Lateral line scales range from 49 to 64 in number, and they are sometimes interrupted by missing pores. Hooked pharyngeal teeth, on stout arches, are arranged in two rows and have the formula 2, 5-4, 2. Breeding males develop a rosy tint on the body and form large nuptial tubercles on head and snout. Fins may become light yellowish to light olive in color. They can endure turbidity, provided the current sweeps the gravel free of silt.
Creek chubs are one of the largest and most dominant fishes in Iowa creeks and streams.
Male creek chubs breed by preparing a nest in the gravel-bottomed run by mounding up gravel about 3 inches high and several feet in length using the snout and mouth. Spawning activity commences in May when the water temperature reaches about 65 degrees F. Eggs are deposited in the nest by one or more females over a period of 2 weeks and covered with gravel by the male as nest building continues. The male guards the nest against intruders with tubercle displays or swimming in a ritualized combative posture. Creek chubs consume primarily aquatic and terrestrial insects, insect larvae, crustaceans, mollusks, and small fishes, along with the incidental ingestion of algae and other minute plants. This species attains about 12 inches in length after 4 years of life.