Northern leatherside chub facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Northern leatherside chub |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
 |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
The northern leatherside chub (Lepdomeda copei) is a type of minnow fish found in western North America. It's known for its unique skin, which feels a bit like leather!
Contents
About the Northern Leatherside Chub
This fish is usually quite small. It can grow up to 15 cm (6 in) long, but most are about half that size. Its body is slim and covered with very tiny scales. This gives its skin a "leathery" feel, which is how it got its name.
What Does It Look Like?
The northern leatherside chub is bluish on its back (dorsal side) and silver on its belly (ventral side). Male chubs have special colors during certain times. They get patches of orange-red near their fins and at the base of their tail. They also have golden-red spots near their gills and between their eyes and upper jaw.
Unlike many other minnows, both the top fin (dorsal fin) and the bottom fin (anal fin) of this chub have eight rays, which are like the "bones" that support the fins.
Where It Lives
Northern leatherside chubs like cool, clear creeks and rivers. They prefer places with a gentle current. Adult chubs often gather in deeper pools or areas with fast-moving water called riffles. Younger chubs, or "juveniles," like quieter spots near the shore where there's brush or plants to hide in.
Its Home Range
You can find northern leatherside chubs in several places across the western United States. They live in the upper Snake River system in Idaho and Wyoming. They might have been brought to these areas by people using them as bait for fishing.
They also live south to the Sevier River in Utah. You'll commonly find them in rivers that flow into the Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake. Some have even been introduced into the Colorado River system, like Strawberry Reservoir and the Price River in Utah. Scientists are still figuring out if the fish in these new places are truly northern leatherside chubs or their close relatives, the Southern leatherside chub.
How People Use It
This chub has often been used as bait by people who go fishing.
Scientific Discoveries
The northern leatherside chub has had a few different scientific names over the years! It was first called Squalius copei and later Gila. In 1945, scientists decided it was unique enough to have its own special group.
Later, using DNA information, scientists confirmed its place in the fish family tree. It seems to be closely related to other fish like the spinedaces and the spikedaces. Today, it's classified as a species within the genus Lepidomeda, and scientists now recognize two different types of leatherside chubs: the northern and the southern species.
Images for kids
-
Map showing where the Northern leatherside chub lives.
See also
In Spanish: Lepidomeda copei para niños
