- White sucker
Taxobox
name = White sucker
fossil_range=Early Pleistocene to Recent
image_width = 240px
status = secure
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis =Actinopterygii
ordo =Cypriniformes
familia =Catostomidae
genus = "Catostomus "
species = "C. commersonii"
binomial = "Catostomus commersonii"
binomial_authority = Lacépède, 1803The white sucker, "Catostomus commersonii", is a bottom-feeding freshwater fish inhabitingNorth America fromLabrador in the north to Georgia andNew Mexico in the south. It is a long, round-bodied fish with a dark green, grey, copper, brown, or black back and sides and a light underbelly. When fullgrown, it is between 12 and 20 inches long and weighs between 2 and 4 lb. It will eat almost anything it can, but most commonly smallinvertebrate s andplant matter. Larger predatory fish species such aswalleye ,trout , bass,northern pike ,muskellunge , andsauger prey on the white sucker.A very common fish, the white sucker is usually not fished for food, though it is considered good to eat. It is most often used as bait; the young are sold as sucker minnows. When it is eaten by humans, it is usually processed and sold under the name of mullet. Other common names for the white sucker include bay fish, brook sucker, common sucker, and mullet. The white sucker is often confused with the
longnose sucker , "Catostomus catostomus ", since they look very similar.Fossil record
Fossils of this fish in the
United States occur as early as theEarly Pleistocene (1.8 million years ago) [http://paleodb.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?action=checkTaxonInfo&taxon_no=83688&is_real_user=1] .References
*
*External links
*cite web |url= http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080723190731.htm|title= Hybrid 'Muttsucker' Has Genes Of Three Species|accessdate=2008-08-15 |date= Aug. 15, 2008|publisher= Science Daily
* [http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/fish/catostomuscom.html Species profile by Earl J.S. Rook]
* [http://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/greatlakesfish/whitesucker.html Wisconsin Sea Grant Fish of the Great Lakes species profile]
* [http://www.gov.ns.ca/fish/sportfishing/species/sucker.shtml Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture and Fisheries factsheet]
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