Owens sucker

Last updated

Owens sucker
Owens sucker.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Catostomidae
Genus: Catostomus
Species:
C. fumeiventris
Binomial name
Catostomus fumeiventris

The Owens sucker (Catostomus fumeiventris) is a fish in the family Catostomidae that is endemic to California. The name fumeiventris has a Latin origin, with fumeus meaning "smoky" and ventris meaning "belly". Originally described as a population of sandbar suckers, it became recognized as its own species in 1938. [3] Owens suckers are closely related to the Tahoe suckers and possess the ability to hybridize with Santa Ana suckers.

Contents

Description

Bottom view of an Owens sucker OwensSuckerBottom.png
Bottom view of an Owens sucker
Side view of an Owens sucker OwensSuckerSide.png
Side view of an Owens sucker

The Owens sucker has an inferior mouth facing the bottom of water sources, and it has pectoral fins flattening out, suggesting it prefers staying near the bottom of the river or lake bed. Tending to feed at night, this fish often feeds on algae and other organic matter that sinks to the bottom of these waterways. It has 10 dorsal fin rays with a dusky abdomen more pronounced in nuptial males and lacks the red lateral stripe of a similar species, the Tahoe Sucker. The Owens sucker is similar to the Tahoe sucker (Catostomus tahoensis), but it has coarser scales and is duller in colour. The Owens Sucker larva has a more complete line of melanophores around its gut when compared to the Tahoe sucker. Owens suckers also have differently shaped mouths when compared. [4] The Owens sucker has fewer than 80 lateral line scales as opposed to the Tahoe suckers possessing more than 80 lateral line scales, making for easier distinctions. [3] The adults are slaty coloured, although some individuals can be very dark, with dusky bellies, which are especially noticeable in spawning males. [5] It grows to a maximum size of 50 cm but is usually found around 30 cm in total length. [6]

Environment

Owens suckers prefer to live in water with temperatures between 7 and 13 degrees Celsius and pH values ranging from 7.9 to 8.0. Despite their "least concern" conservation status, rising temperatures from climate change could potentially push water temperatures beyond the preferred range for Owens suckers, making continuous monitoring of this species important for its survival. Owens suckers favour waterways with finer substrates as opposed to areas with gravel or rocks. [3] Although they have been introduced to other waterways, they are only native to one watershed, and the territories they occupy are very scarce due to human interaction. [3] These fish, however, are very adaptable and succeed in their ability to repopulate habitats and compete with non-native species.

Distribution

Areas where Owens sucker is commonly found OwensSuckerDistribution.png
Areas where Owens sucker is commonly found

It is endemic to the Owens River in the Owens Valley of eastern California and has been introduced into June Lake in the Mono Lake basin and to the Santa Clara River system as a result of a release of water from the Owens River through the Los Angeles Aqueduct. [7] [8] It is abundant in the Crowley Lake with populations in Convict Lake and Lake Sabrina [1] and populations have been established in the Owens River sanctuary. [8] This species is also present in Sespe Creek near the outlet of the Fillmore Hatchery and Piru Creek above Piru Lake California. [9] The endemic location of the Owens sucker, Owens Valley, originally lacked aquatic diversity with only 2 minnow species, the Owens Sucker, and a killifish notably missing any species of trout which were common in areas North and West of the Owens Valley. The exact population in the Santa Clara system is uncertain but introduced Owens Suckers often end up hybridizing with the native Santa Ana suckers in this region. [10]

Conservation status

During the 1870s, irrigation projects diverted water away from Owens Valley drastically altering the aquatic systems. Around 1890, catfish, carp, and salmon were introduced into this basin leading to a serious decline in native fish populations for the past 75 years. While several native fish such as the Owens Pupfish and Owens Tui Chub are endangered and Owens speckled dance are a "species of concern" , the Owens Sucker is seen as least concerned. [11] Approximately 83% of California's inland fish species are either extinct or experiencing population declines. Despite this, when evaluated on a 1–5 scale taking into account factors such as area occupied, climate change resistance, and overall tolerance, the Owens Sucker received a value of 3.9 inferring its population is relatively stable but should still be monitored. [12] Threats that pose the largest threat to the Owens Sucker include the construction of dams regulating the Owens river, urbanization of areas near the Owens river, and predation of alien species. Factors such as grazing,wildfires, and harvesting are seen as negligible when considering the conservation of this species. [3] Formerly large numbers of adults would gather below the outlet of the Fillmore Hatchery for weeks in March but have had decreasing numbers losing roughly half of their numbers within the past 4 years. [13]

California has looked into an umbrella species program, where the conservation and monitoring of select species enhances overall aquatic community protection and ensures the maintenance of streamflow conditions. The selection of which Freshwater California species that would become the umbrella species remains controversial but upon the list of potential candidates the Owens Sucker is present alongside other California freshwater fish including the White Sturgeon, Santa Ana Sucker, and Sacramento Pikeminnow. [10]

Biology

Owens suckers are nocturnal, their diet consists of aquatic insects, algae, detritus, and organic matter. They spawn from May through to early July over gravel substrates, in tributaries, although lake living populations will also spawn over gravelly areas of the lake beds and springs. [1] The lifecycle of the Owens Suckers can be split into 3 phases of prolarvae, postlarvae, and juveniles. Prolarvae measure at around 11–12 mm in length and have yolk the full length of their gut. At around 12mm most prolarvae have successfully transitioned into postlarvae. The pelvic fin for the Owens Sucker does not appear until the fish reaches lengths of around 18–22mm in which they are small buds. [14] The larvae become juveniles once the attain a total length of 19–22mm.At this stage the fin rays become fully developed and the anterior gut begins having a darker pigment.The juveniles hide along stream margins and in backwaters among weeds. [7]

When reproducing, the genes undergo "gene silencing" where one pair of genes becomes inactive, often allowing for evolutionary advancements in their morphology. While being tetraploid, the Owens Sucker may behave as if it were a diploid due to many of their genes being silenced. On average, the Owens Sucker only expresses 42% of their duplicated genes. It grows to a maximum size of 50 cm but is usually found around 30 cm in total length. [6] Closely related species such as the Tahoe sucker have diploidization events occurring in their genome inferring that with more research the Owens sucker may also be capable of returning its genomes back to its diploid state. [15]

Comparisons between the Owens Sucker and the Owens Tui Chub supports the hypothesis that the Lahontan basin and the Owens River Basin were once connected and split apart due to geological changes such as the formations of the Owens River gorge. [16] Additionally the genetic values or FST values when compared to the Speckled Dace furthermore prove this theory that these species may have separated due to a volcanic event around 760,000 years ago.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virgin River</span> Tributary of the Colorado River in the southwestern United States

The Virgin River is a tributary of the Colorado River in the U.S. states of Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. The river is about 162 miles (261 km) long. It was designated Utah's first wild and scenic river in 2009, during the centennial celebration of Zion National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longnose sucker</span> Species of fish

The longnose sucker 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 this one of only two species of sucker native to Asia.

<i>Catostomus</i> Genus of fishes

Catostomus is a genus of fish belonging to the family Catostomidae, commonly known as suckers. This genus of fish usually lives in freshwater basins. Most members of the genus are native to North America, but C. catostomus is also found in Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Ana sucker</span> Species of fish

The Santa Ana sucker is a freshwater ray-finned fish, endemic to California. It is closely related to the mountain sucker and has dark grey upper parts and silvery underparts. It grows to a maximum length of 25 cm (10 in), but most adults are much smaller than this. It feeds on algae, diatoms and detritus on the floor of shallow streams with sand, gravel or cobble bottoms. It is found in only a few streams in southern California, and many of these in the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area have been restricted to concrete channels. Because of its small area of occupancy and vulnerability, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated this fish as "endangered".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utah sucker</span> Species of fish

The Utah sucker is a species of freshwater fish in the family Catostomidae found in the upper Snake River and the Lake Bonneville areas of western North America where it lives in a wide range of habitats. It is a large sucker growing up to 25 in (64 cm) long. It is generally blackish above, vaguely streaked and blotched, with a white belly. A narrow rosy lateral band extends backwards from the head. The mouth has thick lips and is on the underside of the head. Some populations are in decline because of anthropogenic factors but overall this fish is not threatened.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern hogsucker</span> Species of fish

The northern hogsucker is a freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the family Catostomidae, the suckers. It is native to the United States and Canada where it is found in streams and rivers. It prefers clear, fast-flowing water, where it can forage on the riverbed for crustaceans, mollusks, aquatic insects, algae and detritus. It turns over small pebbles and scrapes materials off rocks and sucks up the particles, and other species of fish sometimes station themselves downstream from its activities. In addition this species also is common in flowing water near dams and other streams of water. Breeding takes place on gravel bottoms in shallow riffles in late spring. This fish is susceptible to such man-made disturbances as channelization, sedimentation, pollution, and dam construction. However, it has a wide range and is a common species so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern". This species only gets around 8–12 inches in length but given the right conditions can exceed 16 inches in length and even exceed a pound in weight. The Northern Hogsucker is typically a bronze to gold coloration with patches of brown and black on its body. It has brownish grayish eyes. It’s dorsal and pectoral fins are a dark brown color with the dorsal fin having a small bit of red on it as well. The northern hogsucker and other sucker minnow species have been seen in memes due to the unusual appearance of their mouths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warner sucker</span> Species of fish

The Warner sucker is a rare species of freshwater ray-finned fish in the family Catostomidae. Native to Oregon in the United States and found only in the Warner Basin, its distribution extends just into Nevada and California. It is a federally listed threatened species. Its other common name is redhorse. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated this fish as an endangered species because of its small extent of occurrence, the small number of locations in which it is found, and the extreme fluctuations in area of occupancy resulting from drought and water abstraction. Conservation efforts have been put in place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Largescale sucker</span> Species of fish

The largescale sucker is a species of sucker, a type of freshwater fish, found in western North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catostomidae</span> Family of fishes

The Catostomidae are the suckers of the order Cypriniformes, with about 78 species in this family of freshwater fishes. The Catostomidae are almost exclusively native to North America. The only exceptions are Catostomus catostomus, found in both North America and Russia, and Myxocyprinus asiaticus found only in China. In the Ozarks they are a common food fish and a festival is held each year to celebrate them. The bigmouth buffalo, Ictiobus cyprinellus, can reach an age up to 127 years, making it the oldest known freshwater teleost by more than 50 years.

<i>Catostomus discobolus</i> Species of fish

The bluehead sucker is endemic to the intermountain Western US. A total of 23 members of the genus Catostomus has been found in North America. C. discobolus and C. yarrowi are two sister species that have very similar Arizona habitats.

The Little Colorado River sucker or Little Colorado sucker is a scientifically undescribed species of North American freshwater fish very similar to the flannelmouth sucker but without the flannelmouth's distinct fleshy lips. The Little Colorado sucker is native to the upper region of the Little Colorado River in Arizona, but was also introduced into the Salt River.

The Death Valley freshwater ecoregion is a freshwater ecoregion in the western United States. It consists of endorheic rivers, lakes, and springs in the drainages of the Owens, Amargosa, and Mojave Rivers, in central-eastern California and southwestern Nevada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Modoc sucker</span> Species of fish

The Modoc sucker is a rare species of freshwater fish native to northern California and southern Oregon. It grows to a length of about 7 in (18 cm) and becomes sexually mature at 4 in (10 cm). It feeds on algae, small invertebrates and detritus, and hides under stones, detritus and overhanging vegetation. It is found in only a few streams and is listed as an endangered species in California and the United States. Conservation measures have been put in place such as fencing the streams in which it lives from livestock. It was previously rated as "endangered" in 1973 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, but this rating has now been changed to "near threatened", and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the Modoc sucker from the federal list of endangered and threatened wildlife in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Creek chubsucker</span> Species of freshwater fish

The creek chubsucker is a freshwater fish of the sucker family (Catostomidae).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desert sucker</span> Species of fish

The desert sucker or Gila Mountain sucker, is a freshwater species of ray-finned fish in the sucker family, endemic to the Great Basin and the Colorado River Basin in the United States. It inhabits rapids and fast-flowing streams with gravelly bottoms. It is a bi-colored fish with the upper parts olive brown to dark green, and the underparts silvery-tan or yellowish. The head is cylindrical, tapering to a thick-lipped mouth on the underside. This fish can grow to 31 in (79 cm) in Arizona but is generally only about half this size elsewhere. There are three subspecies, found in different river basins, and some authorities allot this species its own genus Pantosteus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tahoe sucker</span> Species of fish

The Tahoe sucker is a freshwater cypriniform fish inhabiting the Great Basin region of the Western United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Klamath smallscale sucker</span> Species of fish

The Klamath smallscale sucker(Catostomus rimiculus), also known as the Jenny Creek sucker, is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Catostomidae. It is a freshwater fish that primarily inhabits the Trinity and Klamath River watersheds, as well as the overall region of the Klamath Basin in general. Within the Klamath Basin, they inhabit the area along with three other sucker fish: the Lost River sucker, shortnose sucker, and the Klamath largescale sucker. These fish can vary in length from 35 cm to 50 cm, and usually have a lifespan of around 9 years to 15 years. They often form mixed schools with speckled dace, sculpins, and juvenile steelhead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacramento sucker</span> Species of fish

The Sacramento sucker is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Catostomidae. It is primarily found in California with some populations extending into Oregon and Nevada. They inhabit a diverse range of habitats from headwater streams to deep lakes to estuaries.The Sacramento sucker scientific name Catostomus occidentalis describes its morphology and origin, respectively, being an inferiorly mouthed (Catostomus) western (occidentalis) species; the name Western sucker has also been used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owens tui chub</span> Subspecies of fish

The Owens tui chub was described in 1973 as a subspecies of tui chub endemic to the Owens River Basin in Eastern California, United States. The Owens tui chub is distinguished from its closest relative, the Lahontan tui chub, by scales with a weakly developed or absent basal shield, 13 to 29 lateral and apical radii, also by the structure of its pharyngeal arches, the number of anal fin rays, 10 to 14 gill rakers, and 52 to 58 lateral line scales. Dorsal and lateral coloration varies from bronze to dusky green, grading to silver or white on the belly. It may reach a total length of 30 centimetres (12 in). Owens tui chub are believed to be derived from Lahontan Basin tui chub that entered the Owens Basin from the north during the Pleistocene Epoch.

References

  1. 1 2 3 NatureServe (2013). "Catostomus fumeiventris". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2013. IUCN: e.T202059A2733547. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T202059A2733547.en . Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  2. R. Froese; D. Pauly, eds. (2017). "Catostomus fumeiventris Miller, 1973 Owens sucker". Fishbase . Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 et, Miller. "OWENS SUCKER Catostomus fumeiventris". OWENS SUCKER Catostomus fumeiventris. CA Government. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  4. Feeney, Richard F (2008). "Description and Ecology of Larvae and Juveniles of Three Native Cypriniforms of Coastal Southern California". Ichthyological Research. 55: 65–77. doi:10.1007/s10228-007-0006-1 . Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  5. Delacorte, Michael. "2 Doing Zooarchaeology as If It Mattered: Use of Faunal Data to Address Current Issues in Fish Conservation Biology in Owens Valley, California" (PDF). 2 Doing Zooarchaeology as If It Mattered: Use of Faunal Data to Address Current Issues in Fish Conservation Biology in Owens Valley, California. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  6. 1 2 D.G, Buth (1981). "Gene Duplication and Diploidization in Tetraploid Catostomid Fishes Catostomus Fumeiventris and C. Santaanae". Copeia (3): 705–708. doi:10.2307/1444579. JSTOR   1444579 . Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  7. 1 2 "Owens Sucker". California Fish Website. University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  8. 1 2 "Catostomus fumeiventris". NAS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species. U.S. Geological Survey . Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  9. Fisher, Robert. "The Status and Distribution of Freshwater Fishes of Southern California" (PDF). Southern California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  10. 1 2 Obester, Alyssa (2022). "The use of umbrella fish species to provide a more comprehensive approach for freshwater conservation management". Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. 32 (1): 112–128. doi:10.1002/aqc.3746.
  11. Delacorte, Michael (2004). Doing Zooarchaeology as if It Mattered: Use of Faunal Data to AddressCurrent Issues in Fish Conservation Biology in Owens Valley, California (PDF).
  12. Moyle, Peter (October 2011). "Rapid decline of California's native inland fishes: A status assessment". Biological Conservation. 144 (10): 2414–2423. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2011.06.002.
  13. Fisher, Robert. "The Status and Distribution of Freshwater Fishes of Southern California" (PDF). Southern California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  14. Miller, Robert (April 1973). "Two new fishes,Gila Bicolor Snyderi and Catostomus Fumeiventris from the Owens River Basin, California" (PDF). Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
  15. Moyle, Peter (April 1, 1991). Population genetics of Endangered Catostomid Fishes (PDF). Davis, CA.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  16. Su, Yingxin; Moyle, Peter B.; Campbell, Matthew A.; Finger, Amanda J.; O'Rourke, Sean M.; Baumsteiger, Jason; Miller, Michael R. (November 2022). "Population genomic analysis of the Speckled Dace species complex identifies three distinct lineages in California". Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. 151 (6): 695–710. doi:10.1002/tafs.10388.