The hardhead, Mylopharodon conocephalus, is a cyprinid

Cyprinid

The family Cyprinidae, from the Ancient Greek kyprînos , consists of the carps, the true minnows, and their relatives . Commonly called the carp family or the minnow family, its members are also known as cyprinids...

 fish

Fish

Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...

 native to California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, it is the sole member of its genus. Hardhead are found in both small to large streams in low to mid-elevations. Hardhead may also inhabit reservoirs and lakes. Hardhead are omnivores at all ages although the juvenile and adult fish have a different diet and tooth structures. These fish will eat aquatic plants, benthic invertebrates, algae and insects. As adults, hardheads may live up to 9 or 10 years.