Cyprinidae (minnows): fins without spines (8-9 principal rays in dorsal fins; < 16 rays in anal fins); body with smooth-edged scales, head without scales, jaws without teeth, adipose fin absent.

southern redbelly dace Phoxinus erythrogaster
hornyhead chub Nocomis biguttatus
rosyface shiner Notropis rubellus
bleeding shiner N. zonatus
striped shiner N. chrysocephalus
wedgespot shiner N. greenei
bigeye shiner N. boops
Ozark minnow Dionda nubila
largescale stoneroller Campostoma oligolepis
central stoneroller C. anomalum
streamline chub Hybopsis dissimilis

Catostomidae (suckers): fins without spines, no head scales, smooth body scales, > 10 rays in dorsal fin (see minnows), < 10 rays in anal fin, anal fin farther back on body than in minnows (> 2.5x rule)

northern hog sucker Hypentelium nigricans
black redhorse Moxostoma duquesnei
golden redhorse M. erythrurum

Ictaluridae (catfishes): presence of 4 pairs of long, slender barbels near mouth, smooth scaleless skin

slender madtom Noturus exilis
Ozark madtom N. albater
checkered madtom N. flavater

Centrarchidae (sunfishes): deep, laterally compressed bodies; fins with spiny rays, usually forward dorsal fin is spiny, back dorsal fin is soft-rayed; anal fins with 3 or more spines; scales are rough-edged (most species)

longear sunfish Lepomis megalotis
smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieui
rock bass Amploplites rupestris

Percidae (darters): spiny-rayed fins; rough-edges scales; dorsal fins divided into two parts (1st-spiny, 2nd-soft); one or two spines in anal fin; pelvic fins far forward, often nearly below pectoral fins

banded darter Etheostoma zonale
greenside darter E. blennioides
rainbow darter E. caeruleum
orange-throat darter E. spectabile
fantail darter E. flabellare
bluestripe darter (endemic) Percina cymatotaenia
stippled darter (endemic) E. punctulatum
Niangua darter (endemic) E. nianguae
Missouri saddled darter (endemic) E. tetrazonum

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