Revised 3 Sept. 2023
PDF version (with illustrations and additional information)
Chinese Sucker
Subfamily MYXOCYPRININAE Fowler 1958
Myxocyprinus Gill 1878 myxo-, from mýzō (Gr. μύζω), to suck, referring to fleshy, papillose lips that suck up food (hence the common name “sucker”); cyprinus, from kyprí̄nos (Gr. κυπρῖνος), carp, resembling Carpiodes cyprinus
Myxocyprinus asiaticus (Bleeker 1864) –icus (L.), belonging to: Asia (i.e., China), proposed as an Asian member of the North American genus Carpiodes
Blue Suckers
Subfamily CYCLEPTINAE Fowler 1958
Cycleptus Rafinesque 1819 cyclo-, from kýklos (Gr. κύκλος), ring or circle; leptós (Gr. λεπτός), thin, referring to small, round mouth of C. nigriscens (=elongatus)
Cycleptus elongatus (Lesueur 1817) Latin for prolonged, referring to its “very long” subcylindrical body
Cycleptus meridionalis Burr & Mayden 1999 Latin for southern, referring to its southern distribution (Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, USA) compared with C. elongatus
Carpsuckers and Buffalos
Subfamily ICTIOBINAE Bleeker 1863
Carpiodes Rafinesque 1820 –oides, Latinized suffix adopted from eí̄dos (Gr. εἶδος), form or shape: Common Carp, Cyprinus carpio
Carpiodes carpio (Rafinesque 1820) derived from the Latin carpa, carp, probably originally from an unknown Slavic language (Danube region) used by Germanic tribes and then the Romans, referring to its resemblance to the Common Carp, Cyprinus carpio
Carpiodes cyprinus (Lesueur 1817) from kyprí̄nos (Gr. κυπρῖνος), carp, referring to its resemblance to Cyprinus carpio
Carpiodes cyprinus hinei Trautman 1956 in honor of James Stewart Hine (1866-1930), Curator of the Division of Natural History of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Museum, who collected with Trautman and urged him to write his book Fishes of Ohio (1957, rev. 1982)
Carpiodes velifer (Rafinesque 1820) velum (L.), sail; fero (L.), to have or bear, referring to its tall dorsal fin
Ictiobus Rafinesque 1820 icti-, presumably from ichthýs (Gr. ἰχθύς), fish; bus, from boū́s (Gr. βοῦς), bull, ox or buffalo, referring to humpbacked nape of I. bubalus and I. niger
Ictiobus bubalus (Rafinesque 1818) possibly a Latin loanword from boū́s (Gr. βοῦς), bull, ox, buffalo, referring to its humpbacked nape
Ictiobus cyprinellus (Valenciennes 1844) diminutive of cyprinus, from kyprí̄nos (Gr. κυπρῖνος), carp, referring to its resemblance to the Common Carp, Cyprinus carpio
Ictiobus labiosus (Meek 1904) Latin for large-lipped, referring to its thick, papillose lips
Ictiobus meridionalis (Günther 1868) Latin for southern, referring to its Central American distribution
Ictiobus niger (Rafinesque 1819) Latin for black, referring to its blackish fins
Suckers
Subfamily CATOSTOMINAE Agassiz 1850
Catostomus Lesueur 1817 tautonymous with Cyprinus catostomus Forster 1773
Catostomus ardens Jordan & Gilbert 1881 Latin for burning or glowing, referring to “narrow, bright, rosy” lateral band on large adult males
Catostomus bernardini Girard 1856 of Rio de San Bernardino, Sonora, Mexico, type locality
Catostomus cahita Siebert & Minckley 1986 Uto-Aztecan language spoken by Amerinds inhabiting the Río Papigóchic region of Chihuahua and Sonora, Mexico, where it occurs
Catostomus catostomus (Forster 1773) under-mouthed, from katá (Gr. κατά), downwards, beneath, below or under, and stóma (Gr. στόμα), mouth, referring to its ventral position compared with terminal mouth of Cyprinus carpio (Cyprinidae), its presumed congener at the time
Catostomus catostomus griseus Girard 1856 Medieval Latin for gray, referring to its grayish “upper regions”
Catostomus catostomus lacustris Bajkov 1927 Latin for relating to or associated with lakes (lacustrine), referring to its occurrence in Annette, Patricia, Beauvert and Pyramid lakes of Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada
Catostomus catostomus nanomyzon Mather 1886 nanus (L.), dwarf, referring to small size (11.4 cm) compared with other Catostomus of the Adirondack Mountains, New York, USA; myzon, Latinized from mýzō (Gr. μύζω), to suck, referring to fleshy, papillose lips that suck up food, a characteristic of the family (hence the common name “sucker”)
Catostomus catostomus pocatello Gilbert & Evermann 1894 named for Pocatello, Idaho, USA, just north Ross Fork of Snake River, type locality
Catostomus catostomus rostratus Tilesius 1813 Latin for beaked, referring to its pointed snout (common to all subspecies) [treated as a full species by some workers]
Catostomus columbianus (Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1893) –anus (L.), belonging to: Columbia River drainage of the Pacific Northwest, USA and British Columbia, Canada, where it occurs
Catostomus columbianus hubbsi Smith 1966 in honor of American ichthyologist Carl L. Hubbs (1894–1979), for his work on western American fishes, his leadership in ichthyology, and for collecting holotype
Catostomus commersonii (Lacepède 1803) in honor of French naturalist Philibert Commerçon (also spelled Commerson, 1727–1773), whose collections were studied by Lacepède
Catostomus conchos Meek 1902 named for Río Conchos at Jiménez, Chihuahua, Mexico, type locality
Catostomus fumeiventris Miller 1973 fumeus, Latin for smoky; venter (L.), belly, referring to its dusky colored abdomen
Catostomus insignis Baird & Girard 1854 Latin for marked, referring to spots formed by melanophores at junctures of scales
Catostomus latipinnis Baird & Girard 1853 latus (L.), wide or broad; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna or penna, fin, referring to its “very much developed fins” (especially in old males)
Catostomus leopoldi Siebert & Minckley 1986 in honor of American ecologist, environmentalist and author Aldo Leopold (1887–1948), whose “Song of the Galivan” was based in part on his experiences at type locality (Arroyo Moctezuma, Chihuahua, Mexico)
Catostomus macrocheilus Girard 1856 macro-, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large; cheí̄los (Gr. χεῖλος), lip, referring to its very large lips
Catostomus microps Rutter 1908 micro-, from mikrós (Gr. μικρός), small; ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye, having smaller eyes than the related C. occidentalis and C. snyderi
Catostomus occidentalis Ayres 1854 Latin for western, referring to California, USA, where it is endemic
Catostomus occidentalis humboldtianus Snyder 1913 –anus (L.), belonging to: Humboldt County, California, USA, where it is endemic
Catostomus occidentalis lacusanserinus Fowler 1913 lacus (L.), lake; anserinus (L.), of geese, referring to Goose Lake watershed, California and Oregon, USA, where it is endemic
Catostomus occidentalis mniotiltus Snyder 1913 mníon (Gr. μνίον), seaweed; tiltós (Gr. τιλτός), plucked or gathered, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its diet, “thriving especially well in deep, turbid pools where algae and diatoms are abundant”
Catostomus rimiculus Gilbert & Snyder 1898 diminutive of rima (L.), cleft or fissure, referring to shallow cleft of lower lip
Catostomus snyderi Gilbert 1898 in honor of American ichthyologist John Otterbein Snyder (1867–1943), Gilbert’s frequent collaborator, who first noticed this species was unnamed
Catostomus tahoensis Gill & Jordan 1878 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Lake Tahoe, Nevada and California, USA, type locality
Catostomus tsiltcoosensis Evermann & Meek 1898 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Tsiltcoos Lake, Oregon, USA, type locality
Catostomus utawana Mather 1886 named after Utawana Lake in the Blue Mountain chain (Adirondacks, New York, USA), one location where “it may probably be found” (so far it has not); name (pronounced oo-ta-wan’-ne) is of Onondaga origin and means “big waves” and not “sunshine” as Mather had stated
Catostomus warnerensis Snyder 1908 –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Warner basin, Oregon and Nevada, USA, where it is endemic
Catostomus wigginsi Herre & Brock 1936 in honor of American botanist Ira L. Wiggins (1899–1987), Stanford University, who collected holotype and other rare Mexican fishes for the Stanford Museum
Chasmistes Jordan 1878 chásma (Gr. χάσμα), yawning chasm or gaping mouth; -istḗs (Gr. -ιστής), suffix indicating an agent with a specific profession or trait, i.e., one who yawns, referring to large, oblique mouth
Chasmistes brevirostris Cope 1879 brevis (L.), short; rostris, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of rostrum (L.), snout, referring to shorter snout compared with Deltistes luxatus, its presumed congener at the time
Chasmistes cujus Cope 1883 Latinization of couia, Pahute name for this sucker (vernacular pronounced kwee-wee, but the Pahute pronunciation is koo-ee-wee)
Chasmistes liorus Jordan 1878 leí̄os (Gr. λεῖος), smooth; ora (L.), edge or margin, referring to lack of papillae on lips [extinct by 1936 due to drought exacerbated by water diversions and dams that blocked spawning runs]
Chasmistes liorus mictus Miller & Smith 1981 miktós (Gr. μικτός), mixed, believed to be a hybrid between C. liorus and Catostomus ardens (a belief that has been challenged)
Chasmistes muriei Miller & Smith 1981 in honor of the late Olaus J. Murie (1889–1963), American biologist and wildlife advocate, who collected the only known specimen in 1927 [extinct due to dams blocking spawning runs and introgressive hybridization with Catostomus ardens]
Deltistes Seale 1896 delta, referring to gill rakers, shaped like the Greek letter ∆; –istḗs (Gr. -ιστής), suffix indicating an agent with a specific profession or trait, i.e., one with deltas
Deltistes luxatus (Cope 1879) Latin for dislocated or put out of joint, etymology not explained, presumably referring to spines of premaxillary bones, which form a hump on top of snout, giving the appearance of a dislocated nose
Erimyzon Jordan 1876 eri– (Gr. prefix ἐρι), much or very; myzon, from mýzō (Gr. μύζω), to suck, referring to fleshy, papillose lips that suck up food, a “free translation” of the vernacular name chubsucker
Erimyzon claviformis (Girard 1856) clavis (L.), bar; formis, Neo-Latin scientific adjective of forma (L.), shape or form, probably referring to distinct vertical bars seen on younger specimens
Erimyzon oblongus (Mitchill 1814) Latin for oblong (longer than broad), referring to its more elongate shape compared with E. sucetta
Erimyzon sucetta (Lacepède 1803) Latinization of the French sucet, meaning sucker
Erimyzon sucetta kennerlii (Girard 1856) in honor of American surgeon-naturalist Caleb B. Kennerly (1829–1861), who collected holotype
Erimyzon tenuis (Agassiz 1855) Latin for thin or slender, referring to its body shape relative to the chubbier E. oblongus
Hypentelium Rafinesque 1818 hypó (Gr. ὑπό), under, beneath or less than; pénte (Gr. πέντε), five, referring to “lower jaw shorter with five lobes” (a character that does not fit the genus)
Hypentelium etowanum (Jordan 1877) –anum (L., neuter), belonging to: Etowah River, Georgia, USA, type locality
Hypentelium nigricans (Lesueur 1817) Latin for blackish, referring to color of back
Hypentelium roanokense Raney & Lachner 1947 –ense, Latin suffix denoting place: Roanoke River drainage, Virginia and North Carolina, USA, where it is endemic
Minytrema Jordan 1878 minýs (Gr. μινύς), less, small or reduced; trḗma (Gr. τρῆμα), hole or aperture, referring to its lateral line, absent in juveniles and incomplete (consisting of only four unpored scales) in adults
Minytrema melanops (Rafinesque 1820) mélanos (Gr. μέλανος), genitive of mélas (μέλας), black; ṓps (Gr. ὦψ), eye, face or countenance, referring to its head, “flat above, blackish there and in the fore part” (Rafinesque called it the “Black-face Sucker”)
Moxostoma Rafinesque 1820 moxo, probably a variant spelling of mýzō (Gr. μύζω), to suck; stóma (Gr. στόμα), mouth, referring to “fleshy, thick, or lobed sucking lips”
Moxostoma albidum (Girard 1856) Latin (neuter) for whitish, referring to greyish white coloration above and greyish silver coloration below
Moxostoma anisurum (Rafinesque 1820) unequally-tailed, from ánisos (Gr. ἄνισος), unequal, and ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, referring to upper lobe of tail being narrower and longer than lower (which it is not)
Moxostoma ariommum Robins & Raney 1956 big-eyed, from arí (Gr. ἀρί), much or very, and ómma (Gr. ὄμμα), eye, referring to its large eyes
Moxostoma austrinum Bean 1880 Latin (neuter) for southern, referring to its occurrence in Mexico
Moxostoma breviceps (Cope 1870) brevis (L.), short; –ceps (Neo-Latin), headed, referring to small head and mouth
Moxostoma carinatum (Cope 1870) Latin (neuter) for keeled, referring to low ridges on roof of skull
Moxostoma cervinum (Cope 1868) Latin (neuter) for of or relating to deer, referring to tawny or fawn-like coloration of lateral stripe on Thoburnia rhothoeca, which Cope confused with this species
Moxostoma collapsum (Cope 1870) Latin (neuter) for flattened sidewise, referring to its compressed body
Moxostoma congestum (Baird & Girard 1854) Latin (neuter) for dense or thick, probably referring to it “short and contracted shape”
Moxostoma duquesnei (Lesueur 1817) of Fort Duquesne (now Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA) on the Ohio River, type locality
Moxostoma erythrurum (Rafinesque 1818) red-tailed, from erythrós (Gr. ἐρυθρός), red, and ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, which accurately describes color of lower fins in some adults but not the yellowish tail
Moxostoma hubbsi Legendre 1952 in honor of American ichthyologist Carl L. Hubbs (1894–1979), author of a 1930 monograph on sucker classification, and who advised Legendre on sucker taxonomy
Moxostoma lacerum (Jordan & Brayton 1877) Latin (neuter) for torn, referring to its cleft lower lip [extinct due to starvation caused by habitat destruction; last seen alive in 1893]
Moxostoma lachneri Robins & Raney 1956 in honor of Ernest A. Lachner (1916–1996), Associate Curator of Fishes, U.S. National Museum, “who has added much to the knowledge of catostomid fishes”
Moxostoma macrolepidotum (Lesueur 1817) large-scaled, from makrós (Gr. μακρός), long or large, and lepidōtós (Gr. λεπιδωτός), scaly, allusion not explained, probably referring to how dark scale bases make scales appear larger than they are
Moxostoma mascotae Regan 1907 of the Río Mascota, Jalisco, Mexico, type locality
Moxostoma milleri Robins & Raney 1957 in honor of American ichthyologist Robert Rush Miller (1916–2003), University of Michigan, for his contributions to Middle American ichthyology
Moxostoma pappillosum (Cope 1870) Latin (neuter) for papillose, referring to pimple-like surface of its lips
Moxostoma pisolabrum Trautman & Martin 1951 pisum (L.), pea; labrum (L.), lip, referring to bulbous knob on tip of upper lip
Moxostoma poecilurum Jordan 1877 variegate-tailed, from poikílos (Gr. ποικίλος), variegated or many-colored, and ourá (Gr. οὐρά), tail, referring to black and red caudal fin
Moxostoma robustum (Cope 1870) Latin (neuter) for full-bodied, referring to its large size
Moxostoma rupiscartes Jordan & Jenkins 1889 rupes (L.), rock; scartes, from skarthmós (Gr. σκαρθμός), leaping or leap, i.e., a jumprock (its common name), inspired by Rupiscartes Swainson 1839 for a genus of blenniids (=Alticus) that “jump on rocks, like a lizard,” probably referring to the proclivity of some specimens to jump or break surface of water while spawning
Moxostoma valenciennesi Jordan 1885 in honor of French zoologist Achille Valenciennes (1794–1865), who described this sucker in 1844 but used a preoccupied name: Catostomus (=Carpiodes) carpio Rafinesque 1820
Pantosteus Cope 1875 pantós (Gr. παντός), genitive of pā́s (πᾶς), all; osteus (Neo-Latin), bony, from ostéon (Gr. ὀστέον), bone, probably referring to “complete union of the parietal bones, which obliterates the fontanelle so universal among the suckers”
Pantosteus bondi (Smith, Stewart & Carpenter 2013) in honor of the late Carl E. Bond (1920–2007), Oregon State University (Corvallis, Oregon, USA), for his many contributions to the science, conservation, and management of northwestern North American fishes
Pantosteus clarkii (Baird & Girard 1854) in honor of Lieut. John H. Clark (1830–1885), American surveyor and naturalist, U.S. and Mexican Boundary Survey, who collected holotype
Pantosteus discobolus (Cope 1871) dískos (Gr. δίσκος), any flat or circular plate; bolus, from bṓlos (Gr. βῶλος), lump or morsel, probably referring to its pendant-like upper lip
Pantosteus discobolus jarrovii (Cope 1874) in honor of American surgeon-naturalist Henry C. Yarrow (1840–1929), “whose zoological explorations in various portions of the United States have been productive of many interesting results,” including helping to collect holotype of this species (often incorrectly spelled yarrowii; Cope latinized spelling of Yarrow’s name since y and w are absent in classical Latin)
Pantosteus jordani Evermann 1893 in honor of American ichthyologist David Starr Jordan (1851–1931), Evermann’s “teacher and friend”
Pantosteus lahontan Rutter 1903 named for the Lahontan Basin, California, USA, where it is endemic [originally misspelled lahonton, corrected spelling is in prevailing usage]
Pantosteus nebuliferus (Garman 1881) nebula (L.), cloud; ferus (L.), bearing or carrying, referring to cloudy (i.e., darker) markings on body
Pantosteus platyrhynchus (Cope 1874) broad- or flat-snouted, from platýs (Gr. πλατύς), broad and/or flat, and rhýnchos (Gr. ῥύγχος), snout, referring to its “expanded and depressed muzzle”
Pantosteus plebeius (Baird & Girard 1854) Latin for commonplace, referring to its abundance (at time of description)
Pantosteus santaanae Snyder 1908 of the Santa Ana River, California, USA, type locality
Pantosteus virescens Cope 1875 viridis (L.), green; –escens (L.), becoming, referring to its olivaceous color in spirits, “decidedly green on the head”
Thoburnia Jordan & Snyder 1917 –ia (L. suffix), belonging to: American biologist Wilbur Wilson Thoburn (1859–1899), who described T. rhothoeca and taught bionomics (ecology) at Stanford University (where Jordan had been president and chancellor)
Thoburnia atripinnis (Bailey 1959) ater (L.), black; pinnis, Neo-Latin adjective of pinna (L.), fin, i.e., finned, referring to dark blotch on dorsal fin
Thoburnia hamiltoni Raney & Lachner 1946 in honor of vertebrate zoologist William J. Hamilton, Jr. (1902–1990), Cornell University, the authors’ friend and teacher, “whose stimulating suggestions and assistance over a period of ten years have been invaluable”
Thoburnia rhothoeca (Thoburn 1896) rhóthos (Gr. ῥόθος), rushing; eco-, from oí̄kos (Gr. οἶκος), house or home, referring to its preference for swift water
Xyrauchen Eigenmann & Kirsch 1889 xyrón (Gr. ξυρόν), razor; auchḗn (Gr. αὐχήν), nape, referring to its sharp dorsal keel
Xyrauchen texanus (Abbott 1860) –anus (L.), belonging to: Texas, USA (but does not occur there; Abbott apparently confused the Colorado River of Arizona with the Colorado River of Texas)