Carp & Sucker
Flannelmouth Sucker
Catostomus latipinnis
FreshwaterCatostomidaeVulnerable
About
The Flannelmouth Sucker is a large, thick-lipped fish adapted to life in swift, turbulent rivers. They possess a fleshy, papillose lower lip that gives them their name and helps them feed on the river bottom. They are bottom-dwelling fish, often found in areas with cobble and boulder substrates.
- Average size
- 12-25 inches, 2-6 lbs
- Colors
- Olive-brown to dark gray dorsally, lighter on the sides, and whitish or yellowish ventrally. Breeding males develop orange or reddish coloration on their sides.
- Diet
- Primarily algae, diatoms, and other organic matter scraped from rocks and the riverbed. They may also consume small invertebrates.
- Region
- Colorado River basin in the southwestern United States, including parts of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.