FISHES OF MINNESOTA 25 



Catostomus nigricans Le Sueur. Hog Sucker. Stone Roller. Stone Lugger. 

 Stone Toter. Hammer Head. Crawl-a-bottom. Hog Molly. Hog Mullet. 



Back with several dark, irregular cross-blotches; lower parts 

 white; lower fln sometimes tinged with red; young more mottled 

 than the adult. Head large and flattened above; lips thick and 

 large, papillae numerous. Dorsal with 10 to 11 rays. Pectoral fins 

 very large. Scales small, 48 to 55 in the lateral line. Length 2 

 feet. 



Probably common in Minnesota, but so far it has been noted 

 only in the Minnesota and Blue Earth rivers at Mankato (Cox, 

 1892-3), where it is very common. The writer once saw a school of 

 several hundred quite large ones in the Blue Earth River at the 

 above place. The young resemble very much those of the C. com- 

 mersonii, but can be distinguished from them by the smaller number 

 of scales in the lateral line, the mouth and head, and the mottled 

 markings. 



Genus MOXOSTOMA Rafinesque. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES OF MOXOSTOMA. 



A. Dorsal fin large, IS to 18 developed rays. .... anisurum. 

 AA. Dorsal fin smaller, 12 to 14 developed rays aureolum. 



Moxostoma anisurum (Bafinesque). White-nosed Sucker. 



Color somewhat lighter than the following; body rather heavy, 

 compressed; lips rather thin; the two edges of the lower lip form- 

 ing an A -shaped angle where they come together. Dorsal fin 

 large, its rays 15 to 18, free edge straight, the first ray equaling the 

 length of fin. Upper lobe of the caudal longer than the lower. It 

 can be distinguished from the following by the caudal and dorsal 

 fins. 



Not common in Minnesota. One specimen has been taken from 

 the Des Moines River at Windom (Cox, 1894). 



Moxostouia aureolum (Le Sueur). Eed Horse. Mullet. White Sucker. 

 Large Scaled S acker. 



Olivaceous on the back, shading to silvery on the sides, lower 

 fins red in the adult; head flattened above; mouth large; lips 

 thick; eye large. Dorsal fin with 12 to 14 rays, its edge nearly 

 straight and its first ray shorter than the head. Anal with seven 

 rays. Scales large, 5-45-4. Head contained 4 to 5 times in the 

 length of the body. Length 2 feet. 



Very common in the lakes and rivers of Minnesota. Specimens 

 have been recorded from the lakes and streams of the Upper Mis- 

 sissippi (Nat. Hist. Surv., 1892-3-5; Woolman & Cox, 1894); lakes 



