Mountain sucker

Mountain sucker
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Cypriniformes
Family:	Catostomidae
Genus:	Catostomus
Species:	C. platyrhynchus
Binomial name
Catostomus platyrhynchus Cope, 1874
Synonyms
Minomus platyrhynchus Cope, 1874 Pantosteus platyrhynchus (Cope, 1874) Minomus delphinus Cope, 1871 Pantosteus Delphinus (Cope, 1871) Pantosteus jordani Evermann, 1895

The mountain sucker (Catostomus platyrhynchus) is a sucker found throughout western North America, on both sides of the Rocky Mountains, including the upper Missouri River, Columbia River, Sacramento River, and Colorado River. It is not limited to higher altitudes but is known from locations as high as 2,800 m (9,200 ft). It is a slender, streamlined fish typically under 20 cm (8 in) in length. It is generally olive green or brown above, with pale underparts, and breeding males have a lateral red-orange band and fins suffused with the same color. It is mainly herbivorous, feeding on algae and diatoms. Breeding takes place in late spring and early summer in gravelly riffles in small streams.