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 both North America and Russia, and '' Myxocyprinus asiaticus'' found only in China. In the Ozarks they are a common food fish and a festival is held each year to celebrate them. The bigmouth buffalo, '' Ictiobus cyprinellus,'' can reach an age up to 127 years, making it the oldest known freshwater teleost by more than 50 years.

Description and biology

The mouths of these fish are most commonly located on the underside of their head ( subterminal), with thick, fleshy lips. Most species are less than in length, but the largest species ('' Ictiobus'' and '' Myxocyprinus'') can surpass . They are distinguished from related fish by having a long pharyngeal bone in the throat, containing a single row of teeth.

Catostomids are most often found in rivers, but can be found in any freshwater environment. Their food ranges from detritus and bottom-dwelling organisms (such as crustaceans and worms), to surface insects, crayfish, small terrestrial vertebrates, and other fish.

Fossil record

Basal Catostomidae fossils have been uncovered and dated to the Middle Eocene in Colorado and Utah. The earliest catostomine sucker fossils are of '' Pantosteus'' from the Middle Miocene of Oregon.

As food

They can be taken by many fishing methods, including angling and gigging. Often, species such as '' Catostomus commersonii'' and '' Hypentelium nigricans'' are preferred for eating. They can be canned, smoked, or fried, but small incisions often must be made in the flesh (termed "scoring") before frying to allow small internal bones to be palatable. Suckers were an important source of food for Indigenous Americans across the continent. Many fishing methods were employed with the most elaborate being stone fish traps constructed on spawning rivers, remnants of these traps can be seen today in Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park where the Achomawi people trapped Sacramento suckers. In the west these relationships became even more important after the decline in salmon runs due to damming and habitat destruction, some groups of native people relied on seasonal sucker runs for a significant amount of their food until the 1950s.

In China there is a significant aquaculture industry dedicated to raising '' Myxocyprinus asiaticus'' for food. Historically they were an important component of wild fisheries on the Yangtze, but the wild populations are under pressure from pollution, habitat destruction and hydroelectric dam projects.

Recreational fishing

Some Catostomidae, especially those of '' Ictiobus'' and '' Moxostoma'', are the subject of major recreational fisheries while most are the subject of at least limited recreational fisheries. Throughout much of their range species are considered to be rough fish. Suckers have historically been scapegoated for human environmental destruction and their impacts on popular fish species such as Pacific salmon and smallmouth bass. This has led to their widespread and unnecessary destruction at the hands of ignorant anglers.

Subfamilies and genera

Catostomidae is classified into the following subfamiles and genera:
* Subfamily Catostominae Agassiz, 1850
** Genus ''Catostomus'' Lesueur, 1817
** Genus '' Chasmistes'' D. S. Jordan, 1878
** Genus '' Deltistes'' Seale, 1896
** Genus '' Erimyzon'' D. S. Jordan, 1876
** Genus '' Hypentelium'' Rafinesque, 1818
** Genus '' Minytrema'' D. S. Jordan, 1878
** Genus '' Moxostoma'' Rafinesque, 1820
** Genus '' Pantosteus'' Cope, 1875
** Genus '' Thoburnia'' D. S. Jordan & Snyder, 1917
** Genus '' Vexillichthys'' Armbruster, 2024
** Genus '' Xyrauchen'' C. H. Eigenmann & Kirsch, 1889
* Subfamily Cycleptinae Gill, 1861
** Genus '' Cycleptus'' Rafinesque, 1819
* Subfamily Ictiobinae Bleeker, 1863
** Genus '' Carpiodes'' Rafinesque, 1820
** Genus '' Ictiobus'' Rafinesque, 1820
* Subfamily Myxocyprininae Fowler, 1958
** Genus '' Myxocyprinus'' Gill, 1877
* other extinct genera
** Genus †'' Amyzon'' Cope, 1872
** Genus †'' Plesiomyxocyprinus'' Liu & Chang, 2009
** Genus †'' Vasnetzovia'' Sytchevskaya, 1986
** Genus †'' Wilsonium'' Liu, 2021
The fossil genus '' Jianghanichthys'' was previously placed in the Catastomidae, but is now placed in its own family, Jianghanichthyidae.

References

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Cypriniformes families
Fish of North America
Taxa named by Edward Drinker Cope
Fish of Asia