132 NORTHERN FISHES 



tion of this species give it the aspect of a darter among the suckers, and 

 its active habit and the pecuHar character of its food resources is another 

 point of affinity wilh lliat interesting group. It has also, Hke the darters, 

 the habit of resting quietly on the bottom, supported by its paired fins, 

 where its coarsely mottled colors serve well to conceal it among the sur- 

 rounding stones." 



The hog sucker ranges from central Minnesota eastward to New 

 York and southward to northern Alabama and Oklahoma. It is prob- 

 ably common over most of southern Minnesota. Cox (1897) reported 

 it from the Blue Earth and Minnesota rivers. The writers have found 

 it in the Upper Mississippi near Wolf Lake, in Green Lake in Kandi- 

 yohi County, in the Kettle River and smaller tributaries of the St. 

 Croix in Pine County, and in the tributaries of the Minnesota River 

 and the Mississippi River south of St. Paul. This species has not been 

 found in the Lake Superior drainage. Greene (1935) found it through- 

 out the Mississippi and Lake Michigan drainages in Wisconsin. 



The hog sucker sometimes attains a length of 2 feet, but its food value 

 is slight. 



GENUS Er'imyzon Jordan 



This genus is distinguished by the entire absence of the lateral line 

 and by the plain coloration of the adult. The young have a broad black 

 lateral band and are easily mistaken for Cyprinidae. 



WESTERN LAKE CHUBSUCKER 



Erimyzon sucetta kennerlii (Girard) 



Although no records of the western lake chubsucker are known from 

 Minnesota, it has been reported from southern Wisconsin (Greene, 

 1935) and may occur in southeastern Minnesota. It is reported (Hubbs 

 and Lagler, 1941) as ranging from southern Wisconsin eastward through 

 the lower Lake Michigan drainage to the tributaries of Lake Erie and 

 southward to Alabama and east central Texas. It is a small fish, differ- 

 ing from the western creek chubsucker in having fewer scales, usually 

 numbering 36-38 in the lateral line. 



WESTERN CREEK CHUBSUCKER (Sweet Sucker, Pin Minnow) 

 Erimyzon oblongus claviforinis (Girard) 



The creek, chubsucker is a small sucker rarely exceeding 10 inches in 

 length, the average observed by the writers being about 6 inches. It 

 varies greatly in color, but is usually dusky olive with a brassy luster 

 on the lower sides; the fins are dusky. The dorsal fin typically has 10 

 rays. There are usually from 39 to 41 scales in the lateral line. 



The western creek chubsucker ranges from southern Minnesota to 



