Spotted sucker (Minytrema melanops) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 4

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Distribution

Global range

The spotted sucker is restricted to the fresh waters of central and eastern North America (Figure 2, Lee et al. 1980). In the Great Lakes basin, the spotted sucker occurs in the drainages of Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair. It is also found throughout much of the Mississippi River basin and along the lower coastal plain from Texas to North Carolina. It is known from 23 states and the province of Ontario.

Figure 2. Global distribution of the spotted sucker (Minytrema melanops) (modified from Lee et al. 1980).

Canadian range

In Canada, thespottedsucker is rare and found only in the extreme southwestern region of Ontario (Figure 3). Less than 5% of the species’ global range is found in Canada (Dextrase et al. 2003). Its first record of capture was from Lake St. Clair in 1962 (Campbell 1994). Since 1962, the spotted sucker has also been collected from the St. Clair River, Detroit River, the lower Thames River, the Sydenham River watershed and several associated tributaries. Collections in Lake Erie are restricted to the western basin with the only specific locality identified off Point Pelee, Essex County.

Figure 3. Canadian distribution of the spotted sucker (Minytrema melanops).