Description: A large (maximum length of 56 cm [22 in.]) fish with a round, sucker-shaped mouth located on the ventral surface of the head. The lower lip is unusually large and has a long, deep cleft on the midline.
The overall color is silvery, the dorsum has olive shading, the ventral surface is light, and the fins have red-orange coloration during spawning. The caudal peduncle is long and narrow, and the caudal fin is forked. The eyes are small and located high on the head. Migrates upstream to spawn in riffles, usually over a substrate of coarse gravel. The young generally are found in water shallower than that used by adults.
Diet: Omnivorous. Feeds on the substrate by scraping algae, detritus,
and small invertebrates from stones and other submerged objects.
Habitat: Deep, swift-water channels in moderate to large rivers and
tributaries; also found in riffles, pools, and backwater. Found occasionally in small creeks, but generally absent from impoundments.
Range: This species occurs in the Colorado River and Gila River drainage basins. In Clark County, Nevada, these fish occur in the Virgin River, but they are found infrequently in Lake Mead and the Colorado River below Davis Dam.