Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2014 - 36

Hornyhead Chub

The

Real

CANDIDATE

Hornyhead Chub
by Rob Criswell

photos by the author

Horned Chub or Hornyhead Chub-This confusing cluster
of names has been applied or more often misapplied
to a small group of interesting minnows that occurs in
Pennsylvania. Some anglers who seine up a spawning
Central Stoneroller, with its head and body festooned
with sharp, raspy knobs, believe they have caught this
fish. Others think it is the River Chub, who has a swollen
"helmet head" and spikes similar to those on the head of
the stoneroller. Most Pennsylvanians, including those who
spend an extensive amount of time on our waterways, have
never seen the true owner of this strange appellation.
That's because the Hornyhead Chub (the correct common
name) is one of our most rare species of fish, and it is a
candidate for listing as threatened or endangered. A victim
of siltation, pesticide applications and a drop in normal flow
rates in creeks it once inhabited, this medium-sized minnow
now hangs on in small populations in only two streams,
both in the northwest section of Pennsylvania.
This chub requires relatively clear, small to mediumsized creeks with stony bottoms, and most importantly,
gravel. It prefers slower riffles and runs, in combination
with some pools that have escape cover consisting of
jumbles of rock, downed trees or other woody debris. Our
two populations survive in a stream that is less than 10
yards wide in most places and another that may be 20 to 30
yards wide.

Pennsylvania Angler & Boater * November/December 2014

Males begin to grow their tubercles in the spring, in
anticipation of the spawning season that may last until the
end of July. Their first order of business is the construction
of nests. Unlike many fish that simply spawn over gravel or
some other bottom material, or that fan out shallow nests,
Hornyhead Chubs and River Chubs belong to a group of
species that construct nests of pebbles and stones. Some
species, like the Fallfish, build monstrosities as large as 4 feet
in diameter and include stones that weigh 1/3 of a pound.
Hornyhead Chub nests are usually less than half that size,
but may occasionally reach 3 feet.
There are several possible uses for the male's armament,
which consists of 40 to 60 tubercles that are confined to
its head. It may be used for stimulation and contact with a
female during spawning, as well as territorial defense.
Often, a relationship with the Common Shiner occurs
in which both species use the same nest without dispute.
According to a 1920 report, the shiner is "most active
in driving off small intruders such as shiners, while the
Hornyhead Chub brings his sharp horns into use in driving
off larger egg-marauders, such as the Hog Molly (an old
name for the Northern Hogsucker)." The same author
observed a Hornyhead Chub repeatedly dealing blows with
its snout to an encroaching hogsucker and chasing it for
more than 10 feet. The hogsucker was more than 4 times the
length of the pugnacious chub.
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - November/December 2014

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