Species Information
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Craniata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Leuciscidae
Genus: Gila
Species: nigra
Headwater Chub - Gila nigra
Image courtesy of Biota Information System of New Mexico
637463
Species Extent (New Mexico)
General Description
Headwater Chub (Gila nigra) is a small (males: 50 cm, females: 10-18 cm) fish that occurs in the Gila River basin in Arizona and New Mexico. They prefer pools and runs near cover objects or deep water in the headwaters of rivers and creeks. They are highly omnivorous, feeding primarily on invertebrates and algae and are known to occasionally eat detritus, vegetation, and fish. Recent taxonomic work suggests that Headwater Chub in New Mexico may be the same species as two other limited-distribution fishes of the Lower Colorado River drainage, Gila Chub (Gila intermedia) and Roundtail Chub (Gila robusta).
Status
Observations in Natural Heritage New Mexico Database
Number of Subpopulations: 9
Number of Mapped Locations: 101
Number of Observations: 248
Observation date range: 01-26-1983 to 10-14-2019
External Links
View More Information about this species at:
Biota Information System of New Mexico (BISON-M)
NatureServe Explorer
Environmental Conservation Online System (ECOS)
New Mexico State Wildlife Action Plan (NMSWAP)
Biota Information System of New Mexico (BISON-M)
NatureServe Explorer
Environmental Conservation Online System (ECOS)
New Mexico State Wildlife Action Plan (NMSWAP)