Silver redhorse

Silver redhorse
Silver redhorse (Moxostoma anisurum)

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Cypriniformes
Family: Catostomidae
Genus: Moxostoma
Species:
M. anisurum
Binomial name
Moxostoma anisurum
(Rafinesque, 1820)
Synonyms
  • Catostomus anisurus Rafinesque, 1820

The silver redhorse (Moxostoma anisurum: Moxostoma= mouth to suck; anisurum = unequal tail) is a species of freshwater fish endemic to Canada and the United States. It is the longest-lived redhorse known (a group of 25 extant species), with a maximum reported age of 41 years. Sometimes called redhorse or sucker for short, it is in the family Catostomidae with other suckers. The species is distributed from Quebec to Alberta and is also in the Mississippi River, St. Lawrence River, Ohio River, and the Great Lakes basins. The current world record is 6.75 kilograms (14 lb 14 oz), caught by Chris Stephenson on Pickwick Lake in Alabama, April 1995 and certified by National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. This species is of growing interest to rod-and-line anglers. The long-lived and late-maturing silver redhorse is also a sportfish pursued by kill-and-dump bowfishing, a 21st century unregulated sport that produces tons of wanton waste, and thus management and conservation are in need of updating.