Gila robusta
Roundtail Chub
NS
G3
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Cypriniformes (Carps and Minnows)
Cyprinidae (Carps and Minnows)
Gila
Gila robusta (Roundtail Chub)
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting.
When citing, please reference the original source rather than this page.
Learn more about our species accounts.
Characters
Body shape: fusiform / normal. Body deep and compressed. Head flat. Caudal peduncle slender. Caudal fin large and forked. Angle along base of the anal fin continues into the middle of the caudal fin. Mouth terminal, extending to front of eye. Dark olive-gray above, silver side. Breeding male may develop red or orange on lower half of cheek and paired-fin bases; Lateral line with 71-99 scales, usually more than 78. Dorsal and anal fins with 9 rays. First gill arch with 10 or more rakers. Pharyngeal teeth 2,5-4,2 (Ref. 86798).
Distribution
North America: Colorado River drainage in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona, USA (Ref. 86798); also Rio Yaqui south to Rio Piaxtla in northwestern Mexico (Ref. 5723).
Habitat Associations
Freshwater. benthopelagic. Found in: streams, lakes.
Biology
Inhabits rocky runs, sometimes pools, of creeks and small to large rivers as well as impoundments. May hybridize with Gila cypha throughout their shared range except in Yampa River (Ref. 86798).
Max length: 43.0 cm TL; common length: 30.0 cm TL; max age: 8 years.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external.
IUCN Red List Status: Vulnerable (VU), assessed 2018-11-07. Resilience: Medium (tmax=8).
References
Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr (1991) A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 432 p.
Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr (2011) A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 663p.
Comments On Gila robusta