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Suckers: Lake Chubsucker | |
 Lake Chubsucker Florida Range: Statewide Overall distribution: Two major distribution patterns exist, the first following the Gulf and Atlantic coasts from eastern Texas, eastward to southeastern Virginia. The second path extends northward, up the Mississippi River system from Louisiana to Wisconsin, Michigan and extreme southeastern Canada. Identification: The lake chubsucker and its close relative, the sharpfin chubsucker, are chubby, heavy-bodied fish, but although they are somewhat compressed from side-to-side, they are not nearly so slab-sided as the carpsuckers and also lack the long, elevated dorsal fins of the latter. The remaining Florida suckers, the spotted sucker, and the three redhorses, have much more elongate and streamlined body shapes than the chubsuckers. In addition, while the mouth of the chubsuckers is located somewhat beneath the head, the mouth of the spotted sucker and the redhorse suckers is definitely positioned beneath the head in a down-turned fashion. Adult males have a bilobed (two-lobed) anal fin. In Florida, this species can only be confused with the sharpfin chubsucker, with which it occasionally occurs in the western Panhandle. As its name suggests, the sharpfin chubsucker has a much more pointed dorsal fin than does the lake chubsucker, the dorsal fin of which is somewhat rounded in profile. General body coloration of lake chubsuckers is dark bronze, brown or olive on the upper surfaces and lighter bronze over the sides, with the undersides whitish. Life History and Ecology: Lake chubsuckers are omnivores, feeding upon both plants and animals. Feeding on the bottom, they take aquatic insects, fish eggs, crustaceans, algae and other plants. In most areas, including Florida, the peak spawning season is in the spring and early summer. In Florida, reproduction may take place over a long period of time; depending upon the geographic area, spawning may occur from December through October. About 2,000 to 20,000 eggs are produced by each female. Lake chubsuckers may attain an age of eight years and a maximum size of about 18 inches in length. In Lake Panasoffkee, some individuals reached a length of 15.5 inches and a weight of 2.2 pounds. While most species of suckers prefer to live in flowing streams, lake chubsuckers prefer quiet or sluggishly flowing waters, usually being most abundant where the bottom is soft, with much organic debris, and in areas of dense aquatic vegetation. Lake chubsuckers have been recorded from a wide variety of habitats, including lakes, ponds, impoundments, oxbows, backwaters, floodplains, sloughs, bayous, roadside ditches, springs, millponds, rivers, creeks, canals, wet prairies, borrow pits, quarry pits and swamps. Status: Lake chubsuckers are common in Florida and face no obvious threats to their existence. However, in other areas of the United States they have become less numerous in areas where excessive siltation has occurred. Fishery: In some areas of the county this species is taken with nets, or by snagging or gigging during spring spawning runs, and they may sometimes be caught on small flies or live bait. Like most other suckers, they are good to eat but are bony. Suckers may be prepared by frying, broiling or baking. They serve a valuable ecological role as food for game fish such as largemouth bass. For the "Sucker Fish Regulations" Brochure click here. | Index By Common Name Airbreathing catfish    
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