Shortnose sucker | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Cypriniformes |
Family: | Catostomidae |
Genus: | Chasmistes |
Species: | C. brevirostris |
Binomial name | |
Chasmistes brevirostris Cope, 1879 | |
The shortnose sucker (Chasmistes brevirostris) is a rare species of fish in the family Catostomidae, the suckers. This fish is native to southern Oregon and northern California in the United States. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States. [1]
This fish can grow up to half a meter long. It has a large head and thin, fleshy lips, the lower of which is notched. It has been observed to reach 33 years of age. It becomes sexually mature between four and six years of age. [2]
The preferable habitat for the fish is a turbid, shallow, somewhat alkaline, well-oxygenated lake that is cool, but not cold, in the summer season. [2]
The fish usually spawns in flowing river habitat, such as riffles, with gravelly or rocky substrates. It was at one time observed to spawn at lakeshores, but it apparently does this rarely today. The eggs incubate for two weeks and the juveniles hatch between April and June. The juveniles generally stay along the shoreline in vegetated or unvegetated habitat. [2]
Today this fish can be found in Upper Klamath Lake and its tributaries, the Lost River, Clear Lake, the Klamath River, and Gerber Reservoir of the Klamath Project. [2]
Threats to this species include the reduction of its spawning habitat, much of which was eliminated by the construction of dams in local waterways. Upper Klamath Lake experiences periodic blooms of cyanobacteria and reduction of dissolved oxygen in the water. Land alteration along the waterways has caused loss and degradation of the habitat. [3]
This and related fish were a major food source of local tribes, and are still considered to be sacred animals. The shortnose sucker is known as Qapdo by the local Native American Nation, the Klamath Tribes. [4]
Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park is a state park of California in the United States. It is located in remote northeastern Shasta County and is only accessible to the public by boat.
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The June sucker is an endangered species of fish endemic to Utah Lake and the Provo River in the U.S. state of Utah. It is named after the month in which it spawns. It is a gray or brownish fish with a paler belly, growing up to about 24 in (61 cm). It lives alongside the Utah sucker, which has a much wider range, and because the populations of both fish having been much reduced by fishing, other species such as the common carp have been introduced into the lake. As a result, the June sucker has become "critically endangered" as the pure species is lost as a result of hybridization with the Utah sucker, and predatory fish feed on its larvae. Conservation measures have been put in place and fish are being raised in a fish hatchery for reintroduction.
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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.
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The shortnose sturgeon is a small and endangered species of North American sturgeon. The earliest remains of the species are from the Late Cretaceous Period, over 70 million years ago. Shortnose sturgeons are long-lived and slow to sexually mature. Most sturgeons are anadromous bottom-feeders, which means they migrate upstream to spawn but spend most of their lives feeding in rivers, deltas and estuaries. The shortnose sturgeon is often mistaken as a juvenile Atlantic sturgeon because of its small size. Prior to 1973, U.S. commercial fishing records did not differentiate between the two species: both were reported as "common sturgeon", although it is believed based on sizes that the bulk of the catch was Atlantic sturgeon. The shortnose is distinguishable from the Atlantic sturgeon due to its shorter and rounder head.
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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.
Chasmistes is a genus of ray-finned fish in the family Catostomidae.
The Lost River sucker is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Catostomidae. It is the only living member of the genus Deltistes. It is found only in California and Oregon. Its population is much reduced from historical numbers for a number of reasons. It is federally listed as an endangered species of the United States. This species is known as the C'waam by the local Native American Nation, the Klamath Tribes.
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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 9-15 years. They often form mixed schools with speckled dace, sculpins, and juvenile steelhead.
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