126 NORTHERN FISHES 



The distribution of this species is not certain. Hubbs in a personal 

 communication states that it is very common in Nebraska. It may occur 

 in southern Minnesota and in Iowa and be overlooked because of the 

 difficulty of identification. Greene (1935) does not report it for Wis- 

 consin waters. 



NORTHERN CARPSUCKER 



Carpiodes carpio carpio (Rafinesque) 



In the northern carpsucker the back is moderately compressed and 

 slightly arched; the snout is not rounded. The nostrils are slightly pos- 

 terior to the tip of the lower lip. The longest dorsal ray is two-thirds 

 to three-fifths the length of the base of the fin and is never filamentous. 

 The dorsal rays range from 23 to 27, though the dorsal rays of most 

 Minnesota specimens usually range from 25 to 26, occasionally reach- 

 ing 27. The scales in the lateral line number from 33 to 38. The lips are 

 thin and silvery white in life, and the halves of the lower lip meet at 

 a wide angle. The color is dull silver, sometimes brassy; often some of 

 the scales are brownish at the base. The northern carpsucker some- 

 times attains a weight of 10 pounds. 



The carpsuckers range from Montana to Pennsylvania and south to 

 Tennessee and northern Texas. In Minnesota they are rather common 

 in the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers. Greene (1935) found them 

 along the Mississippi River and some of its larger tributaries in 

 southern Wisconsin. They are probably restricted to a great extent to 

 the sloughs and more sluggish parts of the streams. The carpsuckers, 

 according to Forbes and Richardson (1908) , are bottom feeders, swal- 

 lowing a greater quantity of mud than the closely related buffalofishes. 

 They are of little value for food. 



HIGHFIN SUCKER (Bluntnose River Carp) 

 Carpiodes velifer (Rafinesque) 



This species differs from Carpiodes carpio in having the back elevated. 

 It closely resembles C. cyprinus in form, color, and the character of 

 the dorsal fin, the anterior rays of which are considerably elongated; 

 sometimes exceeding in length the base of the fin. The rays of the dorsal 

 fin range from 24 to 28, the usual number being 25 to 27. The snout is 

 short and very blunt. The nostrils are located over the anterior tip 

 of the lower jaw. The distance from anterior nostril to end of snout 

 is considerably less than the diameter of the eye. The scales in the 

 lateral line range from 35 to 37. This species is small, seldom reaching 

 a length of over 10 inches. It is of little value as food. 



Highfin suckers range from southern Minnesota to Pennsylvania and 

 southward to Tennessee. They have been reported from the Blue Earth 

 River at Mankato, Minnesota (Cox, 1897) . In Minnesota they are 



