Sturgeon Chub

The sturgeon chub is slender, streamlined fish with a long, flat snout. The snout resembles that of a sturgeon, which gives the fish its name. Adults grow to be about 3 inches (7.6 cm) in length. There is a small barbel near the corner of the mouth, and small pustules on the throat. The scales on the sturgeon chub's back and sides have a small ridge-like projection known as a "keel". The purpose of the keel is not established, but may help the fish stabilize and orient itself in fast currents or as a means of detecting currents. The eyes are small and it does not see well. The fish's color ranges from silvery-white on the belly to silvery sides, with a light-brown back. The tail is deeply forked, with the lower lobe darker than the upper lobe. The body fins are triangular, slightly rounded, and straight-edged (unlike the sicklefin chub). The last dorsal fin ray extends beyond the first ray of the depressed fin. Little is known about its feeding habits, although it does have teeth in its throat. The body is covered with taste buds which help it locate food. It lives in waters which are little populated by other small fish, but can be found associating with the flathead chub, sicklefin chub, and speckled chub. Sturgeon chub exhibits little sexual dimorphism, and neither sex exhibits color changes during breeding. …