Northern hogsucker

The northern hogsucker is native to southern Canada and much of the eastern and southern United States. It lives in the rivers of the Mississippi River Basin, its range extending from Oklahoma and Alabama northward to Minnesota. It is present in the Great Lakes and rivers of the mid-Atlantic region. Its current range is similar to its historical distribution, except in western areas, where it has experienced some extirpations. Habitat disturbance due to agricultural practices in states such as South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma have contributed to the extirpation events.{{cite journal |last1=Raney |first1=E. C. |last2=Lachner |first2=E. A. |title=Age, Growth, and Habits of the Hog Sucker, Hypentelium nigricans (LeSueur), in New York |journal=American Midland Naturalist |date=1946 |volume=36 |issue=1 |pages=76–86 |doi=10.2307/2421622}}

Males can reach sexual maturity in their second season, while females usually do not reach maturity until their third year. Specimens in smaller streams are smaller and take longer to mature. H. nigricans may reach up to {{cvt|33|cm}} by the end of its fifth growing season. Exceptionally large specimens of this species are usually female. The maximum life span is about eleven years.

The fish can be found in or next to riffle areas in warm water, medium sized creeks and small rivers. It can also occur in cold water streams, tiny creeks and large rivers and on occasion in reservoirs. Its diet mainly consists of insect larvae, crustaceans, mollusks, diatoms, and bits of vegetation. While feeding, it scrapes of the top surface of rubble, turns over stones on the bottom, and sucks the loosened material which contains a variety of small organisms. As it feeds, other fish, such as shiners and smallmouth bass position themselves downstream to feed on the free-flowing materials the hogsucker roots up.

Predators of the northern hogsucker typically vary depending on the environment. During its early years in shallow, fast-moving streams it can fall prey to piscivorous species. Later in life, it is typically one of the larger species in the waterways. In the northern tier of its range, it lives in deeper streams and lakes and are sought by large predatory fish, such as muskellunge and northern pike.

Sometimes it competes with other sucker species and redhorse for breeding habitat. During the egg-laying process, daces, minnows, and chubs will sometimes forage on the freshly expelled eggs.{{cite book|last1=Scott|first1= W. B.|first2=E. J.|last2= Crossman|date= 1973|title= Freshwater fishes of Canada|publisher=Fisheries Research Board of Canada|page=186}}

Spawning takes place in shallow water riffles usually during May, when the water temperature is about {{cvt|15|°C}}. Breeding males will congregate over these gravel areas where each receptive female may be courted by several males. The spawning activity is violent, and shallow depressions are formed in the gravel from the commotion. The eggs are non-adhesive and settle on the gravel. Young-of-the-year and fry swim in schools and prefer shallower environments (<30cm) than adult members of their species.{{cite thesis |type=Masters |last=Moody |first=Robert C. |date=1989 |title=Habitat Use, Availability, and Preference for Johnny Darter, White Sucker, Northern Hog Sucker, Common Shiner, and Creek Chub in Streams in Central Wisconsin |publisher=University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, College of Natural Resources}}

Although the species is not currently{{when|date=June 2025}} found on any state or federal threatened and endangered listings, it is still susceptible to the manmade influences that have affected other freshwater fish species. Channelization, sedimentation, pollution, and dam construction always have the potential to alter populations of the species. Lack of suitable spawning habitat could be a detriment in the future and should be monitored closely.{{cite journal |last1=Grabowski |first1=T. B. |last2=Ratterman |first2=N. L. |last3=Isely |first3=J. J. |title=Demographics of the spawning aggregations of four catostomid species in the Savannah River, South Carolina and Georgia, USA |journal=Ecology of Freshwater Fish |date=2008 |volume=17 |issue=2 |pages=318–327 |doi=10.1111/j.1600-0633.2007.00284.x}} Sedimentation degrades living and breeding habitat within the streams.{{cite journal |last1=Matheney |first1=M. P. |last2=Rabeni |first2=C. F. |title=Patterns of Movement and Habitat Use by Northern Hog Suckers in an Ozark Stream |journal=Transactions of the American Fisheries Society |date=1995 |volume=124 |issue=6 |pages=886–897 |doi=10.1577/1548-8659(1995)124<0886:POMAHU>2.3.CO;2}} Changes in the temperature of streams as result of urban runoff can prove to be a problem for their habitats {{cite journal |last1=Reash |first1=Rob |title=Comparison of Fish Communities in a Clean-water Stream and an Adjacent Polluted Stream |journal=The American Midland Naturalist |date=October 1987 |volume=118 |issue=2 |page=301–322 |doi=10.2307/2425788}} H. nigricans can be found in national and state parks throughout its range, the largest being the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is common throughout all streams in the park up to {{convert|2800|ft|-1}} in elevation. It is protected in park habitat.{{cite journal |last1=Grossman |first1=G. D. |last2=Ratajczak |first2=R. E. Jr. |title=Long-term patterns of microhabitat use by fish in a southern Appalachian stream from 1983 to 1992: effects of hydrologic period, season and fish length |journal=Ecology of Freshwater Fish |date=1998 |volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=108–131 |doi=10.1111/j.1600-0633.1998.tb00178.x}} The hogsucker is not a threatened species. It is sympatric with threatened species, however, and efforts to conserve these have benefitted the hogsucker. The northern hogsucker is common throughout most of its wide range. No particular threats have been identified and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern". The IGFA world record for northern hogsucker is {{cvt|1.47|kg|lboz}} with the fish being caught near St Cloud, Minnesota in 2023.{{cite web |title=Sucker, northern hog |url=https://igfa.org/member-services/world-record/common-name/Sucker,%20northern%20hog |website=igfa.org |publisher=International Gamefish Association |access-date=12 May 2024}}

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Category:Hypentelium

Category:Fish described in 1817

Category:Freshwater fish of North America