Flathead chub

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title: "Flathead chub" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["pogonichthyinae", "fish-of-the-united-states", "fish-of-canada", "fish-described-in-1836"] description: "Species of fish in the carp family" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flathead_chub" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Species of fish in the carp family ::

| image = Flathead Chub (Platygobio gracilis) (51876224520).jpg | image_caption = | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = | taxon = Platygobio gracilis | parent_authority = T. N. Gill, 1863 | display_parents = 3 | authority = (J. Richardson, 1836) | synonyms = {{Specieslist | Cyprinus (Leuciscus) gracilis | J. Richardson, 1836 | Coregonus angusticeps | Valenciennes, 1848 | Pogonichthys communis | Girard, 1856 | Pogonichthys (Platygobio) gulonellus | Cope, 1865 | Ceratichthys physignathus | Cope, 1875 | Platygobio pallidus | Forbes, 1883 | synonyms_ref =

The flathead chub (Platygobio gracilis) is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Leuciscidae, the shiners, daces and minnows. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Platygobio. It is native to North America, where it is distributed throughout central Canada and the central United States.

Distribution

This fish was first described from the Saskatchewan River in 1836. It is also known from three other major river systems in central North America, the Mackenzie, Missouri-Mississippi, and Rio Grande drainages. Its distribution extends from the Northwest Territories to Texas.

Biology

This is a minnow with an elongated body and a flat, "wedge-shaped" head. The male and female are similar in appearance.

This fish lives in rivers and large tributaries, often in fast-moving, turbid waters. The species may congregate in groups but moves independently rather than schooling. Spawning behaviors are not well known in this species. Feeding behaviors have not been observed often but the fish is thought to be mostly insectivorous.

References

References

1. NatureServe. (2013). "''Platygobio gracilis''".
2. {{Cof genus
3. (January 2026). "''Platygobio gracilis''". [[USGS]].
4. Rahel, F. J.. (July 22, 2004}}{{dead link). "Flathead Chub (''Platygobio gracilis''): A Technical Conservation Assessment". USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region.
5. It has a pointed snout with a large mouth and [[Barbel (anatomy). barbels]]. It has sickle-shaped pectoral fins and a forked tail fin with pointed lobes. It has [[taste bud]]s in its anal and pelvic fins. It has a slightly curving [[lateral line]] and large scales. The body of the adult may be brownish, olive, or black in color with a silvery wash across the sides and belly. The adult is generally {{convert. 9. to. 18. cm in length but can reach {{convert. 26. cm.{{FishBase. Platygobio. gracilis. (2011)

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