The Cypress Minnow is found in Gulf Coast drainages from Texas to Florida, including the Mobile Basin, and in the Ohio and Mississippi river basins to Indiana, including the Tennessee River Drainage. As the common name suggests, Cypress Minnows are found in backwaters and swamps, typically over soft substrate often with cypress trees. Like other members of the genus Hybognathus, Cypress Minnows have a long intestine that allows them to process decaying plant matter.