General
BUFFALOFISHES, Ictiobus/CHUBSUCKERS, Erimyzon
CARPSUCKERS, Carpiodes/SUCKERS, Minytrema/CHUBSUCKERS, Erimyzon
Moxostoma, REDHORSES
(Pantosteus) Catostomus
100
BUFFALOFISHES, Ictiobus
Lateral line scales less than 45; eyes in front part of head; bead large and not abruptly more slender than body. Distance from eye to lower posterior angle of preopercle about 3/4 distance to upper comer of gill cleft; sub-opercle widest at middle; pharyngeal arch thick, triangular in cross section. This genus contains three species. They are large golden or reddish brown fishes with deep bodies.
100
LARGEMOUTH BUFFALOFISH, Ictiobus cyprinellus
Fig. 362. Mouth large with upper lip about level with lower margin of eye. Reaches a length of about 3 feet. Saskatchewan and North Dakota to Lake Erie and south to Alabama and northern Texas. Introduced into reservoirs of Gila River, Arizona and Los Angeles Aqueduct system, southern California.
100
QUILLBACK CARPSUCKER, Carpiodes cyprinus
Fig. 365. No nipple-like structure on lower lip (Fig. 366); anterior dorsal rays elongated, or as long as base of fin; lateral line scales 37-40; nostril posterior to middle of mouth (Fig. 364).
100
SILVER REDHORSE, Moxostoma anisurum
Scales around peduncle 12, usually 5 above and 5 below lateral line; more or less reddish brown and silvery, fins tend to be reddish. Length of 24 inches or more. Fig. 381. Halves of lower lip thin and meet at an acute angle (Fig. 382A); plicae broken by transverse creases; dorsal fin rounded at tip. Saskatchewan to St. Lawrence drainage and south to Missouri and Alabama.
100
MOUNTAIN SUCKER, Catostomus (Pantosteus) platyrhynchus. (Cope)
Axillary process of pelvic fin well developed. Lower lip (Fig. 391B) moderately notched in center with 3-4 rows of papillae in mid-line; outer surface of upper lip without papillae. Length 7-8 inches. Widespread in Great Basin of Utah and Wyoming, Fraser and upper Columbia drainages; Green River in Utah and Wyoming; upper Saskatchewan River drainage; upper Missouri River drainage including the Black Hills.
100
CHUBSUCKERS, Erimyzon
Lateral line absent; sides of young with longitudinal stripe which breaks up into blotches in adults; mouth sub-terminal and oblique. Small silvery fishes reaching a length of about 10 inches.
100
SMALLMOUTH BUFFALOFISH, Ictiobus bubalus
Mouth small (Fig. 363) with upper lip far below lower margin of eye; back quite elevated. Reaches a length of 2 1/2 feet. Southern Minnesota to Michigan and south to Mexico.
100
HIGHFIN CARPSUCKER, Carpiodes velijer
Nipple-like structure on lower lip (Fig. 367); anterior dorsal rays much elongated; mouth mostly posterior to nostrils (Fig. 368); front of upper lip under nostrils; lateral line scales 33-37. Minnesota to Pennsylvania and south to Tennessee.
100
SHORTHEAD REDHORSE, Moxostoma macrolepidotum
SHORTHEAD REDHORSE, Moxostoma macrolepidotum (Lesueur). Fig. 383. Halves of lower lip meet in almost a straight line (Fig. 382B); plicae of lower lips are almost smooth but may be broken in corners. Dorsal fin pointed, about 13 rays. Pharyngeal arch thin, teeth fine and comb-like (Fig. 384A). Wide spread, Mackenzie River system to James Bay and south to Colorado, Oklahoma and Chesapeake Bay.
100
RIO GRANDE SUCKER, Catostomus plebius
Axillary process of pelvic fin undeveloped. Lower lip with deep median notch, only 2-3 rows of papillae in mid-line (Fig. 391 C), outer face of upper lip with papillae. Length 4-6 inches. Rio Grande River drainage in Colorado, New Mexico and northern Mexico.
100
CARPSUCKERS, Carpiodes
Distance from eye to lower posterior angle of preopercle about equal to distance to upper corner of gill cleft; subopercle widest below middle (Fig. 364); pharyngeal arch almost paper thin. Color more or less silvery. Some may· reach a length of over 20 inches. This genus contains three species in the United States.
100
BLACK BUFFALOFISH, Ictiobus niger
Mouth same as for smallmouth buffalofish, but back not much elevated. Reaches length of 3 feet. Southern Minnesota and Michigan to Texas.
100
RIVER CARPSUCKER, Carpiodes carpio
Fig. 370. Nipple-like structure on lower lip (Fig. 367); anterior dorsal rays only slightly elongated, not reaching more than l /2 the base of the fin; mouth mostly posterior to nostrils; front of upper lip almost under nostril (Fig. 369); lateral line scales 33-37. Montana to Pennsylvania and south into Mexico and northern Florida.
100
CAROLINA REDHORSE, Moxostoma coregonus
Similar to the shorthead redhorse but with a projecting snout and a deep median crease in lower lip. Catawba and Yadkin River systems, North Carolina.
100
COLORADO SUCKER, Catostomus discobolus
Fig. 393. Axillary process of pelvic fin undeveloped. Lower lip with shallow median notch, more than 3 rows of papillae in mid-line. Predorsal scales usually more than 50. Colorado River drainage above Grand Canyon, upper Snake River drainage and drainage of Bear River and Weber Lake, Idaho, Utah and Nevada. Length up to 18 inches.
100
Moxostoma, REDHORSES
Premaxillary protractile; lower lip not divided from upper lip by lateral notches and not completely divided into two lobes.
100
CREEK CHUBSUCKER, Erimyzon oblongus
Longitudinal scale rows 39-41. Wisconsin to New England and south to Alabama and Texas.
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SPOTTED SUCKER, Minytrema melanops
Fig. 371. Silvery, distinctly characterized by a spot on each scale. Reaches a length of about 18 inches. Larger streams, southern Minnesota to Pennsylvania and south to eastern Texas and Florida.
100
RIVER REDHORSE, Moxostoma carinatum
Body large and thick; dorsal fin somewhat falcate; upper lobe of caudal fin is much longer than lower lobe. Differs from most redhorses in very heavy pharyngeal arch, triangular in cross section and in large molariform pharyngeal teeth (Fig. 384B). Minnesota to St. Lawrence River and south to Kansas, Mississippi, Alabama and western Florida.
100
DESERT SUCKER, Catostomus clarki
Fig. 394. Axillary process of pelvic fin poorly developed or absent. Lower lip (Fig. 391A) with shallow median notch, 4-5 rows of papillae in midline, outer face of upper lip without papillae. Predorsal scale number variable, less than 50 (13-50). Length up to 14 inches. Colorado River drainage below Grand Canyon including Gila River system of Arizona and New Mexico, White River and Virgin River drainages in Nevada and Utah.
100
(Pantosteus) Catostomus
Lower lip separated from upper lip by distinct lateral notches Figs. 391A, B, C
100
SHARPFIN CHUBSUCKER, Erimyzon tenuis
Fig. 373. Differs in that first dorsal ray is as long as base of dorsal fin. Dark lateral band present in young individuals and continues around snout. Gulf drainage of Mississippi, Alabama, and western Florida.
100
LAKE CHUBSUCKER, Erimyzon sucetta
Fig. 372. Longitudinal scale rows 36-38. Southern Wisconsin to New England and south to Florida and eastern Texas.
100
CAROLINA REDHORSE, Moxostoma coregonus
Similar to the shorthead redhorse but with a projecting snout and a deep median crease in lower lip. Catawba and Yadkin River systems, North Carolina.
100
SANTA ANA SUCKER, Catostomus santaanae
Axillary process of pelvic fin variable in development. Lower lip with shallow notch and with numerous rows of papillae in mid-line. Outer face of upper lip may be weakly papillose. Length about 6 inches. Santa Clara, San Gabriel and Santa Ana River drainages in southern California.
