Shorthead redhorse

Species of fish

The shorthead redhorse (Moxostoma macrolepidotum) is a wide ranging species in North America. The shorthead redhorse is native to central and eastern North America. However, its range has expanded to include areas like the Hudson estuary and Grayson County, Texas. It inhabits small to large rivers and lakes, and lives in the benthic zone. Shorthead redhorse feed on benthic invertebrates and can consume plant material from the benthic environment that it inhabits. When it spawns, shorthead redhorse move into more shallow streams and spawn over gravel or rocky shoals. They will also spawn in springs with swift moving water. The shorthead redhorse is important to humans because it is a game fish. It is also important to anglers because of its role in the ecosystem; it is prey for larger game fish such as northern pike and muskellunge. One source gives one of its English names as "common mullet". Others are redfin, redfin sucker, red sucker, redhorse mullet, shorthead mullet, mullet, bigscale sucker, common redhorse, northern redhorse, Des Moines Plunger.

Historically, the shorthead redhorse is native to North America. Its native range includes the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, Mississippi River, and Saint Lawrence River basins. They ranged across from Quebec to Alberta and as far south as northern Alabama and Oklahoma. Shorthead redhorse also originally occupied the Atlantic Slope drainages, ranging from the Hudson River in New York to the Santee River in South Carolina. Shorthead redhorse can now be found in the tidal zones of the Hudson River. Shorthead redhorse can tolerate clear to cloudy water and likes loose substrate like gravel and sand. These fish are benthic feeders that like to feed in riffles and rifle margins. During a study done in Illinois by Sule et al., they found that “shorthead redhorse consumed items from approximately 60 food categories, primarily invertebrate taxa”. it ingests high concentrations of the chemicals and can die.

[[File:Wanton waste of MN native fish by the ton. jpg|thumb|500x500px|Wanton waste of native fish by the ton in the 21st century. Four species of redhorse composed the majority (55%) of the take from a single night bowfishing tournament in Minnesota, where native fish composed > 80% of the total number of fish shot and disposed. More than 1000 redhorse were dumped for disposal in this individual tournament, including piles of shorthead redhorse. The average life span of the shorthead redhorse varies depending on location. More northern locations with cooler water tend to have shorthead redhorse that can live to be approximately 20 years of age. Typical adult size is in length, and , although some individuals can reach up to in length and in weight. However, in more southern, warmer water areas, such as the Kankakee River, the average max age is only six to seven. This species is not currently endangered or threatened, and a kill and dump sportfish via bowfishing. The current IGFA all tackle world record for the species stands at , caught from the Prairie River in Minnesota, USA on May 4, 1988 by angler Greg Clusiau.