[6] The Tui Chub's modern range includes the Lahontan and Central system of the Great Basin, as well as the Owens, Truckee, Carson, Quinn, Humboldt, Columbia Klamath, and Mojave Rivers.

[8] They have historically been abundant enough in the western Great Basin to provide a valuable food source to native peoples living there.

[9] The form and appearance of the Tui chub is variable; many were originally described as different species by J. O. Snyder, but have since been reduced to subspecies.

[10] In general, mature individuals are characterized by a deep olive above and white below, with a smooth variation in shading along the sides, and a brassy reflection.

[13] Tui chubs are found in a variety of habitats, including small, fast-flowing streams, meandering rivers, springs, ponds, and lakes.

[15] Tui chub diet is varied; young fish eat mostly invertebrates, adding plant material and especially algae as they mature.

In Pyramid Lake the peak season is June; males move inshore first, then congregate around arriving females in shallow water, preferring areas with a sandy substrate and heavy vegetation.

[10] Eggs hatch between three and six days after fertilization; however, the embryos do not mature uniformly, leading to multiple spawning periods.

[20] In lake habitats, it is common for Tui chub to live between five and six years with fish aged greater than six being more rare.

[15] Archeological evidence reveals that the Tui chub was an important food source for the native people of the Western Great Basin, namely the Northern Paiute.

They used tule floats, willow sticks, and stone weights to suspend the unattended nets in shallow water for up to a few days.

At larger sizes, the bone structure of the Tui Chub makes it difficult to separate edible portions.

Through careful observation of the Tui chub's behavior and environment, the tribes of the Western Great Basin were able to capitalize on this vital food source.

Additionally, these subspecies differ in that the Siphateles bicolor pectinifer adults’ mouths are more oblique, and they have more concave head shapes.

[25] Other subspecies have had opposing conservation stories, having once been considered extinct but then re-classified; one such case is the Independence Valley Tui Chub.

The implications of this specific example for the Tui chub species at large indicate less variation for which divergent natural selection is able to act upon.

Mohave Tui chub also are not able to osmoregulate as effectively as other species, leading to a narrow range of salinities it can realistically tolerate.

In Diamond Lake, Oregon, Tui chub’s presence led to a significant decline in water quality and negatively impacted trout populations.