Living Fishes 121 



Beardsley in the Cache la Poudre near Greeley. The true suckers 

 consist of two very common species of Catostomus; one with 

 larger scales, called C. commersoni sucklii*, and the other with 

 considerably smaller scales, 90 or over in the lateral line, called 

 C. griseus. The common large sucker of the Gila and Colorado 

 Rivers is C. latipinnis of Baird and Girard. It is related to C. 

 griseus of the eastern slope. The Blue-headed Sucker (Pantos- 

 teus delphinus of Cope) is also found in the Colorado drainage, 

 but the genus is known by the broad, flattened, horny cutting 

 edges on both jaws. The sides of the body beneath are pink or 

 orange-red. Another member of this genus (P. plebeius of Baird 

 and Girard) is found in the Rio Grande at Alamosa. The curious 

 Humpbacked Sucker (Xyrauchen texanus of Abbott), having a 

 hump in front of the dorsal fin, is found in the Grand River at 

 Grand Junction, and elsewhere on the western slope. The 

 name "texanus," given in 1860, is very unfortunate, as the fish 

 does not live in Texas. 



Closely related to the suckers, but in our native species with 

 nine or fewer rays in the dorsal fin, are the Cyprinidae. This 

 very large and dominant freshwater group, including carps, 

 minnows and their relatives, is to the fishes what the Passeres 

 are to the birds, and the Rodentia to the mammals. Most of 

 our species belong to the Platte basin, but they have not been 

 looked for so diligently elsewhere. We have two Old World 

 species introduced, separated from all the native ones by the 

 serrate spine in front of the dorsal and anal fins. The Carp 

 (Cyprinus carpio of Linnaeus) has barbels, but there are none in 

 the Goldfish (Carassius auratus of Linnaeus). It is a singular 

 thing that the Goldfish has run wild in the Grand and South 

 Platte rivers, and has reverted to the dark green color of its wild 

 ancestors. The Stone-roller (Ccmpostoma cnomalum of Rafin- 

 esque) is an herbivorous fish, with very long alimentary canal; 

 the mouth is much like that of a sucker. There are strong sexual 

 differences, the males being covered with large tubercles in the 

 spring. The sides are mottled with gray, and the dorsal fin has 

 a black or gray band, at least in the adult males. This is one of 

 the commoner fishes east of the mountains. For the detailed 



*Dr. C. L. Hubbs is of the opinion that the western race sucklii is not sufficiently distinct 

 to be recognized, and would call our fish C. commersoni. 



