Modoc Sucker
Encyclopedia
The Modoc Sucker is a rare species of fish native to northern California
and southern Oregon
. It is listed as an endangered species
in California and the United States
, and it is listed as endangered by the IUCN.
This sucker
is mature when it reaches 3 to 4 inches long; the adult is usually no more than 7 inches long but it rarely exceeds 13 inches. It has been observed to reach five years of age at the oldest.
This fish is limited to a few creeks in northern California and southern Oregon, where its historical range was located in the Ash Creek and Turner Creek drainages in the basin of the Pit River
, as well as the Goose Lake
basin, which was once connected to the Pit River. It can currently be found in ten streams in this region.
The stream habitat has substrates of sediment
and cobble with large amounts of detritus in the water that the fish uses for cover. It also uses overhanging banks, large rocks, and vegetation for cover. Spawning occurs in substrates with a lot of gravel
. The fish eats algae
, small invertebrate
s, and detritus.
When the fish was placed on the US Endangered Species List it was threatened by the degradation of its habitat. Since then the habitat has been improved by the installation of livestock-excluding fences along waterways and other interventions. The creeks supporting the fish are relatively healthy today. The range of the fish is not currently being reduced. Introduced species
of fish such as the largemouth bass
are present but do not pose a serious threat to the sucker. In 2009 the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
recommended the species be downlisted from endangered status to threatened status.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and southern Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. It is listed as an endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
in California and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and it is listed as endangered by the IUCN.
This 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...
is mature when it reaches 3 to 4 inches long; the adult is usually no more than 7 inches long but it rarely exceeds 13 inches. It has been observed to reach five years of age at the oldest.
This fish is limited to a few creeks in northern California and southern Oregon, where its historical range was located in the Ash Creek and Turner Creek drainages in the basin of the Pit River
Pit River
The Pit River is a major river draining from northeastern California into the state's Central Valley. The Pit, the Klamath and the Columbia are the only three rivers in the U.S...
, as well as the Goose Lake
Goose Lake (Oregon-California)
Goose Lake is a large alkaline glacial lake located in the Goose Lake Valley on the Oregon-California border. The north end of the lake is in Lake County, Oregon and the south end is in Modoc County, California. The mountains at the north end of the lake are part of the Fremont National Forest...
basin, which was once connected to the Pit River. It can currently be found in ten streams in this region.
The stream habitat has substrates of sediment
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
and cobble with large amounts of detritus in the water that the fish uses for cover. It also uses overhanging banks, large rocks, and vegetation for cover. Spawning occurs in substrates with a lot of gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
. The fish eats 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...
, small invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s, and detritus.
When the fish was placed on the US Endangered Species List it was threatened by the degradation of its habitat. Since then the habitat has been improved by the installation of livestock-excluding fences along waterways and other interventions. The creeks supporting the fish are relatively healthy today. The range of the fish is not currently being reduced. Introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
of fish such as the largemouth bass
Largemouth bass
The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
are present but do not pose a serious threat to the sucker. In 2009 the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats...
recommended the species be downlisted from endangered status to threatened status.
External links
- Gimenez Dixon, M. 1996. Catostomus microps. 2011 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 5 October 2011.