Lepidomeda copei (Jordan & Gilbert, 1881)
Northern leatherside chub
Lepidomeda copei
photo by Sandra J. Raredon / Smithsonian Institution, NMNH, Div. of Fishes

Family:  Leuciscidae (Minnows), subfamily: Plagopterinae
Max. size:  15 cm TL (male/unsexed)
Environment:  benthopelagic; freshwater
Distribution:  North America: Bear and Upper Snake River systems in Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah, USA.
Diagnosis:  Dorsal soft rays (total): 8-8; Anal soft rays: 8-8. Lepidomeda copei can be diagnosed by the following characters: leatherlike in appearance due to its small scales (lateral line scales 68-85); black specks on silver blue back and sides; dorsal fin with 8 rays; anal fin with 8 rays; pharyngeal teeth 1,4-4,1 to 2,5-4,2; slender; barely compressed body; large eye; terminal mouth; and rounded snout. Breeding males possess red paired and anal-fin bases, lower love of caudal fin, and upper edge of gill cover (Ref. 86798).
Biology:  Inhabits sluggish pools and backwaters, usually over mud or sand, of creeks and small to medium rivers (Ref. 86798).
IUCN Red List Status: Near Threatened (NT); Date assessed: 28 February 2012 Ref. (130435)
Threat to humans:  harmless


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