PHYLUM:
Chordata; CLASS: Osteichthyes SUPERORDER: Teleostei
FAMILY: Catostomidae;
GENUS: Erimyzon; SPECIES: sucetta; DESCRIBER:
(Lacépède)
Position
of Erimyzon
sucetta in
worldwide arrangement of fish species.
What are Lake
Chubsuckers?
Lake Chubsuckers are small suckers but are often mistaken
for large minnows and are a member of the family Catostomidae.
Reaching 254 mm (10 inches) in length with a robust body with an
arched back and strongly compressed laterally; they are bronze to
deep olive-green with a vague lateral line or non-existent. Mouth
protusible, suctorial but very small and only slightly inferior,
almost terminal. Lake chubsuckers are distributed in eastern North
America from New York to southern Florida through Texas, Arkansas,
Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin. In Ontario
it is known only from western Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair. They
are bottom feeders eating various insect larvae and nymphs, molluscs,
amphipods, ostracods, etc.
EARLY LIFE HISTORY of LAKE
CHUBSUCKERS:
Spawning
Season of Adult LAKE
CHUBSUCKERS: Spawning
occurs from March
through June.
Where LAKE CHUBSUCKER Eggs
are Found: Eggs are laid in
secluded lakeshore ponds or marshes
near the end of Long Point, Lake
Erie. The eggs are scattered over
beds of aquatic plants, filamentous
algae or grass stubble.
Characteristics of Eggs: Eggs
are ca. 2mm in diameter, demersal
and nonadhesive.
Size of Babies at
Hatching: Newly hatched babies
range from 5-6mm.
Movements of LAKE
CHUBSUCKER Babies
after hatching: The babies
of CHUBSUCKERS move out of the
ponds and marshes and into the
open water and were collected singly
along the shores of Long Point (Ref.
21).
