Description
Creek chubsuckers are a small species of sucker with a dark golden bronze colored back and upper sides with a light cream colored or white belly. The edges of their scales have dark margins giving them a cross hatched appearance over much of their body. They have a subterminal (downward facing) mouth and usually 9-10 dorsal rays. Adults have a series of 5-8 faint dark saddles over their back and on their upper sides. Below these along their sides they have a series of blotches which can be fused into a broad and usually faint stripe. Adult males have a hooked or falcate anal fin and when breeding they have three tubercles on each side of their snout. Young chubsuckers have a distinct black stripe down their side and are often mistaken as small minnows. They also have a black leading edge to their dorsal fin. The closely related lake chubsucker can be distinguished by having a closer to terminal (forward facing) mouth, usually 11 or 12 dorsal rays, and a slightly deeper body.