Home/Species/ Lake Chub

Couesius plumbeus

(Agassiz, 1850)

Lake Chub

G5Secure Found in 6 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

Least concernIUCN

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104768

Element CodeAFCJB06010

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryVertebrate Animal

IUCNLeast concern

Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

KingdomAnimalia

PhylumCraniata

ClassActinopterygii

OrderCypriniformes

FamilyLeuciscidae

GenusCouesius

COSEWICPS:T

Synonyms

Hybopsis plumbea

Other Common Names

Méné de lac (FR)

Concept Reference

Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.

Taxonomic Comments

Monotypic genus. Formerly included in the genera Hybopsis and Semotilus (Lee et al. 1980). Three subspecies have been recognized: plumbeus, greeni, and dissimilis.

Conservation Status

Rank MethodExpertise without calculation

Review Date2015-08-17

Change Date1996-09-13

Edition Date2012-04-06

Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.

Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences> 300

Range Extent Comments

The most northern minnow in North America; the only minnow in Alaska (Page and Burr 2011). Range includes much of Canada and the extreme northern United States, south to Delaware River of New York, Lake Michigan (Illinois), and Platte River system in Wyoming, with relict populations in the upper Missouri River drainage, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, and Wyoming, and Twin Springs Creek (Mississippi River tributary), Iowa (Stasiak 1986, Bestgen et al. 1991, Page and Burr 2011).

Occurrences Comments

This species is represented by a very large number of occurrences (subpopulations).

Threat Impact Comments

No major threats are known.

Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This chub occurs in varied habitats, including standing or flowing water, and large or small bodies of water; it is most common in gravel-bottomed pools and runs of streams and along rocky lake margins (Page and Burr 2011). It is more common in lakes in the southern part of the range, mostly in rivers in the north (but in lakes if available). Often it occurs in shallows but may move into deeper parts of lakes in summer. Spawning occurs in river shallows, along rocky shores, in shoals of lakes.

Ecology

Sometimes occurs in large schools (Becker 1983).

Reproduction

Spawns in spring and summer. Eggs hatch in about 10 days. Sexually mature in 3rd or 4th year (Becker 1983).

Other Nations (2)

United StatesN5

Province	Rank	Native
Washington	S2	Yes
New Hampshire	S4	Yes
Iowa	SX	Yes
Colorado	S1	Yes
Montana	S4	Yes
Vermont	S4	Yes
Massachusetts	S1	Yes
Indiana	S1	Yes
New York	S2	Yes
South Dakota	S1	Yes
Minnesota	S3	Yes
Wisconsin	S4	Yes
Alaska	S4	Yes
Idaho	S3	Yes
Wyoming	S5	Yes
North Dakota	S3	Yes
Illinois	S2	Yes
Maine	S4	Yes
Nebraska	SH	Yes
Michigan	S4	Yes

CanadaN5

Province	Rank	Native
Alberta	S5	Yes
Nova Scotia	S5	Yes
British Columbia	S5	Yes
Yukon Territory	S5	Yes
New Brunswick	S5	Yes
Nunavut	S3	Yes
Saskatchewan	S5	Yes
Quebec	S5	Yes
Northwest Territories	S4	Yes
Ontario	S5	Yes
Labrador	S5	Yes
Manitoba	S5	Yes

Threat Assessments

Threat	Scope	Severity	Timing
No known threats	—	—	—

Roadless Areas (6)

Montana (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Burnt Mountain	Custer National Forest	10,698
Red Lodge Creek Hellroaring	Custer National Forest	17,210

New Hampshire (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Pemigewasset Ext	White Mountain National Forest	15,840

Wyoming (3)

Area	Forest	Acres
Canyon Creek	Shoshone National Forest	7,530
Cloud Peak Contiguous	Bighorn National Forest	113,757
Middle Fork	Shoshone National Forest	51,772

References (29)

Baxter, G. T., and J. R. Simon. 1970. Wyoming fishes. Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Cheyenne, Wyoming, 168 pp.
Becker, G. C. 1983. Fishes of Wisconsin. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison. 1,052 pp.
Bestgen, K. R., K. D. Fausch, and S. C. Riley. 1991. Rediscovery of a relict southern population of lake chub, COUESIUS PLUMBEUS, in Colorado. Southwest. Nat. 36:125-127.
Cox, Kenneth M. (District Fisheries Biologist, VT Department of Fish and Wildlife). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. March 2000.
Daniels, Robert (Biological Survey, New York State Museum). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. June 2000.
Fago, D. 2000. Relative abundance and distribution of fishes in Wisconsin. Fish Distribution Database to year 2000. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Fulman, L.A. and J.J. Loos. 1981. Larval stages of the lake chub, COUESIUS PLUMBEUS. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 59(2):218-224.
Halliwell, David B. (Maine Department of Environmental Protection). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. June 2000.
Harlan, J. R., E. B. Speaker, and J. Mayhew. 1987. Iowa fish and fishing. Iowa Conservation Commission, Des Moines, Iowa. 323 pp.
Holton, G. D., and H. E. Johnson. 1996. A field guide to Montana fishes. 2nd edition. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Montana State Parks and wildlife Interpretive Association, Helena, Montana. 104 pp.
Lee, D. S., C. R. Gilbert, C. H. Hocutt, R. E. Jenkins, D. E. McAllister, and J. R. Stauffer, Jr. 1980. Atlas of North American freshwater fishes. North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh, North Carolina. i-x + 854 pp.
McPhail, J. D., and R. Carveth. 1993. Field key to the fishes of British Columbia. Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. 233 pp.
Mongillo, Paul E. (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Fish Management Program). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. March 2000.
Nelson, J. S., E. J. Crossman, H. Espinosa-Perez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, and J. D. Williams. 2004. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 29, Bethesda, Maryland. 386 pp.
Nesler, Tom (Colorado Division of Wildlife). 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, TNC. May 2000.
Page, L. M., and B. M. Burr. 1991. A field guide to freshwater fishes: North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. 432 pp.
Page, L. M., and B. M. Burr. 2011. Peterson field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Second edition. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston. xix + 663 pp.
Page, L. M., H. Espinosa-Pérez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, R. L. Mayden, and J. S. Nelson. 2013. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Seventh edition. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 34, Bethesda, Maryland.
Page, L. M., K. E. Bemis, T. E. Dowling, H.S. Espinosa-Pérez, L.T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, K. E. Hartel, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, M. A. Neigbors, J. J. Schmitter-Soto, and H. J. Walker, Jr. 2023. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Eighth edition. American Fisheries Society (AFS), Special Publication 37, Bethesda, Maryland, 439 pp.
Patton, Tim M. (Department of Biological Sciences, Southeastern Oklahoma University). 2001. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps of Wyoming. Review requested by Pilar Hernandez, ABI. April 2000.
Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.
Scott, W. B., and E. J. Crossman. 1973. Freshwater fishes of Canada. Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Bulletin 184. 966 pp.
Simpson, J. and R. Wallace. 1982. Fishes of Idaho. The University Press of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho. 238 pp.
Smith, C. L. 1983. Fishes of New York (maps and printout of a draft section on scarce fishes of New York). Unpublished draft.
Smith, C. L. 1985. The inland fishes of New York State. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Albany, New York, xi + 522 pp.
Smith, P. W. 1979. The fishes of Illinois. University of Illinois Press, Urbana. 314 pp.
Stasiak, R. H. 1986. New record of the lake chub (<i>Couesius plumbeus</i>) from Nebraska. Proceedings of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences 1986:29-30.
State Natural Heritage Data Centers. 1996a. Aggregated element occurrence data from all U.S. state natural heritage programs, including the Tennessee Valley Authority, Navajo Nation and the District of Columbia. Science Division, The Nature Conservancy.
Whittier, Thomas R. 2000. Review and annotation of fish watershed distribution maps. Review requested by Anthony E. Zammit, ABI. March 2000.

Couesius plumbeus

Habitat

Ecology

Reproduction

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