Spotted sucker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Spotted sucker |
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| Minytrema melanops illustration | |
| Conservation status | |
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Minytrema
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| Species: |
melanops
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The spotted sucker (Minytrema melanops) is a type of fish. It belongs to the sucker family. This fish lives in eastern North America.
Spotted suckers like deep parts of small to medium rivers. They prefer areas with clay, sand, or gravel bottoms. Sometimes, you can find them in creeks and larger rivers too. When they are young, they hunt for food in the middle of the water. As they grow older, they become bottom feeders. Spotted suckers usually live for about six years. They lay their eggs in April and May.
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What Does a Spotted Sucker Look Like?
Spotted suckers get their name from their appearance. Each of their scales has a dark spot at its base. This makes them look like they have many rows of small black spots on their bodies. These fish can grow to be about 19 inches (48 cm) long.
Where Do Spotted Suckers Live?
The spotted sucker lives in many places. You can find them across the central and southeastern United States. Their range also reaches into southern Canada. They live near the Great Lakes and in the Mississippi River basin. They are also found in rivers that flow into the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. This includes areas from Pennsylvania to Minnesota, and from North Carolina to western Texas.
In the United States, the number of spotted suckers has stayed steady. They are still quite common. These fish prefer clean, clear water. They like places with a firm bottom. They are often found in oxbow lakes. These are U-shaped lakes formed when a river changes its course. They also like other areas where the water does not flow too fast.
Spotted suckers do not do well in polluted water. They also struggle in water with a lot of silt (fine dirt). Because of this, they have disappeared from some places where they used to live, like Illinois. Their numbers are also going down in places like Ohio and Kansas. In Canada, their numbers are declining. This is because the water quality is getting worse. In Canada, they are considered a species of concern. This means people are worried about them.
How Spotted Suckers Find Food
The way M. melanops eats changes as it grows. When they are very young (larvae), they eat tiny water creatures called zooplankton. These are like microscopic animals floating in the water. Young fish up to about 1 inch (25 millimeters) long eat in shallow, calm waters during the day.
Once they reach about 1 inch, they start eating organic matter. At this size, they become bottom feeders. When they are about 2 inches (50 millimeters) long, they start eating from the riverbed. Their stomachs will then contain sand and small creatures that live on the bottom (benthos).
Young spotted suckers swim and feed in groups called schools. But as they become adults, they separate. They then feed in deeper waters. Scientists don't know much about what adult spotted suckers eat. It is thought that they mostly feed around dawn and dusk.
Spotted suckers mainly eat small pieces of organic material. They also eat tiny crustaceans like copepods and cladocerans. They also eat chironomids, which are a type of fly larva. Other small creatures that live on the bottom have been found in their stomachs, but they are not a big part of their diet.
What they eat also changes with the seasons. In spring, summer, and autumn, they eat many zooplankton. In summer and autumn, they also eat chironomids. This shows that they eat what is most available at different times of the year. They are not very picky eaters. They eat what is abundant in their area.
Spotted suckers need clean water to survive. They prefer slow-moving water. However, they can sometimes be found in cloudy water. Human activities can make streams silty, which makes it hard for these fish to live. But dams can also create slower-moving water. This can sometimes help their populations grow.
Life Cycle and Reproduction
The spawning season for spotted suckers starts in early March and can last until early May. This happens when the water temperature reaches about 54 to 66 degrees Fahrenheit (12 to 19 degrees Celsius). The fish swim upstream to smaller tributaries (smaller rivers that flow into a larger one) in January. They lay their eggs in riffles, which are shallow, rocky parts of a stream. These areas have gravel bottoms.
Usually, there are two male spotted suckers for every female. When a female comes near, the males gently bump and push her belly. Then, the males hold the female between them on both sides. They vibrate their tails and heads as they move towards the water surface. During this time, the female releases her eggs. The eggs are semi-floating and drift downstream.
The adult fish do not take care of their eggs or young. The males leave after spawning. Both male and female spotted suckers can lay eggs more than once in a season. The eggs hatch after seven to ten days. This depends on the water temperature. The young fish become ready to reproduce themselves after three years. Spotted suckers generally live for about six years. However, in the southeastern United States, they only live for about five years. Scientists are not sure why this happens.
The early growth of M. melanops is similar to other sucker fish. Young fish can be identified by counting their fin rays and body segments. They also have special color patterns.
Conservation Efforts
Spotted suckers are not listed as endangered or threatened in the United States. This means their numbers are healthy there. However, in Canada, there are very few spotted suckers left. They are listed as a species of concern. Fishermen are asked to report any spotted suckers they see. This helps scientists keep track of their populations.
Spotted suckers usually do not hybridize (mate) with other fish species. Fishing for them is not a big problem for their numbers. While some people say they taste good, their flesh has many small bones. This makes them hard to clean and prepare for eating.
See also
In Spanish: Minytrema melanops para niños
