The Cherryfin Shiner is found in Gulf Coast drainages from Louisiana to Alabama, including the Mobile Basin, as well as the Mississippi River Drainage in Mississippi. They live in a variety of substrates in pools of small to medium creeks. As the common name suggests, Cherryfin Shiners have bright red fins. Like other members of the genus Lythrurus, Cherryfin Shiners have small scales on their nape.