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The longnose sucker (Catostomus catostomus) is a species of cypriniform freshwater fish in the family Catostomidae. It is native to North America from the northern United States to the top of the continent. It is also found in Russia in rivers of eastern Siberia, and thus one of only two species of sucker native to Asia (the other is the Chinese Myxocyprinus asiaticus).

Longnose sucker
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Cypriniformes
Family:	Catostomidae
Genus:	Catostomus
Species:	C. catostomus
Binomial name
Catostomus catostomus J. R. Forster, 1773
Subspecies
C. c. catostomus C. c. cristatus Cope, 1883[2] C. c. lacustris
Synonyms
Cyprinus catostomus Forster, 1773 Cyprinus rostratus Tilesius, 1813 Catostomus longirostrum Lesueur, 1817 Catostomus hudsonius Lesueur, 1817 Cyprinus hudsonius (Lesueur, 1817) Catostomus communis Lesueur, 1817 Catostomus forsterianus Richardson, 1823 Catostomus aurora Agassiz, 1850 Catostomus griseus Girard, 1856 Catostomus nanomyzon Mather, 1886

Description

The body of the longnose sucker is long and round with dark olive or grey sides and top and a light underside. They are up to 64 cm (25 in) in total length and weigh up to 3.3 kg (7.3 lb).[3]

Longnose suckers are easily confused with white suckers (Catostomus commersoni), which appear very similar. However, longnose suckers can be distinguished by their comparatively finer scales.[4]

Distribution and ecology

The longnose sucker inhabits cold, clear waters, including lakes, pools, rivers and streams, and occasionally also brackish waters. In North America, it ranges north from the Columbia, Delaware, Missouri and Monongahela river basins, as well as the Great Lakes basin.[3] The Russian population, which sometimes is referred to as the Siberian sucker (C. c. rostratus), is found in the Yana, Indigirka, Alazeya and Kolyma river basins.[5]

It is a bottom-feeding fish, eating aquatic plants, algae, and small invertebrates. They are preyed upon by larger predatory fish, such as bass, walleye, trout, northern pike, muskellunge and burbot.^{[citation needed]}

Relationship with humans

They are fished for game and food and also used as bait to catch the larger predators. The IGFA world record sits at 6 lbs 9 oz taken from the St. Joseph River in Michigan.[6]

References

External links

• Earl J.S. Rook (1999) Catostomus catostomus Longnose Sucker A private species profile page.
• University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Fish of the Great Lakes fact sheet

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