"Cutlips minnows" is also used for the genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 Exoglossum

Exoglossum

Exoglossum is a genus of mound-building freshwater fish. Members are commonly known as cutlips minnows, though the individual species, particularly Exoglossum maxillingua, are also locally known by that name....

as a whole.

The Cutlips Minnow (Exoglossum maxillingua) is an olive-green medium-sized minnow

Minnow

Minnow is a general term used to refer to small freshwater and saltwater fish, especially those used as bait fish or for fishing bait. More specifically, it refers to small freshwater fish of the carp family.-True minnows:...

 (average 6 inches) with a distinguishing lower jaw. Isolated from all other minnows by its three-lobed lower jaw with the middle lobe sticking out like a tongue. The range of this species is from the St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...

 south into Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

. It is found in running streams and seems to prefer clear, stony pools but not rapids. The distinctive mouth of the cutlips lets it feed on minuscule shellfish

Shellfish

Shellfish is a culinary and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater environments, some kinds are found only in freshwater...

 which it scrapes from rocks. Although mollusks appear to be its primary food, it also eats insect larva

Larva

A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...

e and diatoms. A nest builder, the cutlips male constructs a nest of stone, some of which are up to 18 inches across. Spawning happens late in spring when the male attempts to crowd females over its nest. The cutlips is not a popular bait species due to its softened coloration but it takes a hook without much difficulty and is favored in some areas as a choice panfish

Panfish

A panfish, also spelled pan-fish or pan fish, is an edible game fish that usually doesn't outgrow the size of a frying pan. The term is also commonly used by anglers to refer to any small catch that will fit in a pan, but is large enough to be legal. However its definition and usage varies with...

.