FAMILY CATOSTOMIDAE 133 



Pennsylvania and southward to southern Alabama and Texas. It is 

 probably more or less common in the smaller streams in southeastern 

 Minnesota. It was taken in 1918 and 1919 in Sand, Lower Tamarack, 

 and Crooked creeks, all in Pine County, and in 1918 in Mill Creek, a 

 tributary of the Root River in Olmsted County (Surber) . Greene 

 (1935) reports it as rare in southern Wisconsin and as found chiefly in 

 the southeastern part. 



The chubsucker is a bottom feeder and has the habit of supporting 

 itself on the bottom by means of its paired fins, like the darters. It bites 

 readily on a small hook but its flesh is bony and without flavor, and 

 owing to its small size the species has no commercial value (Forbes and 

 Richardson, 1908) . 



GENUS Minytrema (Jordan) 



This genus has but one species, the characters of which serve to dis- 

 tinguish the genus. 



SPOTTED SUCKER (Striped Sucker) 

 Minytrema melanops (Rafinesque) 



The spotted sucker (Figure 19) is dusky, and coppery below. Each 

 scale has a dark spot at its base. These spots form longitudinal stripes, 

 which are most distinct in the adult though obscured in the breeding 



Figure 19. Spotted sucker, Minytrema melanops, 17 inches long. 



male. The males are tuberculate in spring. The spotted sucker reaches 

 a length of 20 inches. 



The spotted sucker ranges from southern Minnesota to Pennsylvania 

 and southward to Florida, Texas, and Kansas. It is probably more or 

 less rare in northern waters. It is found occasionally in the Minnesota 

 River and in Lake St. Croix and Lake Pepin and occurs in some of the 



