U— OARP, SUOKEES, CATFISH, AND EELS. 



187. THE SUCKEK FAMILY— CATOSTOMID^. 



By David S. Jordan. 



The members of this family, known as " Suckers," "Mullets," "Eed Horse," "Buffalo fish," etc., 

 are extremely abundant in all fresh waters of the United States, no stream or pond containing 

 fish at all being without them. As all of them reach a length of more than a foot, and are found 

 in the markets, all must be considered as food-flshes. In all of them the flesh is coarse and flavor- 

 less, and the number of small bones is provokingly great. They are therefore always the cheapest 

 of fish-food, while from their great numbers they form a large percentage of the food supplj' of 

 the country. Their value is no more than the cost of catching, and often less. The Suckers feed 

 on moUusks, insects, entomostracans, fish-spawu, and some of them chiefly on mud. They rarely 

 catch other fishes. Like the Cyprinidce, they form a large part of the food of the larger carnivorous 

 fishes. The Suckers spawn in spring, many of the species ascending small streams for that purpose. 

 At this season great numbers of them are speared or snared on shallow rapids. The distribution 

 of the different species can be ascertained by reference to the check-list, and only a few of the most 

 important need be mentioned here. 



The Eabbit -mouth Sttckbk — Quassilabia lacbea. 



The " Eabbit-mouth," "Hare-lip," "Split-mouth," or "May Sucker" is found in abundance in 

 many rivers of Tennessee and in some streams in Ohio. It reaches a length of about eighteen 

 inches, being one of the smaller species, but its qualities as a food-fish are said to be better than 

 usual in this family. 



The Eed Horse — Moxostoma maceolepidotttm. 



The common "Eed Horse" or "Mullet" abounds in most streams westward and southward of 

 Kew Tork. It reaches a length of two feet, and is a market fish of importance. Its coloration is 

 attractive, but its flesh is tasteless and coarse. Numerous other species closely related to the Eed 

 Horse, belonging to the genera of Moxostoma, Minytrema, and Placopharynx, are found in the waters 

 of the West and South, all going by the general names of Eed Horse, White Sucker, and Mullet. 

 All are alike poor as food-fishes. 



The Chub Stjokee — Eremtzon sxtcetta. 



The "Chub Sucker," "Sweet Sucker," or "Creek-fish" is one of the most abundant and widely 

 diffused of the Suckers, being found from Maine to Texas. It is one of the smallest species, reach- 

 ing a length of little more than a foot. It is not essentially different from the rest as food. A 

 closely related species {U. Ooodei) abounds in Florida. 



The Common Sitokbe — Catostomtjs Commeesoni. 



The common "Brook Sucker" is the most familiar and generally abundant of the group. It 

 inhabits all bodies of water, large and small, from New England to Colorado. In the Great Lakes 



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