Chub
Squalius cephalus (Linnaeus, 1758)
The chub (Squalius cephalus), also called the European chub, is a bony fish of the family Cyprinidae and the subfamily Leuciscinae. It is placed in the genus Squalius, the order Cypriniformes and the class Teleostei, and its scientific name carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1758).
Quick facts about the chub
On the IUCN Red List, the chub is assessed globally as Least Concern (LC), which is not an IUCN threatened category.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- freshwater, riverinesrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the chub
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the chub live?
Not recorded
What is the chub?
Squalius cephalus, the common chub, European chub or simply chub, is a species of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Leuciscidae, the daces, Eurasian minnows and related fishes. This species is found in Europe where it frequents both slow and moderate rivers, as well as canals, lakes and still waterbodies of various kinds.
From the Wikipedia article “Squalius cephalus” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Squalius_cephalus&oldid=1354929966), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the chub endangered?
The chub is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the chub classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classTeleostei
- orderCypriniformes
- familyCyprinidae
- genusSqualius
- SpeciesSqualius cephalus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Alburnus tauricus, Cyprinus albula, Cyprinus capito, Cyprinus cephalus, Cyprinus chub, Cyprinus kietaibeli, Cyprinus kittaibeli, Cyprinus lugdunensis, Cyprinus orthonotus, Cyprinus rufus, Cyprinus salmoneus, Leuciscus albiensis, Leuciscus brutius, Leuciscus cabeda, Leuciscus cavedanus, Leuciscus cephalus, Leuciscus cephalus albus, Leuciscus cephalus cabeda, Leuciscus cephalus cephalus, Leuciscus cephalus macedonicus, Leuciscus cephalus natio aralychensis, Leuciscus cephalus natio ardebilicus, Leuciscus cephalus natio kaznakovi, Leuciscus cephalus natio thracicus, Leuciscus cephalus natio zangicus, Leuciscus cephalus orientalis, Leuciscus cephalus ruffoi, Leuciscus cephalus var. wjatkensis, Leuciscus cephalus wjatkensis, Leuciscus chub pictava, Leuciscus frigidus, Leuciscus lapacinus, Leuciscus latifrons, Leuciscus nothulus, Leuciscus orientalis, Leuciscus rissoi, Leuciscus ruffoi, Leuciscus squalius, Leuciscus squalius cephalus, Leuciscus svallize natio risae, Leuciscus vandoisulus, Squalius cephalopsis, Squalius cephalus athurensis, Squalius cephalus natio prespensis, Squalius cephalus var. athurensis, Squalius clathratus, Squalius meridionalis, Squalius meunier, Squalius orientalis, Squalius pareti, Squalius ruffoi, Squalius turcicus platycephala, Squalius turcicus var. platycephala, Squalius tyberinus, Squalus tyberinus
Other names and names in other languages (67)
- European chubEnglish
- АжауBashkir
- ГалавеньBelarusian
- Речен кефалBulgarian
- KlijenBosnian
- BagraCatalan
- jelec tloušťCzech
- twb y dailWelsh
- Tybiau'r DailWelsh
- DøbelDanish
- AletGerman
- AitelGerman
- DöbelGerman
- EitelGerman
- ΨαρίδαGreek
- ΚέφαλοςGreek
- BagreSpanish
- cachoSpanish
- Carpa ComúnSpanish
- TurbEstonian
- turpaFinnish
- chevaineFrench
- ChevesneFrench
- Chevesne communFrench
- chovaineFrench
- Klen / кленSerbian (Latin)
- Fejes domolykóHungarian
- cavedanoItalian
- Cavedano europeoItalian
- チャブJapanese
- ქაშაპიGeorgian
- ҚұсбасKazakh
- 유럽몰개Korean
- europinis šapalasLithuanian
- SapalsLatvian
- Речен кленMacedonian
- ЁзьErzya
- meunDutch
- kopvoornDutch
- molenaarDutch
- stamNorwegian Nynorsk
- ÅrbukNorwegian Nynorsk
- Mon·nhiéPicard
- kleńPolish
- QuaiassPiedmontese
- Squalius cephalusPortuguese
- CleanRomanian
- голавльRussian
- Голавль обыкновенныйRussian
- jalec hlavatýSlovak
- klenSlovenian
- kleniAlbanian
- blyshiAlbanian
- byluçiAlbanian
- mëlyshiAlbanian
- mylyshiAlbanian
- КленSerbian
- färnaSwedish
- КушбашTatar
- kepenezTurkish
- Ak balıkTurkish
- talisu kefaliTurkish
- tatlısu kefaliTurkish
- головень звичайнийUkrainian
- Головень європейськийUkrainian
- Kallador baliqUzbek
- 歐鰱Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the chub
Other species in the same genus Squalius.
Northern Iberian chub
Squalius carolitertii
Illyrian chub
Squalius illyricus
Etruscan chub
Squalius lucumonis
Cacho
Squalius pyrenaicus
CompareChub vs Squalius alburnoidesChub vs Northern Iberian chubChub vs Squalius ghigiiChub vs Illyrian chub
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the chub?
The chub is a bony fish. It belongs to the family Cyprinidae and the order Cypriniformes.
What is the scientific name of the chub?
The scientific name of the chub is Squalius cephalus, placing it in the genus Squalius.
Who named the chub and when?
The scientific name Squalius cephalus carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1758).
Is the chub endangered?
No. The chub is assessed globally as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, which is not an IUCN threatened category.
What is another name for the chub?
The chub is also called the European chub.
What family and subfamily does the chub belong to?
The chub belongs to the family Cyprinidae and the subfamily Leuciscinae.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Chub (Squalius cephalus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/squalius-cephalus
“Chub (Squalius cephalus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/squalius-cephalus.
@misc{squalius_cephalus_2026,
title = {Chub (Squalius cephalus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/squalius-cephalus},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}