(click to enlarge)
European chub (Leuciscus cephalus) (credit: W.S. Pitt — Eric Hosking)

Any of several freshwater fishes of the carp family that are commonly caught for bait, sport, and food. Popular species include the European chub (Leuciscus cephalus) of Europe and Great Britain, a voracious predator of insects and other fish, and, in North America, the creek chub, or horned dace (Semotilus atromaculatus), and the hornyhead chub (Nocomis, or Hybopsis, biguttata). These species range in length from 6 to 24 in. (15 – 60 cm). Their colours vary, tending toward bluish or greenish above with a lighter or silvery belly. The name is applied to many cyprinids in North America and to other, unrelated fishes elsewhere.

For more information on chub, visit Britannica.com.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 1994-2012 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.