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Juvenile sucker (possibly shorthead redhorse)?

Started by Guest_dsaavedra_* , Jan 08 2009 08:38 PM

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10 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_dsaavedra_*

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Posted 08 January 2009 - 08:38 PM

a while ago i caught this fish in my creek, and i identified it as a shorthead redhorse. it was about 6" long:

Posted Image

today i caught several of these:

Posted Image

at first i thought they were blacknose dace, because those are the most prevalent fish in the creek, but after looking at them closely and seeing them in the aquarium, i'm starting to think they might be juvenile suckers, possibly the redhorse.

they have a sucker mouth, which is unlike the blacknose dace. they also have different fins from the dace.

anybody know what they are??

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#2 Guest_fundulus_*

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Posted 08 January 2009 - 08:56 PM

I would say that your sucker is a white sucker, Catostomus commersonii, a very common species. And the second species appears to be stonerollers(?), if they have a sucker mouth, which I can't quite tell in the photo. If they don't have a sucker-like mouth they'd have to be creek chubs, which in general they better match. I'm certain they're not green sunfish, anyway.

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#3 Guest_ashtonmj_*

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Posted 08 January 2009 - 09:16 PM

They are creek chubsuckers. The first two are nice sized adults. The remaining pictures show juveniles. They have that dark lateral stripe when they are young but you can notice the lack of a distinct lateral line. Shorthead redhorse are not found in southern Maryland.

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#4 Guest_mikez_*

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Posted 08 January 2009 - 09:18 PM

The first one has much more color than any white sucker I've ever seen in the northeast. I would guess [emphasis on "guess"] redhorse.

The second ones look more like creek chubsuckers to me.

Edit: Matt beat me by two minutes. :tongue:

Edited by mikez, 08 January 2009 - 09:19 PM.

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#5 Guest_fundulus_*

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Posted 08 January 2009 - 09:36 PM

Yeah, you're right about the creek chubsuckers, that's a species I haven't seen much so I stand further educated. I didn't really think that shorthead redhorse were in MD, although I didn't look it up.

I hope that everyone has enjoyed a happy Elvis birthday today.

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#6 Guest_dsaavedra_*

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Posted 08 January 2009 - 10:56 PM

after i made this post, i got out my key to the freshwater fishes of maryland (available online, google it) and i went thru the steps and identified them as juvenile creek chubsuckers.

are you guys sure that first picture (of the adult fish) is also a creek chubsucker?

it really looks like a shorthead redhorse to me. my basis for this idenfication is that the lower jaw goes straight across, instead of coming to a point, and the guide made this out to be a key identifying feature of the shorthead redhorse. but, it does make sense that that would be an adult of the juveniles i found today.

thanks for your help guys!

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#7 Guest_ashtonmj_*

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Posted 09 January 2009 - 07:49 AM

I'm 100% positive. From the key - Dorsa fin short, with fewer than 18 rays - Lateral line absent, mouth oblique.

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#8 Guest_farmertodd_*

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Posted 09 January 2009 - 12:23 PM

Not that he needs it, but I'll corroborate Matt's ID. Those are really nice specimens, I wish I had such easy access. One of my favorite genera!

Todd

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#9 Guest_smbass_*

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Posted 10 January 2009 - 04:38 PM

They are with out a doubt a Erimyzon sp. but could they be lake chubsuckers rather than creek? Something about the head shape is causing me to think lake rather than creek. Also the mouth is closer to terminal on lake and creek have a much more sub-terminal mouth. I don't know if both are found in your area though, Matt could speak better to this...

Female_Lake_Chubsucker2_from_Wolf_Creek__Kankakee_River__IN_07_01_07_by_BZ.jpg 61.27KB 1 downloads

Juvenile_Lake_Chubsucker_from_the_Kankakee_River_Drainage__IN_March_2007_by_JZ.JPG 43.29KB 2 downloads
Lake Chubsuckers

jv_creek_chubsucker4_un_named_trib_to_Springville_Marsh_Outlet_3_18_06_by_BZ.jpg 43.89KB 2 downloads

male_creek_chubsucker2_from_the_outlet_of_springville_marsh_OH_3_7_07_by_BZ.JPG 48.31KB 1 downloads
Creek Chubsuckers

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#10 Guest_ashtonmj_*

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Posted 10 January 2009 - 05:46 PM

No other Erimyzon in Maryland.

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#11 Guest_smbass_*

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Posted 11 January 2009 - 12:59 PM

Ok then Creek they are. What I noticed may be a subtle difference between the eastern and western creek chubsucker, I think they are different subspecies. His fish do look sort of intermediate as far as mouth position between the creek and lake photo's I posted.