual length and weight of 25–30 cm (10–12 inches) and 0.5–0.7 kg (1–1 1/2 pounds). It lives in schools and eats both plant and animal material. The European dace is a good bait fish. Though it is not highly valued as food, the dace is sought by sport fishermen because it is a shy, somewhat difficult fish to capture.

      In North America, the name dace is applied to various small cyprinids. The redbelly daces (Phoxinus) are well-known, with a southern (P. erythrogaster) and northern (P. eos) species. The southern redbelly dace, found in clear creeks from Alabama to Pennsylvania and the Great Lakes region, is an attractive fish sometimes kept in home aquariums. It is 5–7.5 cm (2–3 inches) long and is marked with two longitudinal black stripes. The northern redbelly dace, similar to the southern, is found in creeks and bogs in the eastern and central United States. These and other daces are noted for the rosy to bright-red colouring assumed by the male during the spring breeding season.

      Other North American daces include: the redside and rosyside daces (Clinostomus), which are black-banded fishes about 12 cm (4 3/4 inches) long found in the eastern and central United States; and several species of the genus Rhinichthys, among them the black-nosed dace (R. atratulus), a fine-scaled, black-banded, 7.5-centimetre-long fish found from New England to Minnesota, and the long-nosed dace (R. cataractae), a widely distributed species with a comparatively long snout. The creek chub is often known also as the horned dace, because of the hornlike projections that develop on the head of the male during breeding season.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Synonyms:
, , (Leuciscus vulgaris)


Look at other dictionaries:

  • dace — ● dace adjectif et nom De Dacie. 1. dace [das] adj. et n. ÉTYM. Av. 1740; lat. Dacius. ❖ ♦ Hist. Qui se rapporte à la Dacie (nom de la région correspondant à l actuelle Roumanie avant la colonisation romaine) ou à ses habitants. ⇒ aussi Dacique.… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Dace — (d[=a]s), n. [Written also dare, dart, fr. F. dard dase, dart, of German origin. Dace is for an older darce, fr. an OF. nom. darz. See {Dart} a javelin.] (Zo[ o]l.) A small European cyprinoid fish ({Leuciscus leuciscus}, formerly {Squalius… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • dace — dace; ven·dace; …   English syllables

  • dace — [dās] n. pl. dace or daces [ME, dial. form (with r loss as in BASS2) of dars < OFr dars < VL darsus, of Gaul orig.] any of various small, freshwater cyprinoid fishes (esp. genera Phoxinus and Rhinichthys) …   English World dictionary

  • dace — (n.) small, freshwater fish, early 15c., from O.Fr. darz, nominative or plural of dart dart (see DART (Cf. dart)). So called for its movements. Another theory traces it to a M.L. darsus, said to be of Gaulish origin …   Etymology dictionary

  • dace — DACE, Dacia, Transsylvanie, Transsyluania, à present ditte Moldauia, et par les Hongres Sibenbourg, c est à dire Septencastrensis, ou Septemcastra, ou Les sept chasteaux, fut par les anciens appelée Dacia …   Thresor de la langue françoyse

  • dace — DACE. s. f. Taxe qui se leve sur le peuple. Les daces & imposts …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • dace — ► NOUN (pl. same) ▪ a small freshwater fish related to the carp. ORIGIN Old French dars (see DART(Cf. ↑dart)) …   English terms dictionary

  • Dace — A dace is any of a number of species of small fish. The unmodified name is usually a reference to the Common Dace (Leuciscus leuciscus). This, like most fishes called daces , belongs to the family Cyprinidae, mostly in subfamily Leuciscinae.… …   Wikipedia

  • Dace — Cet article concerne la langue dace. Pour le peuple dace, voir Daces. Les langues thraco illyriennes, dont le Dace. Le dace (dit gète par les Grecs) est une des langues de l antiquité, aujourd hu …   Wikipédia en Français

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