White River spinedace are endemic to the White River system in Nye and White Pine Counties, Nevada.  The White River spinedace is a member of the cyprinid tribe Plagopterini known only from the lower Colorado River Basin.  The Plagopterini tribe of cyprinid fishes includes the monotypic genera Meda (spikedace) and Plagopterus (woundfin), and the polytypic genus Lepidomeda (spinedace). Members of this tribe are distinguished from other cyprinids by:  1) the spinelike character of the pelvic and pectoral fin rays, and the two anterior dorsal fin rays; 2) a membranous connection between the innermost ray of the pelvic fins and the belly; 3) bright silver coloration; and 4) the absence or diminutive development of body scales.  Spinedace are the most generalized and diverse of the genera.