The creek chubsucker (''Erimyzon oblongus'') is a

freshwater fish Freshwater fish are those that spend some or all of their lives in fresh water, such as rivers and lakes, with a salinity of less than 1.05%. These environments differ from marine conditions in many ways, especially the difference in levels of s ...

of the sucker family (

Catostomidae The Catostomidae are the suckers of the order Cypriniformes, with about 78 species in this family of freshwater fishes. The Catostomidae are almost exclusively native to North America. The only exceptions are ''Catostomus catostomus,'' found in ...

Description

The creek chubsucker is one of three species in the genus '' Erimyzon'' from the family Catostomidae present in eastern

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, and is found primarily in one of two disjunct populations; either in the eastern Coastal Plain streams or in the mid-western streams east of the Central Plains. The creek chubsucker is typically found in vegetated rocky

riffle A riffle is a shallow landform in a flowing channel. Colloquially, it is a shallow place in a river where water flows quickly past rocks. However, in geology a riffle has specific characteristics. Topographic, sedimentary and hydraulic indica ...

areas, runs, and pools of clear

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

. The creek chubsucker is small in size typically measuring less than 10 inches and weighing slightly under a pound. There is generally no

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...

exhibited between males and females and lifespan is typically from five to seven years. However, dimorphism does exist between juveniles and adults, with juveniles displaying a uniform, dark lateral stripe down the sides. Both sexes exhibit longitudinal scale rows, 4–18 dorsal fin rays, an

air bladder The swim bladder, gas bladder, fish maw, or air bladder is an internal gas-filled organ that contributes to the ability of many bony fish (but not cartilaginous fish) to control their buoyancy, and thus to stay at their current water depth ...

with two chambers, dorsal fin base less than one-fourth standard length, and lateral line absent. During breeding, the males grow horn-like

tubercle In anatomy, a tubercle (literally 'small tuber', Latin for 'lump') is any round nodule, small eminence, or warty outgrowth found on external or internal organs of a plant or an animal. In plants A tubercle is generally a wart-like projection ...

s, become more brightly colored, and are territorial of

gravel Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gravel is classifi ...

substrates in shallow water areas.Page, Lawrence M. and Johnston, Carol E., "Spawning in the Creek Chubsucker, ''Erimyzon oblongus'', with a Review of Spawning Behavior in Suckers (Catostomidae)." Environmental Biology of Fishes 27 (1990): 265-272 The fish are bottom feeders and often turn over rocks when foraging on microcrustacea,

aquatic insects Aquatic insects or water insects live some portion of their life cycle in the water. They feed in the same ways as other insects. Some ''diving'' insects, such as predatory diving beetles, can hunt for food underwater where land-living insects ca ...

, and some

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

. It is believed that the creek chubsucker and other members of the family Catostomidae diverged from minnows (

Cyprinidae Cyprinidae is a family of freshwater fish commonly called the carp or minnow family. It includes the carps, the true minnows, and relatives like the barbs and barbels. Cyprinidae is the largest and most diverse fish family and the largest verte ...

) at least fifty million years ago. The creek chubsucker is not considered a

game fish Game fish, sport fish or quarry refer to popular fish pursued by recreational anglers, and can be freshwater or saltwater fish. Game fish can be eaten after being caught, or released after capture. Some game fish are also targeted commerciall ...

, and is not commercially important to humans. Creek chubsucker young and eggs are considered important forage for

piscivorous A piscivore () is a carnivorous animal that eats primarily fish. The name ''piscivore'' is derived . Piscivore is equivalent to the Greek-derived word ichthyophage, both of which mean "fish eater". Fish were the diet of early tetrapod evoluti ...

game fishesWagner, Charles C. and Cooper, Edwin L., "Population Density, Growth, and Fecundity of the Creek Chubsucker, ''Erimyzon oblongus''." Copeia, Vol. 1963, No. 2 (June, 1963): 350-357 and are therefore important to the sustainability of these game fishes for recreational and sporting enthusiasts. As for now, the conservation status of creek chubsucker is of least concern, but the species is still adversely affected by

anthropogenic Anthropogenic ("human" + "generating") is an adjective that may refer to: * Anthropogeny, the study of the origins of humanity Counterintuitively, anthropogenic may also refer to things that have been generated by humans, as follows: * Human im ...

factors such as dams, pollution, and over siltation.

Geographic distribution

Creek chubsuckers are one of about sixty-two species of in the family Catostomidae. All but two species are endemic to North America, and creek chubsuckers can be found in many of the freshwater tributaries of the Atlantic slope streams from Maine to Altamaha drainage of Georgia; Gulf slope streams east to

Escambia River The Conecuh River and Escambia River constitute a single river in Alabama and Florida in the United States. The Conecuh River rises near Union Springs in the state and flows in a general southwesterly direction into Florida near Century. The r ...

drainage, Alabama (single population), west to San Jacinto system Texas, Mississippi Valley in Louisiana, Arkansas, southeast Oklahoma, upland Missouri, Mississippi, west Tennessee, West Kentucky, and south of the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

drainage in southern tributaries to lakes Michigan, Erie, and Ontario.Wall, B.R. Jr. and Gilbert, C.R., "''Erimyzon oblongus'' (Mitchill), Creek Chubsucker." Atlas of North American Freshwater Fishes (1980): 397 There is a disjunction between the eastern and western populations with no records of the species being present in the waterways from Florida northward along the

Appalachian Mountain The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

corridor. The creek chubsucker adults occur commonly in pools in sluggish streams, spring pools, and backwater areas, while juveniles can be found in head water rivulets. During the breeding season, congregations of breeding males and females migrate upstream and, can be found on clean rubble or gravel beds and less commonly on sandy or vegetated shallow water beds. Some populations are in decline where

siltation Siltation, is water pollution caused by particulate terrestrial clastic material, with a particle size dominated by silt or clay. It refers both to the increased concentration of suspended sediments and to the increased accumulation (temporary or ...

pollution is evident.

Taxonomy

Three subspecies have been described: *''Erimyzon oblongus oblongus'' (Mitchill) - northeastern subspecies, typically with 11–12 dorsal rays *''Erimyzon oblongus claviromis'' (Girard) - formerly regarded as the western subspecies, typically with 10–11 dorsal rays, but now recognized as a separate species, '' Erimyzon claviromis'' (Girard, 1856) *''Erimyzon oblongus connectens'' Hubbs, 1930 - endemic to the

Altamaha River The Altamaha River is a major river in the U.S. state of Georgia. It flows generally eastward for 137 miles (220 km) from its origin at the confluence of the Oconee River and Ocmulgee River towards the Atlantic Ocean, where it empties ...

system in Georgia, although later authors do not recognize this subspecies and regard it as a population that intergrades the northeastern and western subspecies

Ecology

The creek chubsucker is a bottom feeding forager in freshwater streams. The adults are generally solitary, and can be found near the substrate of slowly flowing streams where they forage for food. Most of the prey items making up the creek chubsucker's diet include microcrustacea (

Copepod Copepods (; meaning "oar-feet") are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat (ecology), habitat. Some species are planktonic (inhabiting sea waters), some are benthos, benthic (living on the ocean floor) ...

Cladocera The Diplostraca or Cladocera, commonly known as water fleas, are a superorder of small crustaceans that feed on microscopic chunks of organic matter (excluding some predatory forms). Over 1000 species have been recognised so far, with many more ...

, etc.), organic detritus, algae,

diatom A diatom (Neo-Latin ''diatoma''), "a cutting through, a severance", from el, διάτομος, diátomos, "cut in half, divided equally" from el, διατέμνω, diatémno, "to cut in twain". is any member of a large group comprising sev ...

s, small clams,

Chironomid The Chironomidae (informally known as chironomids, nonbiting midges, or lake flies) comprise a family of nematoceran flies with a global distribution. They are closely related to the Ceratopogonidae, Simuliidae, and Thaumaleidae. Many species ...

ae larvae and

Diptera Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced ...

larvae. A majority of juvenile life is spent in mixed schools with other

in midwater areas.Lundberg, John G. and Marsh, Edie, "Evolution and Functional Anatomy of the Pectoral Rays in Cyprinoid Fishes, with Emphasis on the Suckers (Family Catostomidae)." American Midland Naturalist, Vol. 96, No. 2 (October, 1976): 332-349 Creek chubsucker juveniles are thought to be an important forage species for game fish like the Esox and Centrarchidae, but their rapid growth rate usually ensures escape from predatory fish and assures an annual recruitment of young. The creek chubsucker shares habitat with and requires similar spawning sites as

white sucker The white sucker (''Catostomus commersonii)'' is a species of freshwater cypriniform fish inhabiting the upper Midwest and Northeast in North America, but it is also found as far south as Georgia and as far west as New Mexico. The fish is commonl ...

s (''Catostomus commersoni'') and northern hogsuckers (''Hypentelium nigracans'').Curry, Kevin D. and Spacie, Anne, "Differential Use of Stream Habitat by Spawning Catostomids." American Midland Naturalist, Vol. 111, No. 2 (April, 1984): 267-279 This inadvertently leads to competition of space and resources.

Life history

Eastern Creek Chubsucker Erimyzon oblongus close up

The

spawning Spawn is the eggs and sperm released or deposited into water by aquatic animals. As a verb, ''to spawn'' refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, and the act of both sexes is called spawning. Most aquatic animals, except for aquati ...

season for the creek chubsucker runs from March to May, with the eastern subspecies spawning at a water temperature of 11 degrees C, with most activity at night. The western subspecies spawns at water temperatures of 12–24 degrees C, spawning in the afternoon. Habitat suitable for spawning is usually in small creeks with small cleared depressions on clear, gravel bottoms of pools just above riffles. Prior to spawning, males and females migrate upstream where possible. Males defend territories in moderately swift water over beds of gravel or near pits constructed by various minnow species. Males do not initiate the digging of nest pits, but will modify existing pits by pushing stones around with their snouts. Females congregate upstream of males in quiet water, periodically drifting tail first into male territories. Once in a male's territory, the female digs in the gravel with her snout, apparently signaling to the male that she is ready to spawn. In contrast to most species of suckers, creek chubsuckers frequently engage in trio spawning involving two males on either side of one female. Actual spawning lasts three to five seconds as the males press against the female. Both release gametes while quivering and stirring the substratum with their

caudal Caudal may refer to: Anatomy * Caudal (anatomical term) (from Latin ''cauda''; tail), used to describe how close something is to the trailing end of an organism * Caudal artery, the portion of the dorsal aorta of a vertebrate that passes into the ...

and

anal Anal may refer to: Related to the anus *Related to the anus of animals: ** Anal fin, in fish anatomy ** Anal vein, in insect anatomy ** Anal scale, in reptile anatomy *Related to the human anus: ** Anal sex, a type of sexual activity involvin ...

fins. The fertilized eggs are

demersal The demersal zone is the part of the sea or ocean (or deep lake) consisting of the part of the water column near to (and significantly affected by) the seabed and the benthos. The demersal zone is just above the benthic zone and forms a layer of ...

and semi adhesive. Color varies from light to deep golden yellow, and yolk occupies most of egg with no oil drops in the yolk mass. Egg production has been extremely variable with anywhere between 8,500 and over 80,000 eggs being produced by a single female. Regardless of high fecundity this species is not found in high numbers. Females may live for 6 or 7 years, though males only live for 5 years.

Current management

Currently, the creek chubsucker is of least concern according to the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

.Goldstein, R.M. and Simon, T.P., "Toward a United Definition of Guild Structure for Feeding Ecology of North American Freshwater Fishes." Assessing the Sustainability and Biological Integrity of Water Resources Using Fish Communities (1999): 123-202 The presence of creek chubsuckers usually indicates the presence of other, more desirable game species. There is currently no management plan to control or monitor the fish. Because of its wide range, the creek chubsucker is native to many areas that fall inside the boundaries of protected national and state parks, and this will hopefully ensure its existence for future generations. Several

factors have been noted as leading to the decline of the creek chubsucker like areas where

pollution occurs. Siltation pollution is produced from a variety of sources including but not limited to construction, logging, and agricultural practices. Dams may also be of concern for the species however most areas inhabited by creek chubsuckers are small order streams and may not be suitable for dam construction.

Management recommendations

The creek chubsucker is an important species in lotic water systems. It is a fish that turns over energy by consuming vegetation detritus. The creek chubsucker also regulates population levels of macro-invertebrates and algae, and it serves as an important prey fish for many desirable game fish species. It is important to survey and monitor the population of this species in order to get an estimation of the health of the immediate ecosystem. More measures like water and sediment sampling as well as mark and recapture techniques should be put into place to compile data on creek chubsucker population levels and health. Periodic, random electroshocking and

seining Seine fishing (or seine-haul fishing; ) is a method of fishing that employs a surrounding net, called a seine, that hangs vertically in the water with its bottom edge held down by weights and its top edge buoyed by floats. Seine nets can be de ...

would be ideal for conducting mark and recapture surveys in low order streams. The eggs of the creek chubsuckers are a valuable source of energy for many creatures of the lotic stream system. Special emphasis should be placed on promoting high levels of breeding individuals to ensure breeding adult recruitment, therefore continuing a viable food source for other organisms. Buffer zones should be implemented around all streams in the vicinity of disturbances that could cause sediment pollution. Excessive siltation fills the gravel beds used for egg laying during spawning and deprives eggs of oxygen. Dams may also pose a problem by not allowing the fish to access areas used for breeding, but little information exists on their effects on the creek chubsucker.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5389086 Catostomidae Freshwater fish of the United States Fauna of the Northeastern United States Fauna of the Southeastern United States Fish described in 1814