|
The suckers are fishes with toothless jaws, but pharyngeal arches with 20 or more distinctive teeth in a single row; the head is scaleless; there are 18 principal caudal fin rays and seven or eight anal fin rays; usually with a protrusible, more or less ventral mouth with fleshy lips covered with taste buds. There are about 70 species of suckers in North America. One is found as far south as Guatemala; one Great Lakes species (Catostomus catostomus) extends to Siberia. One species of sucker is restricted to large rivers in China. Most sucker species are bottom dwellers in lakes, ponds and streams. Many ascend smaller streams to spawn in the spring, but some use the shallows of lakes. Feeding is by suction--benthic animals and diatoms are eaten. Growth may be rapid in warm waters. Some buffalofishes may grow to lengths of 3 ft.
|