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" Rough Fish Identification "

Sucker ( White )

Identification: The lake chubsucker and its close relative, the sharpfin chubsucker, are chubby, heavy-bodied fish, but although they are somewhat compressed from side-to-side, they are not nearly so slab-sided as the carpsuckers and also lack the long, elevated dorsal fins of the latter. The remaining Florida suckers, the spotted sucker, and the three redhorses, have much more elongate and streamlined body shapes than the chubsuckers. In addition, while the mouth of the chubsuckers is located somewhat beneath the head, the mouth of the spotted sucker and the redhorse suckers is definitely positioned beneath the head in a down-turned fashion. Adult males have a bilobed (two-lobed) anal fin. In Florida, this species can only be confused with the sharpfin chubsucker, with which it occasionally occurs in the western Panhandle. As its name suggests, the sharpfin chubsucker has a much more pointed dorsal fin than does the lake chubsucker, the dorsal fin of which is somewhat rounded in profile. General body coloration of lake chubsuckers is dark bronze, brown or olive on the upper surfaces and lighter bronze over the sides, with the undersides whitish.

Sucker ( Red Horse )

Identification: This robust, cylindrical sucker may be separated from other similar Florida suckers by its red tail fin. The dorsal and other fins may also be red or reddish. The dorsal fin has a straight or slightly concave margin and the tail fin has a pointed upper lobe which usually is slightly longer than the rounded lower lobe. Crescent-shaped dark spots may be visible on the scales of the back and sides. Overall body color is olive to brownish across the back, with silvery or bronze sides and a white underside.