| Desert sucker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Desert sucker,Castostomus clarkii | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Cypriniformes |
| Family: | Catostomidae |
| Genus: | Catostomus |
| Species: | C. clarkii |
| Binomial name | |
| Catostomus clarkii S. F. Baird &Girard, 1854 | |
| Synonyms | |
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Thedesert sucker orGila Mountain sucker (Catostomus clarkii), is afreshwater species ofray-finnedfish in thesucker family,endemic to theGreat Basin and theColorado River Basin in the United States. It inhabits rapids and fast-flowing streams with gravelly bottoms. It is a bi-colored fish with the upper parts olive brown to dark green, and the underparts silvery-tan or yellowish. The head is cylindrical, tapering to a thick-lipped mouth on the underside. This fish can grow to 31 in (79 cm) in Arizona but is generally only about half this size elsewhere. There are three subspecies, found in different river basins, and some authorities allot this species its own genusPantosteus.
Desert suckers are bicolored; the back and upper sides are darker, olive-brown to dark green, and the belly and lower sides are deep-yellow to silvery tan. Thescales on the upper half of the body have dark spots which form faint dashed lines. Their head is cylindrical, tapering to a blunt face with the lower lip about three times as thick as upper lip. The mouth is on the underside (ventral) of the face and is proportionately large. Thedorsal fin of the desert sucker has 10 to 11 rays. The adult lengths range from 4 to 16 inches (100 to 410 mm) in smaller streams, but up to 31 inches (790 mm) in Arizona.[3] Their weight ranges from 4 to 65 ounces (110–1,840 g).
The desert sucker is found in Nevada, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico.[2][4] The desert sucker occurs in the lowerColorado River basin, below theGrand Canyon, particularly in theGila River, and above the Grand Canyon in streams in theVirgin River basin, theWhite River basin and others. The total range area of the desert sucker is estimated at 128,000 km2 (49,000 sq mi).[5]
Desert suckers prefer ripply waters, rapids and flowing streams with gravelly bottoms.
Desert suckers reach maturity in their second year.[6] Spawning occurs in winter and spring from January through May.[7]
Three subspecies have been identified: the White River desert sucker,Catostomus clarkii intermedius[8] (sometimes known as White River mountain sucker,Pantosteus intermedius),[9] Virgin River desert sucker,Catostomus clarkii utahensis,[8][10] and the Meadow Valley Wash desert sucker,Catostomus clarkii (unnamed).[8][11]
Some ichthyologists regarded these as members of the genusPantosteus,[9] but later authors regardPantosteus as a subgenus ofCatostomus.[12] There are suggestions of hybridization betweenCatostomus clarkii andCatostomus insignis.[9]
