Longnose sucker

📖 Overview

Found in clear, cold, deep water of lakes and tributary streams; occasionally found in brackish water in the Arctic . Adults move from lakes into inlet streams or from slow, deep pools into shallow, gravel-bottomed portions of streams to spawn . They feed on benthic invertebrates . Young are preyed upon by other fishes and fish-eating birds; while adults in spawning streams are taken by mammals, osprey and eagles . Utilized as a food fish or as dog food .

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9 - 11; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 7; Vertebrae: 45 - 47. Distinguished by the sucking mouth located on the ventral sides of the head and thick papillose lips . Gill rakers short; lateral line complete, inconspicuous; caudal tips slightly rounded . Adults may be reddish brown, dark brassy green or black above, paler on the lower sides, with the ventral parts white; young fish are usually dark gray with small black spots; breeding males are usually dark above with a brilliant reddish stripe along each side, while females are greenish gold to copper, with a less brilliant red stripe; breeding males show prominent tubercles on the rays of the anal and caudal fins and also on the head .: fusiform / normal.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Longnose sucker is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

Diet information for Longnose sucker is currently being compiled.

🥚 Reproduction

Spawns only during daytime . At spawning, males lie close to the bottom in the current of the spawning area while females stay along the banks and in still water . A female moves from the bank of the stream usually escorted by 2-4 males to the spawning area at the center of the stream. The males crowd beside her; egg deposition occurs as the males try to clasp the female with their pelvic fins or vibrate against her with their anal fins. This spawning act lasts for 3-5 seconds and may occur as often as 6-40 times per hour. After the eggs are deposited, the sexes separate and return to their previous stream positions. Fish that moved out of a lake to spawn generally return to the lake a few days after spawning. However, river-resident fish may stay on or near the spawning area for much of the summer . Many spawn in two or even three consecutive years but others may skip one or two years between spawning .

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Freshwater; brackish; demersal; pH range: 6.5 - 7.8; dH range: 5 - 25; potamodromous ; depth range ? - 180 m . Temperate; 0°C - 15°C ; 38°N - 32°N 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.

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

🌐 Names & Taxonomy

Scientific Synonyms

🐠 Related Species

🔍 Similar Species

🗺️ Global Occurrence Map

Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 40 records indexed .

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