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Slender Chub
Erimystax cahni
Leuciscidae · freshwater water fish
2 minute read · Species guide

About Slender Chub
The slender chub (Erimystax cahni) is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Leuciscidae, the shiners, daces and minnows. It is found only in the United States, within the Clinch and Powell rivers. It is likely extirpated from the Holston River, having last been observed there in 1941. Due in part to a lack of targeted surveys, slender chub have not been definitively observed since the 1990s. The 2021 5-year review of this federally threatened species recommended environmental DNA sampling in future surveys with comparison to DNA extracted from preserved specimens. Environmental DNA surveillance was conducted in 2022, and eDNA for the species was detected in both the Clinch and Powell rivers.
Diet and feeding
The FishTraits compilation records these diet categories for this species: larger animal prey (a source category covering fish, crayfish, crabs, or frogs). These are broad categories, not a claim that every individual consumes every example in a category.
Reported feeding positions include bottom feeding. The compilation combines published observations; diets can vary with age, locality, and available food.
Habitat preferences
Reported habitat associations include medium to large rivers, streams and small rivers.
The source records associations with sand, gravel. An association indicates reported use, rather than an exclusive requirement.
Reproduction and parental care
The compilation reports a representative maturity age of 1 years. Its maturity field summarizes mean, median, or modal estimates, usually for females; male estimates can be used when female data are unavailable. It is not a fixed age at which every fish first breeds.
Recorded spawning months are Apr, May for the source’s reporting region (VA). This is a regional calendar, not a range-wide schedule.
The reproductive-guild classification includes hiding a brood without subsequent guarding.
Size and recorded longevity
FishTraits reports a maximum total length of 8.1 centimetres. Some entries use an estimated asymptotic length; this value should not be treated as a certified record catch.
Recorded longevity in the compilation is 2.5 years. Wild observations were preferred, but captive records were accepted where wild records were unavailable, and unspecified records were assumed wild. The value is not a guaranteed wild lifespan or an aquarium life expectancy.
Range
Where it lives
Share of records by state
Habitat
Water and movement
- Water
- WoRMS records this species in fresh water.
- Migration
- Undetermined
Classification
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Superclass
- Actinopterygii
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cypriniformes
- Family
- Leuciscidae
- Genus
- Erimystax
- Species
- Erimystax cahni
- ITIS TSN
- 163820
- WoRMS AphiaID
- 1014016
- GBIF key
- 2362092
Common questions about Slender Chub
What is the scientific name of Slender Chub?
Does Slender Chub live in fresh water or salt water?
Where has Slender Chub been recorded in the United States?
Closest relatives
Other Erimystax species
Same family