Silver redhorse

Species of fish

[[File:Wanton waste of MN native fish by the ton. jpg|thumb|511x511px|Seen here are more than a thousand redhorse that were dumped for disposal at a single night bowfishing tournament in Minnesota, along with numerous other native fish species.) 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 14 pounds, 14 ounces, 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. On the silver sides there are 41–42 cycloid lateral line scales. The single dorsal fin does not have any dorsal spines, but instead contains 14–17 soft rays. Their dorsal fin is slightly convex (rounded outward) and is located approximately in the middle of the back. There is no adipose fin (unstructured fin found behind the rayed dorsal fin) present on the back of the fish. The mouth of the silver redhorse is in the inferior position, as it is a bottom feeder. The rear edge of the silver redhorse lips forms a deep "V". Because of extreme similarities, the silver red horse is commonly confused with the Black redhorse and the Golden redhorse. However, both of these redhorses have slightly concave dorsal fins (curves in toward body) with only 12 14 fin rays. Additionally the Silver red horse is more deep bodied than the golden or black redhorse. It typically weights 2–5 pounds and measures 18 24 inches long, but it can reach up to 10 pounds and 30 inches.

The native range of the silver red horse is the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence and Mississippi River basins. However, there have been instances in which the fish was found in Clayton lake and the New River Drainage in North Carolina. The silver redhorse is also widely distributed in eastern North America from Missouri to Quebec with most residing in the southeastern United States. It is typically found in lakes and in small to large rivers, where it often lives in undercut banks or protruding tree roots. They are also found in deep pools with little to no current and a sand substrate at the bottom of the pool useful for burying their eggs.

The silver redhorse generally spawns in the spring in or around April or May when the water temperatures reach around 53 degrees Fahrenheit. The common methodology includes two males pressing a female between them, causing a vibration to occur while the egg and the sperm are released. The females bury their eggs in the gravel and offer no further parental care.