The mimic shiner (Notropis volucellus) is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Notropis. The genus Notropis is commonly known as the Eastern Shiners. It is native to areas of Hudson Bay drainage, Great Lakes drainage, much of Mississippi River basin including areas of Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, and regions of the Gulf of Mexico extending from Mobile Bay to the drainage of Texas. However, this fish can be found in other places such as the Atlantic Coast drainage in Connecticut and Housatonic rivers. This genus is usually characterized by almost all having a complete lateral line, 8 dorsal fin rays, a premaxillae protactile, and a silvery or speckled peritoneum. As the common name indicates, this species is difficult to classify in the wild because it looks similar to many oth