Longnose Dace - Rhinichthys cataractae
Life history and habitat requirements: The Longnose Dace are similar in appearance to the Blacknose Dace but lacking the dark band around the snout and along the body. The Longnose Dace prefers the moving waters of swift riffles over boulder, cobble, or pebble and gravel-bottom streams, avoiding pools and quiet water. They breed generally in the spring. Although they do not build nests, the male guards a small territory around the eggs. Longnose Dace are insectivores, preying heavily on larval blackflies and midges. There is only one report of Longnose Dace in the Assabet watershed. (Source: Inland Fishes of Massachusetts)
Total Length: About 3 inches (largest recorded in Massachusetts, from the Westfield River, 6 inches)
Pollution tolerance (US EPA): intermediate tollerance
Classification: Fluvial specialist
Number of fish found during 1954 & 2001 Fish Surveys*
| Location | No. of Fish 1954 | No. of Fish 2001 |
| Great Brook | 9 | |
| Total | 9 | 0 |
*Data sources:
DFW. 2001. Assabet Watershed Fish Survey. Mass. Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife), Westborough, MA.
Schlotterbeck, L.C. and W.A. Tompkins. 1954. "A Fisheries Investigation of the Merrimack and Ipswich River Drainages." Bureau of Wildlife Research and Management, Mass. Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Westborough, MA.
