Moxostoma carinatum
River Redhorse
NS
G4
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Cypriniformes (Carps and Minnows)
Catostomidae (Suckers)
Moxostoma
Moxostoma carinatum (River Redhorse)
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
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Characters
Body shape: fusiform / normal.
Distribution
North America: St. Lawrence River-Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins from southern Quebec in Canada to central Minnesota and western Iowa in USA, and south to northern Alabama and eastern Oklahoma, USA; Gulf Slope drainages from Escambia River in Florida to Pearl River in Louisiana and Mississippi, USA.
Habitat Associations
Freshwater. demersal. Found in: streams, lakes.
Biology
Inhabits rocky pools and swift runs of small to large rivers. Also occurs in impoundments (Ref. 5723, 10294). Locally common but disappearing from northern and western parts of range (Ref. 5723). Adult feeds on small bivalve mollusks (Ref. 10294).
Max length: 77.0 cm TL; common length: 48.0 cm TL; max weight: 4205 g; max age: 12 years.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2012-03-01. Resilience: Low (tmax=12).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: subsistence fisheries; gamefish.
References
Page, L.M. and B.M. Burr (1991) A field guide to freshwater fishes of North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. 432 p.
Balon, E.K. (1975) Reproductive guilds of fishes: a proposal and definition. J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 32(6):821-864.
Coker, G.A., C.B. Portt and C.K. Minns (2001) Morphological and ecological characteristics of Canadian freshwater fishes. Can. MS Rpt. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2554:iv+89p.
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