{{Short description|Species of fish in the carp family}} {{Speciesbox | image = Flathead Chub (Platygobio gracilis) (51876224520).jpg | image_caption = | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 18 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=NatureServe |date=2013 |title=''Platygobio gracilis'' |volume=2013 |article-number=e.T202349A18229180 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T202349A18229180.en |access-date=18 November 2021}}</ref> | taxon = Platygobio gracilis | parent_authority = T. N. Gill, 1863 | display_parents = 3 | authority = (J. Richardson, 1836) | synonyms = {{Specieslist | Cyprinus (Leuciscus) gracilis | J. Richardson, 1836 | Coregonus angusticeps | Valenciennes, 1848 | Pogonichthys communis | Girard, 1856 | Pogonichthys (Platygobio) gulonellus | Cope, 1865 | Ceratichthys physignathus | Cope, 1875 | Platygobio pallidus | Forbes, 1883 }} | synonyms_ref = <ref name = "Cof genus">{{Cof genus|genus=Platygobio|access-date=18 March 2025}}</ref> }}
The '''flathead chub''' ('''''Platygobio gracilis''''') is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Leuciscidae, the shiners, daces and minnows. It is the only member of the monotypic genus '''''Platygobio'''''.<ref name = "Cof genus" /> It is native to North America, where it is distributed throughout central Canada and the central United States.<ref name=nd>{{cite web|url=https://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/wildlife/nddanger/species/platgrac.htm |title=''Platygobio gracilis''|series= North Dakota Federally Listed Endangered, Threatened, and Candidate Species|publisher= USGS|year= 2013}}{{dead link|date=January 2026}}</ref>
==Distribution== This fish was first described from the Saskatchewan River in 1836. It is also known from three other major river systems in central North America, the Mackenzie, Missouri-Mississippi, and Rio Grande drainages. Its distribution extends from the Northwest Territories to Texas.<ref name=fs>{{cite web|author=Rahel, F. J. |name-list-style=and |author2=L. A. Thel|url=http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/projects/scp/assessments/flatheadchub.pdf |title=Flathead Chub (''Platygobio gracilis''): A Technical Conservation Assessment|publisher= USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region|date= July 22, 2004}}{{dead link|date=January 2026}}</ref>
==Biology== This is a minnow with an elongated body and a flat, "wedge-shaped" head.<ref name=fs/> It has a pointed snout with a large mouth and barbels. It has sickle-shaped pectoral fins and a forked tail fin with pointed lobes. It has taste buds in its anal and pelvic fins. It has a slightly curving lateral line and large scales. The body of the adult may be brownish, olive, or black in color with a silvery wash across the sides and belly. The adult is generally {{convert|9|to|18|cm}} in length but can reach {{convert|26|cm}}.<ref>{{FishBase |Platygobio|gracilis | month = August| year = 2011}}</ref> The male and female are similar in appearance.<ref name=fs/>
This fish lives in rivers and large tributaries, often in fast-moving, turbid waters. The species may congregate in groups but moves independently rather than schooling. Spawning behaviors are not well known in this species. Feeding behaviors have not been observed often but the fish is thought to be mostly insectivorous.<ref name=fs/>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q12669716|from2=Q2449841}}
Category:Pogonichthyinae Category:Freshwater fish of the United States Category:Fish of Canada Category:Fish described in 1836