Introduced in 1905. Seven or eight spines on dorsal fin. Body is compressed or flat. Spawning is often in open water, typically over mud, sand or gravel bottoms.
Males guard the nest, and young after the eggs hatch.
Generally mature in second or third year of life, rarely live more than 6 to 7 years. Insect and plankton eaters until they reach four or five inches switching to a fish diet. In Arizona, threadfin shad are their main diet.