Roadless Areas
Home/Species/ Sacramento Sucker

Catostomus occidentalis

Ayres, 1854

Sacramento Sucker

G5Secure Found in 14 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101569
Element CodeAFCJC02150
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassActinopterygii
OrderCypriniformes
FamilyCatostomidae
GenusCatostomus
Concept Reference
Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.
Taxonomic Comments
Four poorly defined subspecies have been described: occidentalis, mniotiltus, humboltianus, and lacusanserinus; the validity of these is questionable (Lee et al. 1980). See Smith (1992) for a study of the phylogeny and biogeography of the Catostomidae.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2011-10-27
Change Date1996-09-19
Edition Date2011-10-27
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Range Extent20,000-200,000 square km (about 8000-80,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 300
Range Extent Comments
Range includes the Pacific Slope of North America from the Mad River, northern California, to the Salinas River, central California, and throughout the Sacramento-San Joaquin drainage, California and southern Oregon; Goose Lake (Oregon) southward in endorheic basins of central California to the Kern River (Page and Burr 2011).
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by a large number of occurrences (subpopulations).
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats are known.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Habitat varies (swift streams-nearly stagnant sloughs); this sucker is most abundant in pools of clear, cold streams and in lakes and reservoirs at elevations of 200-600 meters. Usually it is in deep water by day and in winter; it moves to shallow to feed at night. Spawning occurs in streams over gravel riffles or along shorelines of lakes and reservoirs. Eggs adhere to gravel after sinking to bottom. Young are washed into warm shallows soon after hatching, remain in spawning streams for 2-3 years.

Ecology

Young-of-year exhibit schooling behavior. Adults often found in small groups in optimal habitat.

Reproduction

Reaches maturity in 4th or 5th year. Most spawning occurs late February-early June. Fecundity increases with the size of the female. Females 28 to 38 cm FL contained 4,700 to 11,000 eggs (Moyle 1976). Eggs hatch in 3-4 weeks.
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
CaliforniaSNRYes
OregonSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
No known threats———

—

Roadless Areas (14)
California (14)
AreaForestAcres
Bear MountainLos Padres National Forest913
Black ButteLos Padres National Forest5,116
Black Mtn.Sequoia National Forest15,102
Chalk PeakLos Padres National Forest7,472
ChannellSequoia National Forest45,429
ChicoSequoia National Forest39,836
East YubaTahoe National Forest17,968
Greenhorn CreekSequoia National Forest28,226
Mill CreekSequoia National Forest27,643
Oat Mtn.Sequoia National Forest12,223
RinconSequoia National Forest54,610
Slate Mtn.Sequoia National Forest12,299
South SierraInyo National Forest41,853
South SierraSequoia National Forest8,008
References (12)
  1. Lee, D. S., C. R. Gilbert, C. H. Hocutt, R. E. Jenkins, D. E. McAllister, and J. R. Stauffer, Jr. 1980. Atlas of North American freshwater fishes. North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh, North Carolina. i-x + 854 pp.
  2. Master, L. L. 1996. Synoptic national assessment of comparative risks to biological diversity and landscape types: species distributions. Summary Progress Report submitted to Environmental Protection Agency. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, Virginia. 60 pp.
  3. Master, L. L. and A. L. Stock. 1998. Synoptic national assessment of comparative risks to biological diversity and landscape types: species distributions. Summary Report submitted to Environmental Protection Agency. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA. 36 pp.
  4. Moyle, P. B. 1976a. Inland fishes of California. University of California Press, Berkeley, California. 405 pp.
  5. Moyle, P. B. 2002. Inland fishes of California. Revised and expanded. University of California Press, Berkeley. xv + 502 pp.
  6. Nelson, J. S., E. J. Crossman, H. Espinosa-Perez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, and J. D. Williams. 2004. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 29, Bethesda, Maryland. 386 pp.
  7. Page, L. M., and B. M. Burr. 1991. A field guide to freshwater fishes: North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. 432 pp.
  8. Page, L. M., and B. M. Burr. 2011. Peterson field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Second edition. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston. xix + 663 pp.
  9. Page, L. M., H. Espinosa-Pérez, L. T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, R. L. Mayden, and J. S. Nelson. 2013. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Seventh edition. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 34, Bethesda, Maryland.
  10. Page, L. M., K. E. Bemis, T. E. Dowling, H.S. Espinosa-Pérez, L.T. Findley, C. R. Gilbert, K. E. Hartel, R. N. Lea, N. E. Mandrak, M. A. Neigbors, J. J. Schmitter-Soto, and H. J. Walker, Jr. 2023. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Eighth edition. American Fisheries Society (AFS), Special Publication 37, Bethesda, Maryland, 439 pp.
  11. Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott. 1991. Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada. American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20. 183 pp.
  12. Smith, G. R. 1992. Phylogeny and biogeography of the Catostomidae, freshwater fishes of North America and Asia. Pages 778-826 in R.L. Mayden, editor. Systematics, historical ecology, and North American freshwater fishes. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California. xxvi + 969 pp.