They have a large mouth, so much so that the posterior end of the jaw reaches the anterior part of the eye.

The pale chub has an elongated body that is more compressed at the posterior end and have a black longitudinal band.

[4] The moderately large cycloid scales that are much larger on the sides than on other parts of the fish, and they have a complete lateral line.

Zacco platypus have 7 dorsal fin rays and it is located near the midline between its snout tip and caudal peduncle end.

[9][10] Each spine of the first dorsal fin is slightly extended, and the first spine of the male fish is extended similarly like a thread; the edge of the second dorsal fin is straight, and the rays are all branched out.

[9] They have oblique mouths, where the posterior end of their upper jaw reaches the anterior margin of the eye.

[4] The life expectancy of a Z. platypus is around 5 years and they are quite tolerant to various environmental stress factors.

[18] The main predators are piscivorous fish, such as Silurus meridionalis, the Southern catfish or Chanodichthys erythropterus, the predatory carp, and Silurus asotus, the Chinese catfish; additionally, there are potential avian threats.

[21] In nature, males become vibrant around the time of breeding to attract females to mate.

[17] The larger GSI and number of yolk in the spring in comparison to the values in the summer prove that Zacco have an evolve reproductive style in which they invest more energy to mate in the spring in order to avoid the damage of summer floods.

[21] At the beginning of their mating ritual, several males will chase a single female at a time, occasionally showing their dorsal and anal fins to threaten competitors, as well as speeding aggressively and fighting each other.

[21] During their breeding season, male pale chubs will undergo sexual dimorphism by growing numerous sharp and colorful nuptial tubercles on their head, especially on their jaws, and fins.