Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Responsive image
Issue: Vol. 5711 No. 2: 17 Oct. 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-10-17
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.2
Page range: 181-202
Abstract views: 307
PDF downloaded: 93

Description of the Apalachicola Redhorse (Catostomidae: Moxostoma)

Department of Biology; University of Louisiana at Lafayette; Billeaud Hall; Lafayette; LA 70503; USA
Department of Biology; Roanoke College; 221 College Lane; Salem; VA 24153; deceased.
Auburn University Museum of Natural History; 101 Rouse; Auburn University; AL; 36849; USA
Fishes Suckers North America Chattahoochee Flint Econfina

Abstract

The Apalachicola Redhorse is a species that has been long known amongst North American ichthyologists and is herein described as Moxostoma antelunare new species. The Apalachicola Redhorse differs from other gray-tailed Redhorses based on a combination of gill raker count, lateral line scale count, and caudal peduncle depth and the species is supported by two potential osteological autapomorphies: a V-shaped notch between the anteromedial and posteromedial processes of the cleithrum and the anterolateral and posteromedial laminae of the hyomandibula of equal size. The Apalachicola Redhorse occupies much of the Apalachicola River drainage of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida as well as Econfina Creek in the St. Andrew’s Bay drainage of Florida.

 

References

  1. Akin, D., Jenkins, R. & Armbruster, J. (2025) Supplementary files: Apalachicola Redhorse description. Available from: https://aurora.auburn.edu/handle/11200/50721 (accessed 10 September 2025)
  2. Armbruster, J.W. (2024) A new genus for the Blackfin Sucker, Thoburnia atripinnis (Cypriniformes: Catostomidae). Zootaxa, 5536 (2), 325–335. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5536.2.8
  3. Armbruster, J.W. & Jenkins, R.E. (2025) Evidence for a greater Pleistocene distribution for the Copper Redhorse in North America (Catostomidae: Moxostoma hubbsi). Fishes, 10 (3), 101. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10030101
  4. Bachman, S. & Moat, J. (2012) GeoCAT-an open source tool for rapid Red List assessments BGjournal, 9 (1), 11–13. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/24811237]
  5. Bagley, J.C., Mayden, R.L. & Harris, P.M. (2018) Phylogeny and divergence times of suckers (Cypriniformes: Catostomidae) inferred from Bayesian total-evidence analyses of molecules, morphology, and fossils. PeerJ, 6, e5168. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5168
  6. Boschung, H.T. & Mayden, R.L. (2004) Fishes of Alabama. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C., 736 pp.
  7. Baird, S.F. & Girard, C.F. (1854) Descriptions of new species of fishes collected in Texas, New Mexico and Sonora, by Mr. John H. Clark, on the U. S. and Mexican Boundary Survey, and in Texas by Capt. Stewart Van Vliet, U.S.A. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 7, 24–29.
  8. Bailey, R.M., Winn, H.E. & Smith, C.L. (1954) Fishes from the Escambia River, Alabama and Florida, with ecologic and taxonomic notes. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 106, 109–164.
  9. Bean, T.H. (1880) Descriptions of two species of fishes collected by Prof. A. Dugès in central Mexico. Proceedings of the United States National Museum, 2, 302–305. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00963801.2-95.302
  10. Bleeker, P. (1864) Notices sur quelques genres et espèces de Cyprinoïdes de Chine. Nederlandsch Tijdschrift voor de Dierkunde, 2, 18–29.
  11. Buth, D.G. (1978) Biochemical systematics of the Moxostomatini (Cypriniformes, Catostomidae). Unpublished PhD dissertation, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois. [unknown pagination]
  12. Buth, D.G. (1979) Genetic relationships among the torrent suckers, genus Thoburnia. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology, 7, 311–316. https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-1978(79)90010-3
  13. Cope, E.D. (1868) On the distribution of fresh-water fishes in the Allegheny region of southwestern Virginia. Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, 6, 207–247.
  14. Cope, E.D. (1870) A partial synopsis of the fishes of the fresh waters of North Carolina. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 11, 448–495.
  15. Clements, M.D., Bart Jr, H.L. & Hurley, D.L. (2012) A different perspective on the phylogenetic relationships of the Moxostomatini (Cypriniformes: Catostomidae) based on cytochrome-b and Growth Hormone intron sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 63 (1), 159–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2012.01.001
  16. Crittenden, E. (1958) A pre-impoundment fishery study of North Bay and associated waters, Bay County, Florida. Proceedings of the 11th Annual Conference, Southeastern Association of Game and Fish Commissioners, 1957, 211–219.
  17. Dahlberg, M.D. & Scott, D.C. (1971) The freshwater fishes of Georgia. Bulletin of the Georgia Academy of Science, 29 (1), 1–64.
  18. Doosey, M.H., Bart Jr, H.L., Saitoh, K. & Miya, M. (2010) Phylogenetic relationships of catostomid fishes (Actinopterygii: Cypriniformes) based on mitochondrial ND4/ND5 gene sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 54 (3), 1028–1034. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2009.06.006
  19. Doosey, M.H. & Bart Jr, H.L. (2011) Morphological variation of the palatal organ and chewing pad of Catostomidae (Teleostei: Cypriniformes). Journal of morphology, 272 (9), 1092–1108. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmor.10966
  20. Esri Inc. (2022) ArcGIS Pro. Version 3.0. Available from: https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/get-started/download-arcgis-pro.htm (accessed 22 September 2025)
  21. Faught, M.K. (2004) The underwater archaeology of paleolandscapes, Apalachee Bay, Florida. American Antiquity, 69 (2), 275–289. https://doi.org/10.2307/4128420
  22. Fowler, H.W. (1913) Notes on catostomoid fishes. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 65, 45–60.
  23. Fowler, H.W. (1945) A study of the fishes of the southern Piedmont and Coastal Plain. The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia Monographs, 7, 24.
  24. Fricke, R., Eschmeyer, W.N. & Van der Laan, R. (Eds.) (2025) Eschmeyer’s catalog of fishes: genera, species, references. Available from: http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp (accessed 21 March 2025)
  25. GEBCO Compilation Group (2023) GEBCO 2023 Grid. Available from: https://www.bodc.ac.uk/data/published_data_library/catalogue/10.5285/f98b053b-0cbc-6c23-e053-6c86abc0af7b/ (accessed 22 September 2025) https://doi.org/10.5285/f98b053b-0cbc-6c23-e053-6c86abc0af7b
  26. Girard, C.F. (1856) Researches upon the cyprinoid fishes inhabiting the fresh waters of the United States, west of the Mississippi Valley, from specimens in the museum of the Smithsonian Institution. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 8, 165–213.
  27. Grabowski, T.B., Young, S.P., Isely, J.J. & Ely, P.C. (2012) Age, growth, and reproductive biology of three catostomids from the Apalachicola River, Florida. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management, 3 (2), 223–237. https://doi.org/10.3996/012012-JFWM-008
  28. Harris, P.M., Hubbard, G. & Sandel, M. (2014) Catostomidae: suckers. In: Warren, M.L. & Burr, B.M. (Eds.), Freshwater fishes of North America. Vol. 1. John Hopkins Press, Baltimore, Maryland, pp. 451–502.
  29. Harris, P.M., Mayden, R.L., Espinosa Perez, H.S. & De Leon, F.G. (2002) Phylogenetic relationships of Moxostoma and Scartomyzon (Catostomidae) based on mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence data. Journal of Fish Biology, 61 (6), 1433–1452. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.2002.tb02488.x
  30. Hubbs, C.L. & Lagler, K.F. (1958) Fishes of the Great Lakes region. Cranbrook Institute of Science, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Bulletin 26. Revised Edition. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 215 pp. https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.12946839
  31. IUCN (2012) IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1. 2nd Edition. IUCN, Gland and Cambridge, iv + 32 pp.
  32. Jenkins, R.E. (1970) Systematic studies of the catostomid fish tribe Moxostomatini. Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 799 pp.
  33. Jenkins, R.E. (1980) Moxostoma poecilurum. In: Lee, D.S., Gilbert, C.R., Hocutt, C.H., Jenkins, R.E., McAllister, D.E. & Stauffer Jr., J.R. (Eds.), Atlas of North American Freshwater Fishes. North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh, North Carolina, pp. 430.
  34. Jenkins, R.E., Favrot, S.D., Freeman, B.J., Albanese, B. & Armbruster, J.W. (2025) Description of the Sicklefin Redhorse (Catostomidae: Moxostoma). Ichthyology & Herpetology, 113 (1), 27–43. https://doi.org/10.1643/i2024049
  35. Jordan, D.S. (1876) Concerning the fishes of the Ichthyologia Ohiensis. Bulletin of the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences, 3, 91–97.
  36. Jordan, D.S. (1877) Contributions to North American ichthyology based primarily on the collections of the United States National Museum. Part II. A.—Notes on Cottidae, Etheostomatidae, Percidae, Catostomidae, Aphredoderidae, Dorymidae, and Cyprinidae, with revisions of the genera and descriptions of new or little-known species. B.—Synopsis of the Sluridae of the fresh waters of North America. Bulletin of the United States National Museum, 10, 66–67. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.39649
  37. Jordan, D.S. (1885) Note on the scientific name of the yellow perch, the striped bass, and other North American fishes. Proceedings of the United States National Museum, 8, 72–73. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00963801.8-485.72
  38. Jordan, D.S. (1889) Descriptions of fourteen species of fresh-water fishes collected by the U. S. Fish Commission in the summer of 1888. Proceedings of the United States National Museum, 11, 351–362. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00963801.11-723.351
  39. Jordan, D.S. (1917) Changes in names of American fishes. Copeia, 49, 85–89. https://doi.org/10.2307/1435924
  40. Jordan, D.S. & Brayton, A.W. (1877) On Lagochila, a new genus of catostomoid fishes. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 29, 280–283.
  41. Jordan, D.S. & Brayton, A.W. (1878) On the distribution of the fishes of the Alleghany region of South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee, with descriptions of new or little known species. US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, 237 pp.
  42. Laurence, G.C. & Yerger, R.W. (1967) Life history studies of the Alabama shad, Alosa alabamae, in the Apalachicola River, Florida. Proceedings of the Annual Conference Southeastern Association of Game and Fish Commissioners, 20, 260–273.
  43. Legendre, V. (1952) Clef des poissons de pêche sportive et commerciale de la Province de Québec. Société Canadienne d’Écologie, Société Canadienne d’écologie de l’Université de Montréal et Ministère de la Chasse et des Pêcheries, Québec, xii + 84 pp.
  44. Lesueur, C.A. (1817) A new genus of fishes, of the order Abdominales, proposed, under the name of Catostomus; and the characters of this genus, with those of its species, indicated. Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 1, 88–96.
  45. Liu, J. & Chang, M.M. (2009) A new Eocene catostomid (Teleostei: Cypriniformes) from northeastern China and early divergence of Catostomidae. Science in China Series D: Earth Sciences, 52 (2), 189–202. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-009-0022-2
  46. Liu, J., Wilson, M.V. & Murray, A.M. (2016) A new catostomid fish (Ostariophysi, Cypriniformes) from the Eocene Kishenehn Formation and remarks on the North American species of † Amyzon Cope, 1872. Journal of Paleontology, 90 (2), 288–304. https://doi.org/10.1017/jpa.2016.28
  47. Liu, J. (2021) Redescription of ‘Amyzon’ brevipinne and remarks on North American Eocene catostomids (Cypriniformes: Catostomidae). Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 19 (9), 677–689. https://doi.org/10.1080/14772019.2021.1968966
  48. McSwain, L.E. & Pasch, R.W. (1973) Age and growth, reproduction, food habits and abundance and distribution of Greyfin Redhorse, Moxostoma sp. Life History Studies of Stream Fishes; Statewide Fisheries Investigations. Report, Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
  49. Page, L.M. & Burr, B.M. (1991) A field guide to freshwater fishes: North America north of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston, Massachusetts, 555 pp.
  50. Pérez-Rodríguez, R., Domínguez-Domínguez, O., Mar-Silva, A.F., Doadrio, I. & Pérez-Ponce de León, G. (2016) The historical biogeography of the southern group of the sucker genus Moxostoma (Teleostei: Catostomidae) and the colonization of central Mexico. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 177 (3), 633–647. https://doi.org/10.1111/zoj.12383
  51. Rafinesque, C.S. (1818a) Discoveries in natural history, made during a journey through the western region of the United States. American Monthly Magazine and Critical Review, 3, 354–356.
  52. Rafinesque, C.S. (1818b) Description of three new genera of fluviatile fish, Pomoxis, Sarchirus and Exoglossum. Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, 1, 417–422.
  53. Rafinesque, C.S. (1820) Fishes of the Ohio River. [Ichthyologia Ohiensis, Part 6]. Western Review and Miscellaneous Magazine: a monthly publ., devoted to literature and science, Lexington, Kentucky, 2, 299–307.
  54. Regan, C.T. (1907) Biologia Centrali-Americana. Pisces. Part 215. Pub. for the editor by R. H. Porter, London, pp. 33–160.
  55. Robins, C.R. & Raney, E.C. (1956) Studies of the catostomid fishes of the genus Moxostoma, with descriptions of two new species. Cornell University Agricultural Experimental Station Memoirs, 343, 1–56.
  56. Robins, C.R. & Raney, E.C. (1957) The systematic status of the suckers of the genus Moxostoma from Texas, New Mexico and Mexico. Tulane Studies in Zoology, 5, 291–318. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.part.26159
  57. Robins, R.H., Page, L.M., Williams, J.D., Randall, Z.S. & Sheehy, G.E. (2018) Fishes in the Freshwaters of Florida. University Press of Florida, 468 pp. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvx1ht6s
  58. Sabaj, M.H. (2020) Codes for natural history collections in ichthyology and herpetology. Copeia, 108 (3), 593–669. https://doi.org/10.1643/ASIHCODONS2020
  59. Smith, G.R. (1992) Phylogeny and biogeography of the Catostomidae, freshwater fishes of North America and Asia. In: Mayden, R.L. (Ed.), Systematics, historical ecology, and North American freshwater fishes. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California, pp. 778–826.
  60. Smith-Vaniz, W.F. (1968) Freshwater fishes of Alabama. Auburn University Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn, Alabama, 211 pp.
  61. Southeastern Fishes Council (1998) “Regional Southeastern Fishes Council Reports,” Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings, No. 36. [published online] https://doi.org/10.7290/sfcp36ypuq
  62. Tilesisus, W.G. von (1813) Iconum et descriptionum piscium Camtschaticorum continuatio tertia tentamen monographiae generis Agoni blochiani sistens. Mémoires de l’Académie Impériale des Sciences de Saint Pétersbourg, 4, 406–478.
  63. Tracy, B.H., Jenkins, R.E. & Starnes, W.C. (2013) History of fish investigations in the Yadkin–Pee Dee river drainage of North Carolina and Virginia with an analysis of nonindigenous species and invasion dynamics of three species of suckers (Catostomidae). Journal of North Carolina Academy of Science, 129 (3), 82–106. https://doi.org/10.7572/2167-5880-129.3.82
  64. Trautman, M.B. & Martin, R.G. (1951) Moxostoma aureolum pisolabrum, a new subspecies of sucker from the Ozarkian streams of the Mississippi River system. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology University of Michigan, 534, 1–10.
  65. Yerger, R.W. & Suttkus, R.D. (1962) Records of freshwater fishes in Florida. Tulane Studies in Zoology, 9, 323–330.
  66. Yerger, R.W. (1977) Fishes of the Apalachicola River. Florida Marine Research Publications, 26, 22–33.

How to Cite

Akin, D.R., Jenkins, R.E. & Armbruster, J.W. (2025) Description of the Apalachicola Redhorse (Catostomidae: Moxostoma). Zootaxa, 5711 (2), 181–202. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5711.2.2