The Spotfin Shiner prefers moderate currents adjacent to gently sloping, clean gravel bars at depths of one to four feet. They probably spawn from late May to June in Kansas. Reports elsewhere state that the eggs are laid on submerged logs near riffles in a slight current. The logs must have loose bark or crevices for egg deposition. Their food source is unknown, but it probably includes insects.
The Spotfin Shiner is restricted in Kansas to the Spring River drainage in Cherokee County. It may formerly have occurred in the upper parts of the Neosho and Verdigris drainages.