Breeding males have olive or tan backs, brilliant iridescent turquoise or royal blue on the upper portions of their bodies. Their undersides are silvery cream in color. Their fins are turquoise and may have a golden hue. The spotfin chub spawns from mid-May to early September. Females deposit eggs in crevices between rocks.
Males fertilize the eggs and remain in the immediate area to defend the eggs from predators.
Spotfin chubs reach maturity at two years although some one year old individuals have been known to breed. Although more research is necessary, it is thought that these fish do not live beyond three years. However, it is now restricted to only four river systems in the Tennessee River valley. A partial reason for the demise of the spotfin chub in its original range is that this species requires clear water over gravel, boulders and bedrock in large creeks and medium sized streams. As a footnote, this species has been observed in small tributaries on the Little Tennessee River, which is extremely unusual.