The Longnose Sucker

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Longnose Sucker
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Image of animal

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General Information;

Type: Fish
Diet: Omnivore
Size: Up to 15-25 in (38 to 63 cm)
Weight: 1 to 2 lbs (3,5 kg is max)
Conservation status: Not applicable
Scientific Classification: Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Actinopterygii, Order: Cypriniformes, Suborder: Cobitoidea, Family: Catostomidae, Genus: Catostomus
Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man: Not applicable
Longnose sucker Range


The longnose sucker, Catostomus catostomus, is a freshwater species of fish inhabiting cold, clear waters in North America from northern USA to the top of the continent. In addition, it is one of two species of sucker to inhabit Asia, specifically the rivers of eastern Siberia. The body of the longnose sucker is long and round with dark olive or grey sides and top and a light underside. Longnose suckers are often confused with white suckers, as they appear very similar.
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Physical Features;
The longnose sucker has a reddish-brown, dark brassy green, or gray to black upper body and the underside is usually white. The lateral line, which is complete, is usually brownish-black, except during the breeding season when it turns reddish. Breeding males also develop tubercles (small bumps) on the head, anal fin, and the lower lobe of the caudal (tail) fin. The longnose sucker has an elongated, round body with a somewhat long snout. The mouth has large lips that are lined with papillae (small fleshy projections), which create suction for ingesting food. There are no teeth located on the jaws. Instead, there are pharyngeal teeth (teeth in the pharynx area, which is the beginning of the digestive tract) that are used by pressing food against a hard pad of cartilage. The caudal fin (tail) is forked with rounded lobes. Longnose suckers have been measured up to 25 inches in other parts of North America, but in Alaska they are usually shorter than 23 inches. The longnose sucker belongs to a group of fish that have a unique feature called the Weberian apparatus. The Weberian apparatus is made up of four to five modified vertebrae in the head that connect the ear to the swim bladder, which aids in sensing sound and pressure changes.
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Mental Features;
Longnose suckers mature between the ages of five and seven. They breed shortly after the ice melts in the spring - as soon as the water temperature hits just five degrees Celsius. Several males accompany each female. She lays thousands or even tens of thousands of very sticky, yellow eggs randomly over a gravel bottom. Eggs hatch in one to two weeks.
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Diet;
The longnose sucker feeds primarily on the bottom of streams or lakes. It swims slowly along the bottom in search of invertebrates, which include insects, mollusks, snails, and crustaceans, and sometimes eats aquatic plants, algae and fish eggs. Its large lips enable it to suck up its food. Longnose suckers are a source of food for other larger fish, some mammals, and birds.
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Habitat;
North America: throughout most of Canada and Alaska; Atlantic Slope south to Delaware River drainage in New York, USA; Great Lakes basin; upper Monongahela River drainage in Maryland and West Virginia, USA; Missouri River drainage south to Nebraska and Colorado, USA. Also in Arctic basin of Siberia in Russia. Occurs in Columbia River System (Molly Hallock, pers. comm.).
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Credits (c);

Images:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fishasart/7311942938/

Information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longnose_sucker
http://fieldguide.mt.gov/detail_AFCJC02030.aspx
http://www.fishbase.org/summary/Catostomus-catostomus+catostomus.html
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/education/wns/longnose_sucker.pdf
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