{{Short description|Genus of fishes}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = White sucker 01.jpg | image_caption = White sucker (''C. commersonii'') | taxon = Catostomus | authority = Lesueur, 1817 | type_species = ''Cyprinus catostomus'' | type_species_authority = J. R. Forster, 1773<ref name = CofF>{{Cof family|family=Catastomidae|access-date=25 November 2024}}</ref> | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = See text | synonyms = | synonyms_ref = }}
'''''Catostomus''''' is a genus of fish belonging to the family Catostomidae, commonly known as suckers. This genus of fish usually lives in freshwater basins.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bangs |first1=Max R. |last2=Douglas |first2=Marlis R. |last3=Mussmann |first3=Steven M. |last4=Douglas |first4=Michael E. |date=2018-06-07 |title=Unraveling historical introgression and resolving phylogenetic discord within ''Catostomus'' (Osteichthys: Catostomidae) |journal=BMC Evolutionary Biology |volume=18 |issue=1 |page=86 |doi=10.1186/s12862-018-1197-y |issn=1471-2148|doi-access=free |pmid=29879898 |pmc=5992631 |bibcode=2018BMCEE..18...86B }}</ref> Most members of the genus are native to North America, but ''C. catostomus'' is also found in Russia.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rFTqmdDqn-wC|title=Peterson Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes of North America North of Mexico|last1=Page|first1=Lawrence M.|last2=Burr|first2=Brooks M.|date=2011|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|isbn=978-0-547-24206-4|pages=308|language=en}}</ref> A majority of species inhabit western North America, with only ''C. catostomus'', ''C. commersonii'', and ''C. utawana'' being found in eastern North America.<ref name="CofF2" />
== Characteristics == The members of this genus have nearly cylindrical bodies. They have large, horizontal mouths, and their lips are very much papillose. They have complete lateral lines. They have from 54 to 124 scales, seven to 17 dorsal rays, usually seven anal rays, and 20 to 44 thin, unbranched rakers on their first gill arches. Their gas bladders have two chambers.<ref name=":0" />
The young of many of the species in the genus have three dark grey blotches along their sides.<ref name=":0" />
== Hybridization == Catostomus from different species of the genus are known to readily hybridize with each other.<ref name=":0" /> The fish was used as a study object by biologists, revealing that fish hybridization can vary greatly from place to place. Although different species of this fish are reproductively isolated under normal circumstances this isolating barrier disappears to a certain extent as the environment changes. In addition, in areas where backcross and hybridization were widespread, the scientists found offspring of recombinant hybrids with new ecological characteristics that made them more adapted to the local environment and even more competitive with native species. Hybridization between different species of ''Catostomus'' fish occurs on a large scale, which means that many different environmental factors are involved in these geographic areas. This pattern of hybridization is also an effective mechanism for species self-protection. Although the hybrid forms of ''Catostomus'' fish break the common reproductive isolation between species, related research results can help to lead the protection of the waters where ''Catostomus'' fish live.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mandeville |first1=Elizabeth G. |last2=Parchman |first2=Thomas L. |last3=McDonald |first3=David B. |last4=Buerkle |first4=C. Alex |date=2015-03-23 |title=Highly variable reproductive isolation among pairs of ''Catostomus'' species |journal=Molecular Ecology |volume=24 |issue=8 |pages=1856–1872 |doi=10.1111/mec.13118 |pmid=25703195 |issn=0962-1083|pmc=4390503 |bibcode=2015MolEc..24.1856M }}</ref>
==Species== [[File:Catostomus tahoensis.jpg|thumb|255x255px|Suckers, such as this Tahoe sucker (''C. tahoensis''), can develop bright colors during the spawning season]] Currently, 23 recognized species are in this genus:<ref name="CofF2">{{Cof genus|genus=Catostomus|access-date=24 May 2025}}</ref><ref name="Smith20132">{{cite journal|author=Smith, G.R.|author2= Stewart, J.D. |author3= Carpenter, N.E. |year=2013|title= Fossil and recent mountain suckers, ''Pantosteus'', and significance of introgression in catostomin fishes of Western United States|journal=Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology University of Michigan|volume= 743|pages= 1-59}}</ref>
* ''Catostomus ardens'' <small>D. S. Jordan & C. H. Gilbert, 1881</small> (Utah sucker) * ''Catostomus bernardini'' <small>Girard, 1856</small> (Yaqui sucker) * ''Catostomus cahita'' <small>Siebert & W. L. Minckley, 1986</small> (Cahita sucker) * ''Catostomus catostomus'' <small>(J. R. Forster, 1773)</small> ** ''Catostomus catostomus catostomus'' <small>(J. R. Forster, 1773)</small> (Longnose sucker) ** {{extinct}}''C. c. cristatus'' <small>(Cope, 1883)</small> ** ''C. c. lacustris'' <small>(Bajkov, 1927)</small> (Jasper longnose sucker) * ''Catostomus columbianus'' <small>(C. H. Eigenmann & R. S. Eigenmann, 1893)</small> (Bridgelip sucker) * ''Catostomus commersonii'' <small>(Lacépède, 1803)</small> (White sucker) * ''Catostomus conchos'' <small>(Meek, 1902)</small> * ''Catostomus fumeiventris'' <small>R. R. Miller, 1973</small> (Owens sucker) * ''Catostomus insignis'' <small>Baird & Girard, 1854 </small>(Sonora sucker) * ''Catostomus latipinnis'' <small>Baird & Girard, 1853</small> (flannelmouth sucker) * ''Catostomus leopoldi'' <small>Siebert & W. L. Minckley, 1986</small> (Bavispe sucker) * ''Catostomus macrocheilus'' <small>Girard, 1856</small> (largescale sucker) * ''Catostomus microps'' <small>Rutter, 1908</small> (Modoc sucker) * ''Catostomus murivallis'' <small>Harris, Markle & Campbell, 2025</small> (Wall Canyon sucker)<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Campbell |first1=Matthew A. |last2=Badger |first2=Mary E. |last3=Buckmaster |first3=Nick |last4=Starostka |first4=Andrew B. |last5=Hawks |first5=Travis |last6=Finger |first6=Amanda J. |date=2023 |title=Molecular phylogenetic and population genetic relationships of a putative species of sucker (''Catostomus'' sp.) from Surprise Valley in the Great Basin, USA |journal=Transactions of the American Fisheries Society |volume=152 |issue=3 |pages=273–286 |bibcode=2023TrAFS.152..273C |doi=10.1002/tafs.10407 |issn=0002-8487 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Harris |first=Phillip M. |last2=Markle |first2=Douglas F. |last3=Campbell |first3=Matthew A. |date=2025-06-27 |title=Catostomus murivallis, a new species of sucker (Cypriniformes: Catostomidae) from Wall Canyon Creek, Surprise Valley, in Northwestern Nevada, U.S.A. |url=https://www.mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5653.3.8 |journal=Zootaxa |language=en |volume=5653 |issue=3 |pages=429–439 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.5653.3.8 |issn=1175-5334}}</ref> * ''Catostomus occidentalis'' <small>Ayres, 1854</small> ** ''C. o. lacusanserinus'' <small>Fowler, 1913</small> (Goose Lake sucker) ** ''C. o. mnioltiltus'' <small>Snyder, 1913</small> (Monterey sucker) ** ''C. o. occidentalis'' <small>Ayres, 1854</small> (Sacramento sucker) * ''Catostomus rimiculus'' <small>C. H. Gilbert & Snyder, 1898</small> (Klamath smallscale sucker) * ''Catostomus rostratus'' <small>(Tilesius, 1813)</small> * ''Catostomus snyderi'' <small>C. H. Gilbert, 1898</small> (Klamath largescale sucker) * ''Catostomus tahoensis'' <small>T. N. Gill & D. S. Jordan, 1878</small> (Tahoe sucker) * ''Catostomus tsiltcoosensis'' <small>Evermann & Meek, 1898</small> (Tyee sucker) * ''Catostomus utawana'' <small>F. W. Mather, 1886</small> (Summer sucker) * ''Catostomus warnerensis'' <small>Snyder, 1908</small> (Warner sucker) * ''Catostomus wigginsi'' <small>Herre & Brock, 1936</small> (Opata sucker)
There are is also one candidate species:
* Elk Lake sucker <small>(Carlson, Morse & Hekkala, 2015)</small> which is sister to the white and summer suckers<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Carlson |first=Douglas |last2=Morse |first2=Richard |last3=Hekkala |first3=Evon |date=Fall 2015 |title=LATE-SPAWNING SUCKERS OF NEW YORK'S ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS |url=https://www.nanfa.org/ac/summer-suckers-new-york.pdf |journal=American Currents |issue=10}}</ref> The genus ''Pantosteus'' was formerly classified as a subgenus of ''Catostomus''. However, more recent studies have found them to be a monophyletic group that forms a distinct clade from all other members of ''Catostomus'', and they also have a different morphology and ecological preferences from ''Catostomus''. Due to this, they are now treated as their own distinct genus.<ref name="CofF"/><ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last1=Unmack |first1=Peter J. |last2=Dowling |first2=Thomas E. |last3=Laitinen |first3=Nina J. |last4=Secor |first4=Carol L. |last5=Mayden |first5=Richard L. |last6=Shiozawa |first6=Dennis K. |last7=Smith |first7=Gerald R. |date=2014-03-11 |title=Influence of Introgression and Geological Processes on Phylogenetic Relationships of Western North American Mountain Suckers (Pantosteus, Catostomidae) |journal=PLOS ONE |language=en |volume=9 |issue=3 |article-number=e90061 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0090061 |doi-access=free |issn=1932-6203 |pmc=3949674 |pmid=24619087|bibcode=2014PLoSO...990061U }}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
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Category:Catostomus Category:Catostomidae Category:taxa named by Charles Alexandre Lesueur