The Desert Sucker Pantosteus clarkii is a medium sized fish with a slender body and thick caudal peduncle. One of the most defining structures of the desert sucker is the scraping plate present on its lips. The Desert Sucker has a coloration of a tan to greenish brown with black mottling across its body.
The Desert Sucker lives in Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and the Mexican state of Sonora. It can be seen in tributaries of the Colorado River including: the Virgin River in Utah, Arizona, and Nevada, the White River in Nevada, the Bill Williams River Basin in Arizona and the Gila River Basin in Arizona, New Mexico, and the Mexican state of Sonora.
Desert Sucker are primarily herbivorous and feed by scraping detritus off of the surfaces of rocks in riffles and runs.
As far as desert fish species go, it has remain relatively unscathed in its historic habitats but is designated as a species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) by the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZG&FD).
Young Desert Sucker in Aravaipa Creek
Species Description Film of Desert Sucker