Blue sucker
Encyclopedia
The blue sucker, Cycleptus elongatus, is a freshwater species
of fish in the sucker
family. Color is variable, from light steel-gray to almost black. The fish is streamlined, with a pointed head and a subterminal mouth. Huge migrations of these fast, powerful fish once migrated throughout the Mississippi River
basin, and spring harvests of blue sucker were a staple food for early pioneers. Blue suckers are very rare today, thought to be due to the segmentation of habitat caused by the thousands of dams which have been built in the last century. Blues frequent the thalweg
of large river systems, in heavy current. Early records indicate that this fish once reached weights of over 40 lb, although 15-pounders are quite rare today.
Blue suckers eat aquatic insect larva
e, crustaceans, plant materials and algae
.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of fish in the sucker
Catostomidae
Catostomidae is the sucker family of the order Cypriniformes. There are 80 species in this family of freshwater fishes. Catostomidae are found in North America, east central China, and eastern Siberia...
family. Color is variable, from light steel-gray to almost black. The fish is streamlined, with a pointed head and a subterminal mouth. Huge migrations of these fast, powerful fish once migrated throughout the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
basin, and spring harvests of blue sucker were a staple food for early pioneers. Blue suckers are very rare today, thought to be due to the segmentation of habitat caused by the thousands of dams which have been built in the last century. Blues frequent the thalweg
Thalweg
Thalweg in geography and fluvial geomorphology signifies the deepest continuous inline within a valley or watercourse system.-Hydrology:In hydrological and fluvial landforms, the thalweg is a line drawn to join the lowest points along the entire length of a stream bed or valley in its downward...
of large river systems, in heavy current. Early records indicate that this fish once reached weights of over 40 lb, although 15-pounders are quite rare today.
Blue suckers eat aquatic insect larva
Larva
A larva 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...
e, crustaceans, plant materials and algae
Algae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
.