bluehead chub
Nocomis leptocephalus (Girard, 1856)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The bluehead chub (Nocomis leptocephalus) is a species of freshwater fish belonging to the family Leuciscidae, the shiners, daces and minnows. native to North America. Its name is due to its appearance, as breeding males have a blue head and develop large nuptial tubercles. Adult bluehead chubs are, on average, between 70 and 160 mm (2.8 and 6.3 in) in length. They have a robust body with uniformly large scales. The scales are present on the belly and breast. They have a pored body, a weakly falcate pectoral fin, and pharyngeal teeth. They have a large mouth, small eyes, and a terminal barbel. Other characteristics include a darkened lateral band, spot on the caudal fin, and red coloration of the fins and iris of the eyes. They have 40 lateral line scales and 8 anal rays. The bluehead chub is a freshwater fish, and lives in pools, rivers, and streams. They feed on insects and plants.
Wikipedia contributors, Bluehead chub; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:32:47.906028+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Nocomis leptocephalus (Girard, 1856)
- Name authority
- (Girard, 1856)
- Common name
- bluehead chub
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cypriniformes
- Family
- Cyprinidae
- Genus
- Nocomis
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderCypriniformes
- familyCyprinidae Rafinesque, 1815
- subfamilyLeuciscinae Bonaparte, 1835
- genusNocomis Girard, 1856
- speciesNocomis leptocephalus (Girard, 1856)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Nocomis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Nocomis biguttatus (Kirtland, 1840) | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nocomis asper Lachner & Jenkins, 1971 | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nocomis effusus Lachner & Jenkins, 1967 | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nocomis micropogon (Cope, 1865) | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nocomis platyrhynchus Lachner & Jenkins, 1971 | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nocomis raneyi Lachner & Jenkins, 1971 | CyprinidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Ceratichthys leptocephalus Girard, 1856 Girard, 1856 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1328672 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:47KTR. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.