The headwater chub is a moderate sized cyprinid (member of the minnow family, Cyprinidae), usually dark gray to brown overall, silver laterally, and often with diffuse lateral lines on the sides. The body is usually slender, moderate in length, and moderately fusiform. The headwater chub is similar in appearance to roundtail chub, but generally smaller than roundtail chub (G. robusta), likely due to the smaller streams and other habitats in which it occurs.