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Most suckers are found in clear cool streams and in lakes at moderate elevations. Sacramento suckers often share waters with pikeminnow, roach, and hardhead. Young larvae typically begin their life in streams or lake tributaries by hiding and remaining in the gravel substrate.
A heavy bodied fish, Spotted Suckers are easily distinguished from other suckers by the rows of black spots along the sides of the body. Colors are dark olive along the back shading to cream/white on the bottom.
The spotted sucker (Minytrema melanops) is a species of sucker (fish) that is native to eastern North America. The spotted sucker inhabits deep pools of small to medium rivers over clay, sand or gravel.
They use their scraping mouths to feed on algae and detritus, and may also feed on insects. The sucker’s natal streams are subject to severe flooding, though these fish are well adapted to re-colonize through early maturity, high fecundity, and extended spawning.
OWENS SUCKER Catostomus fumeiventris (Miller) Status: Low Concern. While relatively secure, with a high degree of confidence about their status, the limited distribution of Owens sucker in a highly altered water system indicates a need to continue monitoring populations.
The sucker is an important part of the Eel River fish community. It uses its mouth to suck algae off the stream bottom, also ingesting invertebrates. This species is warm water adapted and experienced a competitive release as a result of the 1964 flood, which caused the channel to widen and warm.
Identification: Moyle (1976); Page and Burr (1991). Size: 60 cm. Native Range: Pacific Slope from Mad River, northern California, to Salinas River, central California; throughout the Sacramento--San Joaquin drainage, southern Oregon and California; south in endorheic basins of central California to Kern River (Page and Burr 1991).