Golden redhorse
Encyclopedia
The golden redhorse, Moxostoma erythrurum, is a species of freshwater
fish endemic to Ontario
and Manitoba
in Canada
and the Midwestern, southern, and eastern United States
. It lives in calm, often silty or sandy waters in stream
s, small to large river
s, and lakes.
A bottom-feeder, it feeds on microcrustaceans, aquatic insect
s, detritus
, algae
, and small mollusks. The golden redhorse spawns in the spring.
, Ohio River
, and the lower Missouri River
. The fish can also be found in the Great Lakes, excluding Lake Superior, and the Lakes’ basin, as well as in the Lake of the Woods. The Mobile Bay
drainage basin in the states of Alabama, Georgia, and southeastern Tennessee also contains the Golden Redhorse.
In Mississippi there is an isolated population in the southwestern part of the state. Some suspect that it is a relict population, meaning the range of the fish was once much larger than it is today. They were introduced into the Potomac River
in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, but the date of this introduction is unknown. A Golden Redhorse was seen in this river in 1953, but was never seen there again until 1971.
In Canada, the Golden Redhorse is endemic to Manitoba and Ontario. The fish can be found in the Red River of the North, a river which eventually empties into Hudson Bay
. Coincidentally, the Red River in Texas also houses the Golden Redhorse.
, detritus and algae are also staples of the Golden Redhorse’s diet. It is a bottom-feeding species that is able to use its protrusible mouth to suck up food objects from the stream bed.
s within the main stream, but some individuals may move into smaller, more well protected tributaries. The spawning streams are gravel bottomed, as their benthic, bottom-dwelling young prefer to hide beneath the stones after they hatch from their adhesive eggs.
Golden Redhorses provide no parental care to their offspring. The young often form large schools and feed together along the stream bottom. Some schools may include a mixture of different redhorse species.
. Fishing for members of the sucker family usually occurs in the early spring when the water temperature reaches 42°F. Fishing several inches off the stream bottom with simple worms as bait is a good method to catch suckers. Gigging
for suckers is another common practice. This is done using a multi-headed spear at night, often with a mounted light on the bow of the boat. The Golden Redhorse can be cooked smoked or pickled.
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
fish endemic to Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the Midwestern, southern, and eastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It lives in calm, often silty or sandy waters in stream
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
s, small to large river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s, and lakes.
A bottom-feeder, it feeds on microcrustaceans, aquatic insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, detritus
Detritus
Detritus is a biological term used to describe dead or waste organic material.Detritus may also refer to:* Detritus , a geological term used to describe the particles of rock produced by weathering...
, 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...
, and small mollusks. The golden redhorse spawns in the spring.
Geographic Distribution
The Golden Redhorse can be found in freshwater habitats across 25 different states in the eastern half of North America. There are populations located in the drainage basins of the Mississippi RiverMississippi 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...
, Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
, and the lower Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
. The fish can also be found in the Great Lakes, excluding Lake Superior, and the Lakes’ basin, as well as in the Lake of the Woods. The Mobile Bay
Mobile Bay
Mobile Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. The Mobile River and Tensaw River empty into the northern end of the...
drainage basin in the states of Alabama, Georgia, and southeastern Tennessee also contains the Golden Redhorse.
In Mississippi there is an isolated population in the southwestern part of the state. Some suspect that it is a relict population, meaning the range of the fish was once much larger than it is today. They were introduced into the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, but the date of this introduction is unknown. A Golden Redhorse was seen in this river in 1953, but was never seen there again until 1971.
In Canada, the Golden Redhorse is endemic to Manitoba and Ontario. The fish can be found in the Red River of the North, a river which eventually empties into Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
. Coincidentally, the Red River in Texas also houses the Golden Redhorse.
Physical Characteristics
Golden Redhorses average around 12-18 inches long and weigh between 1-2 pounds, although some can reach up to 26 inches and 4.5 pounds. The golden scales decorating its sides gave the fish its name. They have olive colored backs, white bellies, and slate gray tail fins. Their body is fusiform in shape, allowing them to fight against currents in streams to capture their prey. The mouth of the fish is in the inferior position. The dorsal fin is slightly concave and the caudal fin is notched. It has a single anal fin and paired pelvic and pectoral fins. The pelvic fins are in the abdominal position, while the pectoral fins are located in more of a thoracic position. It has a lateral line system consisting of 39 to 42 scales which is used to detect movement and vibrations in the surrounding water.Habitat
Golden Redhorses can be found in freshwater streams, creeks, and rivers with varied substrates. In pools they are generally found over sand and silt. Occasionally they have been seen living in lakes or larger reservoirs that are fed by a stream or river. Compared to other redhorse species the Golden Redhorse is not very sensitive to poor environmental conditions.Diet
The diet of the Golden Redhorse consists of a variety of small, aquatic creatures. They consume larval insects, small mollusks, microcrustaceans, and other aquatic invertebrates. Like most other members of the sucker family, CatostomidaeCatostomidae
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...
, detritus and algae are also staples of the Golden Redhorse’s diet. It is a bottom-feeding species that is able to use its protrusible mouth to suck up food objects from the stream bed.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
The Golden Redhorse lives for 8-11 years and becomes sexually mature at age 3-5. They spawn in the spring once water temperatures are between 17-22°C. When this occurs depends on the geographic location, but spawning usually happens at night during April or May. Spawning most often occurs in a runs or riffleRiffle
A Riffle is a short, relatively shallow and coarse-bedded length of stream over which the stream flows at higher velocity and higher turbulence than it normally does in comparison to a pool....
s within the main stream, but some individuals may move into smaller, more well protected tributaries. The spawning streams are gravel bottomed, as their benthic, bottom-dwelling young prefer to hide beneath the stones after they hatch from their adhesive eggs.
Golden Redhorses provide no parental care to their offspring. The young often form large schools and feed together along the stream bottom. Some schools may include a mixture of different redhorse species.
Fishing
The Golden Redhorse is a game fish, but it is a species not often pursued by anglers. It is often caught by accident when anglers fish on the bottom for catfishCatfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
. Fishing for members of the sucker family usually occurs in the early spring when the water temperature reaches 42°F. Fishing several inches off the stream bottom with simple worms as bait is a good method to catch suckers. Gigging
Gigging
Gigging is the practice of hunting fish or small game with a gig or similar multi-pronged spear. Commonly harvested wildlife include freshwater suckers, saltwater flounder, and small game, such as frogs. A gig can refer to any long pole which has been tipped with a multi-pronged spear. The gig pole...
for suckers is another common practice. This is done using a multi-headed spear at night, often with a mounted light on the bow of the boat. The Golden Redhorse can be cooked smoked or pickled.