The Rio Grande sucker (''Catostomus plebeius'') is a North American freshwater fish in the 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 ...

. It has a typical bottom-feeding

phenotype In genetics, the phenotype () is the set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism. The term covers the organism's morphology or physical form and structure, its developmental processes, its biochemical and physiological proper ...

and fills lower

trophic levels The trophic level of an organism is the position it occupies in a food web. A food chain is a succession of organisms that eat other organisms and may, in turn, be eaten themselves. The trophic level of an organism is the number of steps it i ...

alongside Rio Grande cutthroat trout and Rio Grande chub species.Rees, D.E. and W.J. Miller. (2005, May 16). Rio Grande Sucker (''Catostomus plebeius''): a technical conservation assessment. nline USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/projects/scp/assessments/riograndesucker.pdf arch 17, 2020/ref> It is smaller sized in comparison to its other family members, with females being the larger between sexes. Coloration tends to benefit the species due to counter-shading patterns. It is endemic to the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio G ...

basin and was once common throughout. The species has maintained a population in

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, and

Northern Mexico Northern Mexico ( es, el Norte de México ), commonly referred as , is an informal term for the northern cultural and geographical area in Mexico. Depending on the source, it contains some or all of the states of Baja California, Baja California ...

, but has faced challenges from the pressure of non-native species, habitat loss, degradation, and a variety of other

aquatic ecosystem An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem formed by surrounding a body of water, in contrast to land-based terrestrial ecosystems. Aquatic ecosystems contain communities of organisms that are dependent on each other and on their environment. The tw ...

changes.Sublette, J.E., M.D. Hatch, and M.S. Sublette. (1990). The fishes of New Mexico. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, NM. There is current pressure from environmental organizations to federally list the species as threatened or endangered.WildEarth Guardians. (September 29, 2014 ). Rio Grande Sucker. Retrieved from https://wildearthguardians.org/wildlife-conservation/endangered-species-list/fish/rio-grande-sucker/

Taxonomy

The

scientific name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

of the Rio Grande sucker is ''Catostomus plebeius.'' Fuller, P. (2020), ''Catostomus plebeius'' Baird and Girard, 1854: U.S. Geological Survey, Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL, https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?speciesID=353, Revision Date: 8/19/2011, Peer Review Date: 8/19/2011, Access Date: 4/20/2020 The etymology of the name “''Catostomus”'' is Greek, kata = down + Greek, stoma = mouth, which is suggestive of the subterminal mouth orientation. Species name “''plebeius''” is Latin, belonging to the plebes, or of lower class, commonality. Part of

Kingdom Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

Animalia, which encompasses all animals that are

multicellular A multicellular organism is an organism that consists of more than one cell, in contrast to unicellular organism. All species of animals, land plants and most fungi are multicellular, as are many algae, whereas a few organisms are partially uni- ...

heterotrophs A heterotroph (; ) is an organism that cannot produce its own food, instead taking nutrition from other sources of organic carbon, mainly plant or animal matter. In the food chain, heterotrophs are primary, secondary and tertiary consumers, but ...

. Fishes,

amphibians Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arbore ...

reptiles Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the Class (biology), class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsid, sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, Squamata, squamates (lizar ...

birds Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

, and

mammals Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

fall under the

Phylum In biology, a phylum (; plural: phyla) is a level of classification or taxonomic rank below kingdom and above class. Traditionally, in botany the term division has been used instead of phylum, although the International Code of Nomenclature f ...

Chordata which have common morphological characteristics consisting of a

notochord In anatomy, the notochord is a flexible rod which is similar in structure to the stiffer cartilage. If a species has a notochord at any stage of its life cycle (along with 4 other features), it is, by definition, a chordate. The notochord consis ...

, nerve cord,

visceral In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to act together in a ...

clefts, and arches. Belonging to

Class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...

Actinopterygii'','' or

ray-finned fishes Actinopterygii (; ), members of which are known as ray-finned fishes, is a class of bony fish. They comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. The ray-finned fishes are so called because their fins are webs of skin supported by bony or h ...

, which are the most common and prosperous freshwater and

marine Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Military * ...

fishes. There are three infraclasses to Actinopterygii'','' in which Teleostei contains the majority of

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

and includes common fishes such as

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...

salmon Salmon () is the common name for several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family (biology), family Salmonidae, which are native to tributary, tributaries of the ...

flounders Flounders are a group of flatfish species. They are demersal fish, found at the bottom of oceans around the world; some species will also enter estuaries. Taxonomy The name "flounder" is used for several only distantly related species, thoug ...

, and

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

. A unique feature to superorder

Ostariophysi Ostariophysi is the second-largest superorder of fish. Members of this superorder are called ostariophysians. This diverse group contains 10,758 species, about 28% of known fish species in the world and 68% of freshwater species, and are present ...

is the

Weberian apparatus The Weberian apparatus is an anatomical structure that connects the swim bladder to the auditory system in fishes belonging to the superorder Ostariophysi. When it is fully developed in adult fish, the elements of the apparatus are sometimes col ...

, a bony connection between the

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

and

auditory system The auditory system is the sensory system for the sense of hearing. It includes both the sensory organs (the ears) and the auditory parts of the sensory system. System overview The outer ear funnels sound vibrations to the eardrum, increasin ...

. The Rio Grande sucker is part of

Order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

Cypriniformes, which include all suckers and

minnows Minnow is the common name for a number of species of small freshwater fish, belonging to several genera of the families Cyprinidae and Leuciscidae. They are also known in Ireland as pinkeens. Smaller fish in the subfamily Leusciscidae are co ...

. The sucker

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

, ''Catostomidae'', has populations of different species distributed globally and features similar feeding and

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 ...

characteristics.

Description

A smaller member of the family ''Catostomidae'' with typical lengths <170mm. Records indicate that males tend to be smaller than females with one study citing the oldest male captured reached 134mm and oldest female was 169mm. The Rio Grande sucker is distinguished from other members of the genus ''Catostomus'' by coloration, head and body shape as well as fins and sexual differences. The head has a broad snout,

ventral Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek language, Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. Th ...

mouth, thick fleshy lower lip with a deep cleft on each side, and has a cartilaginous ridge of the

mandible In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower tooth, teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movabl ...

that is slightly convex. The mouth is fleshy, subterminal, and protractile. A single row of approximately 23 bifurcated pharyngeal teeth exist. Typical body shape is spindle or rod-shaped (

terete Terete is a term in botany used to describe a cross section that is circular, or like a distorted circle, with a single surface wrapping around it.Lichen Vocabulary, Lichens of North America Information, Sylvia and Stephen Sharnoff/ref> This is us ...

) with flattening from dorsal to ventral side. The dorsal and lateral sides of the body are brownish green to dusky brown with darker blotches. Breeding males develop bright red lateral stripes.Pister, P. E. (2003, December). NATURAL HISTORY. Retrieved from https://www.desertfishes.org/dfc/na/catostom/catostom/cplebeiu/rg4.html Ventral portions are accentuated by pale and mottled colors leading to a silvery dusky abdominal region.

Caudal peduncle Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

is deeper than other members of the genus and

rays Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (gra ...

are pigmented.

Fins A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. Fin ...

contain a range of rays, the dorsal fin usually has 8-10, pectorals 14-15, pelvic 8-10, and anal fins usually have 7. The dorsal fin is short and triangular, pectorals are bluntly pointed, pelvic fins are oval, and the anal fin is elongated to the base of the

caudal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

which is deeply forked.COLORADO PARKS & WILDLIFE. (2019, February). Fact Sheet and Habitat Scorecard for Rio Grande Sucker. Accessed April 20, 2020. Retrieved from https://cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Pages/WetlandsPrioritySpecies.aspx

Life history

The occurrence of spawning is very closely related to water flows and temperature, thus variability throughout the year exists.Rinne, J. (1995). Reproductive biology of the Rio Grande sucker, Catostomus plebeius (Cypriniformes), in a montane stream, New Mexico. ''The Southwestern Naturalist,'' ''40''(2), 237-241. Retrieved April 29, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/30054431 Peak spawning is typically seen after high flows have occurred, and water tends to be between 51-61 degrees

Fahrenheit The Fahrenheit scale () is a temperature scale based on one proposed in 1724 by the physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736). It uses the degree Fahrenheit (symbol: °F) as the unit. Several accounts of how he originally defined his ...

. The highest flows also coincide with spring snowmelt and cooler water temperatures which demonstrate the wide range in the reproductive period, February – June, and occasionally in Autumn months. Food resources also influence breeding. Egg deposition is preferred on clean, gravel substrate. Collection of

ova , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

and

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

have shown variability in size ranging from .5 -1.5mm and around 2mm, respectively.

Sexual maturity Sexual maturity is the capability of an organism to reproduce. In humans it might be considered synonymous with adulthood, but here puberty is the name for the process of biological sexual maturation, while adulthood is based on cultural definitio ...

can happen from 1-3 years of age depending on food resources and body size. Breeding colors are often more dramatic for males than females and tuberculation occurs on both sexes but is distributed differently around the body. Females tend to have tubercles on the caudal peduncle, where males tuberculate on the anal and caudal fins.

Feeding

Mouth morphology dictates feeding strategies within the lower trophic level niche, and like most species within the subgenus, are largely algivorous but will predate on aquatic invertebrates early within their lifecycle. This is due to incomplete ventral migration of the mouth in young of the year, 0-1 years of age, which necessitates a more

omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nutri ...

feeding pattern at this life stage.White, J.A. 1972. Food and feeding habits of the Rio Grande mountain-sucker, Pantosteus plebeius (Baird and Girard). Master's Thesis, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM. Once the cartilaginous ridge develops it is used for scraping algae or

periphyton Periphyton is a complex mixture of algae, cyanobacteria, heterotrophic microbes, and detritus that is attached to submerged surfaces in most aquatic ecosystems. The related term Aufwuchs (German "surface growth" or "overgrowth") refers to the col ...

from rocks, gravel, and other

benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "t ...

substrates.

Sedimentation Sedimentation is the deposition of sediments. It takes place when particles in suspension settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to the ...

, competition, and flow can all negatively affect the diet of ''C. plebeius'' by depleting

primary productivity In ecology, primary production is the synthesis of organic compounds from atmospheric or aqueous carbon dioxide. It principally occurs through the process of photosynthesis, which uses light as its source of energy, but it also occurs through c ...

and food availability.Swift-Miller, S. M., Johnson, B. M., & Muth, R. T. (1999a). Factors affecting the diet and abundance of northern populations of Rio Grande sucker (Catostomus plebeius). The Southwestern Naturalist 44(2), 148-156.

Range

The southwestern area of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

has historically held

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

populations in the Rio Grande River and its

tributaries A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage b ...

, but these have been substantially decreased due to land use, habitat loss,

environmental degradation Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment (biophysical), environment through depletion of resources such as quality of air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; an ...

and non-native competition. The Rio Grande sucker has been extirpated from a large portion of its natural range and current populations are much smaller but continue to persist in far Southern Colorado, the Rio Grande basin in New Mexico, Eastern Arizona, and Northern Mexico. The Arizona populations are introduced and established. Major studies of

population densities Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

and have occurred primarily in New Mexico. These suggest that the majority of its current range is within waterways of the Santa Fe and Carson National Forests.

Habitat

Rio Grande sucker is found in small to large, middle elevation streams and rivers. As an

obligate {{wiktionary, obligate As an adjective, obligate means "by necessity" (antonym ''facultative'') and is used mainly in biology in phrases such as: * Obligate aerobe, an organism that cannot survive without oxygen * Obligate anaerobe, an organism that ...

riverine A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

species, the strong

correlation In statistics, correlation or dependence is any statistical relationship, whether causal or not, between two random variables or bivariate data. Although in the broadest sense, "correlation" may indicate any type of association, in statistics ...

between river

gradient In vector calculus, the gradient of a scalar-valued differentiable function of several variables is the vector field (or vector-valued function) \nabla f whose value at a point p is the "direction and rate of fastest increase". If the gradi ...

and populations was

hypothesized A hypothesis (plural hypotheses) is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. For a hypothesis to be a scientific hypothesis, the scientific method requires that one can test it. Scientists generally base scientific hypotheses on previous obser ...

by (White, 1972), as populations tend to be associated with slower-moving water. A study conducted in Hot Creek, Colorado shows a positive correlation between low

turbidity Turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by large numbers of individual particles that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air. The measurement of turbidity is a key test of water quality. Fluids can ...

and high aquatic vegetation levels. Stream characteristics such as

riffles 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 ...

and glides also had higher levels of Rio Grande sucker. Some studies have shown that glides and pools are the preferred habitat for the adult species and riffles may only fill the spawning life history stage.Swift-Miller, S., Johnson, B., Muth, R., & Langlois, D. (1999). Distribution, Abundance, and Habitat Use of Rio Grande Sucker (Catostomus Plebeius) in Hot Creek, Colorado. ''The Southwestern Naturalist,'' ''44''(1), 42-48. Retrieved May 9, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/30055400 In-stream

large woody debris Large woody debris (LWD) are the logs, sticks, branches, and other wood that falls into streams and rivers. This debris can influence the flow and the shape of the stream channel. Large woody debris, grains, and the shape of the bed of the strea ...

, clean clear pools, unsorted substrates, and riffles and runs are associated with populations in the Rio Grande Basin of Colorado. However, (Rees and Miller, 2005), emphasize a lack of knowledge about habitat that is positively correlated and suitable for ''C. plebeius''. Negative correlations with species abundance and fine particulate are also noted. What's known, is that

human impact on the environment Human impact on the environment (or anthropogenic impact) refers to changes to biophysical environments and to ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural resources caused directly or indirectly by humans. Modifying the environment to fit the need ...

and modification to historically occupied rivers and streams has resulted in habitat destruction. Dramatic changes in the natural structure of the Rio Grande river have occurred with almost complete agricultural diversion and allocation of its average annual flow.

Conservation and invasive species

States that have current populations have conducted studies to understand the contractions of abundance. Arizona has listed ''C. plebeius'' as a species of concern, while Colorado has the fish listed as endangered. New Mexico has seen large enough numbers that there is no state designation at this time. Two different species compete directly for resources with the Rio Grande sucker. The

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 ...

, ''C. commersonii'', and the

Yaqui sucker The Yaqui sucker (''Catostomus bernardini'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Catostomidae. It is found the Aridoamerica region of northern Mexico and south-western United States. ''Catostomus bernardini'' or Yaqui sucker belongs to ...

, ''C. bernardini'', are known to have increased

phenotypic plasticity Phenotypic plasticity refers to some of the changes in an organism's behavior, morphology and physiology in response to a unique environment. Fundamental to the way in which organisms cope with environmental variation, phenotypic plasticity encompa ...

with their diets which has enhanced their ability to contend for lower trophic level resources. Through different management techniques, there is the possibility to maintain and restore the

species. Hydrological considerations include mimicking natural flows, decreasing channelization, and increasing floodplain connectivity. Aquatic vegetation restoration while decreasing non-native vegetative species and maintaining current riparian habitat is intended to help the species.USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. General Technical Report RM-GTR-272 The impact of overgrazing and its correlation to increased

can be addressed if proper riparian buffer zones are sustained or introduced. Also, decreasing the use of

pesticides Pesticides are substances that are meant to control pests. This includes herbicide, insecticide, nematicide, molluscicide, piscicide, avicide, rodenticide, bactericide, insect repellent, animal repellent, microbicide, fungicide, and lampric ...

and

herbicides Herbicides (, ), also commonly known as weedkillers, are substances used to control undesired plants, also known as weeds.EPA. February 201Pesticides Industry. Sales and Usage 2006 and 2007: Market Estimates. Summary in press releasMain page fo ...

can limit

water quality Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water based on the standards of its usage. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance, generally achieved through tr ...

degradation.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5482330 Catostomus