Sometimes a green or gold iridescent midlateral stripe is visible, however. We have had losses in transporting and acclimating these fish. Since these two species are said by ichthyologists to be virtually indistinguishable in the field while alive, they are treated together here. Vague methods of distinguishing will be suggested. Both species are members of the subgenus Cyprinella .
Females axe similar to each other, lacking high color.
The most definite distinction Smith asserts, which the authors have not yet tested, is that satinfins have pigment scattered throughout the dorsal-fin membranes, while in the spotfins it is confined to the black dashes between posterior dorsal rays. But between them they usually agree, so there might be something to their guesswork. The habitat distinction is not 100-percent, however. Second, one is more conscious of greenish overtones to the bodily iridescence of spotfins, yellowish with satinfins. Both may develop yellowish fins.