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Photo by Unknown Photographer
Photo Courtesy of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources; Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
Roundtail Chub
Gila robusta
NatureServe conservation status
Global (G-rank): G3
State (S-rank): S2
External links
Species range
The Roundtail Chub is endemic to the Colorado River drainage where it occurs in the large, mainstem rivers and also in tributary streams, particularly in the low-gradient reaches of large tributaries."
Habitat
This species inhabits main channels of large rivers. Lanigan and Berry (1981) reported, in the White River, Uintah County: "Young roundtail chubs commonly were found in pools where there was some water movement, such as those below riffles, and pools formed by debris on the margins of the river. Adults, which are well adapted to swift current, were found in deeper water than were the young."
Food habits
Roundtail chub are omnivorous, opportunistic feeders. Their diet shifts with age, younger fish eat diatoms, algae, and insects, while adults consume a diverse range of items including terrestrial and aquatic insects, snails, crustaceans, algae, and even other fish.
Reproductive characteristics
Roundtail chub spawn over gravel substrates in spring or summer, often with several males attending a single female. The female releases adhesive eggs that sink into the gravel. Eggs are fertilized by the males and are left without parental care to hatch in four to seven days
Threats or limiting factors
Evident population declines are following the pattern of range reduction and fragmentation seen in populations of other large-river fish species occurring in the Colorado River System. Roundtail chub populations have been affected by the dramatic alteration of habitat in the Colorado River and its tributaries following the construction of large reservoirs in this system. Changes in the physical properties of the aquatic habitat can directly affect survivorship and reproductive success. Habitat conditions have allowed introduced populations of nonnative fish species to flourish, affecting roundtail chub populations through predation or competition.
