White Sucker
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Name and Code
Family
Catostomidae - suckers
Species
Catostomus commersonii
Taxonomic Authority
(Lacepède 1803)
Common Name(s)
White Sucker
French Name
meunier noir
Species Code
163
Family TSN
163892
Parent TSN
163893
Species TSN
163895
Conservation Status
Global Rank (GRank)
G5 (2015-08-17)
National Rank (NRank)
N5 (2017-12-22)
Provincial Rank (SRank)
S5 (1988-11-22)
COSEWIC Status
none
SARO Status
none
AFS Status
none
Status Notes
none
Ecological Value
Ontario Origin
native
General Abundance
common
Tolerance
tolerant
Economic Importance
forage fish; bait fish; coarse fish
Length-Weight Regression Coefficents
Intercept (a)
-5.3314
Slope (b)
3.1361
Length Basis
TL
Habitat and Feeding
General Habitat(s)
lacustrine; riverine
Environment
benthic
Trophic Class
invertivore/detritivore
Thermal Regime
coolwater
Habitat Preference
pools and riffles of creeks and rivers, warm shallow lakes and embayments of larger lakes usually at depths of 6-9 m; preferred water temperature range 17-24°C
Reproduction
Reproductive Guild
Nonguarders: Open substratum spawners: Litho-pelagophils
Spawning Habitat(s)
lacustrine; riverine
Spawning Season
spring
Spawning Month(s)
April-June
Spawning Temperature (°C)
10-20
Fecundity
12,500-140,000
Nursery Habitat(s)
lacustrine; riverine
Size and Age
Adult Length (cm)
25.4-50.8 TL
Adult Weight (kg)
0.2-1.4
Age at Maturity (yrs)
2-3 (m); 3-4 (f)
Maximum Length (cm)
64.0 TL
Maximum Weight (kg)
4.11
Lifespan (yrs)
15-25
Ontario Records
Record Length (cm)
58.9 TL
Record Weight (kg)
2.44
Ontario Range Map
White Sucker range
Ontario Distribution
widespread throughout the province
Photographs
White Sucker photograph
White Sucker photograph
Notes
tolerant of pollution; moderately tolerant of turbidity; hybrids with Longnose Sucker reported
Information Sources
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