Editing Quillback

{{Short description|Species of fish}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Quillback on grass.jpg
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name = iucn>{{cite iucn |author=NatureServe. |year=2013 |title=''Carpiodes cyprinus'' |volume=2013 |page=e.T202054A2733163 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T202054A2733163.en |access-date=28 April 2025}}</ref>
| taxon = Carpiodes cyprinus
| authority = ([[Charles Alexandre Lesueur|Lesueur]], 1817)
| synonyms = *''Catostomus cyprinus'' <small>(Lesueur, 1817)</small>
}}

The '''quillback''' ('''''Carpiodes cyprinus'''''), also known as the '''quillback sucker''', is a type of freshwater [[fish]] of the [[Catostomidae|sucker]] family widely distributed throughout North America.<ref>{{ITIS |id=163917 |taxon=''Carpiodes cyprinus'' |access-date=30 January 2006}}</ref>  It is deeper-bodied than most suckers, leading to a fuller-bodied appearance. However, the quillback is not a carp. Quillback are [[Catostomidae|catostomids]], and like all catostomids, they do not have [[barbel (anatomy)|barbel]]s around the mouth. The quillback is long-lived,<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Lackmann |first1=Alec R. |last2=Andrews |first2=Allen H. |last3=Butler |first3=Malcolm G. |last4=Bielak-Lackmann |first4=Ewelina S. |last5=Clark |first5=Mark E. |date=2019-05-23 |title=Bigmouth Buffalo Ictiobus cyprinellus sets freshwater teleost record as improved age analysis reveals centenarian longevity |url= |journal=Communications Biology |language=En |volume=2 |issue=1 |page=197 |doi=10.1038/s42003-019-0452-0 |issn=2399-3642 |pmc=6533251 |pmid=31149641}}</ref> with age up to 30 years,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Grabowski |first1=Timothy B. |last2=Young |first2=Shawn P. |last3=Isely |first3=J. Jeffery |last4=Ely |first4=Patrick C. |date=December 2012 |title=Age, Growth, and Reproductive Biology of Three Catostomids From the Apalachicola River, Florida |journal=Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=223–237 |doi=10.3996/012012-jfwm-008 |issn=1944-687X}}</ref> 44 years,<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Lackmann |first1=Alec R. |last2=Bielak-Lackmann |first2=Ewelina S. |last3=Jacobson |first3=Reed I. |last4=Butler |first4=Malcolm G. |last5=Clark |first5=Mark E. |date=2022-08-10 |title=Otolith allometry informs age and growth of long-lived Quillback Carpiodes cyprinus |journal=Environmental Biology of Fishes |volume=105 |issue=8 |pages=1051–1064 |language=en |doi=10.1007/s10641-022-01315-8 |s2cid=251510855 |issn=1573-5133}}</ref> 49 years,<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=Woodling |first1=John D. |last2=Treble |first2=Andrew |last3=Brandt |first3=Mandi M. |last4=Lackmann |first4=Alec R. |date=2024-05-21 |title=Otolith analysis reveals long-lived population demographics of quillback Carpiodes cyprinus and river carpsucker C. carpio in Colorado |journal=Environmental Biology of Fishes |language=en |doi=10.1007/s10641-024-01557-8 |issn=1573-5133}}</ref> and 52 years<ref>{{Cite thesis |degree=Master |last=Parker |first=Brian |date=August 1987 |title=Ecology of the quillback (Carpiodes cyprinus) of Dauphin Lake, Manitoba |publisher=University of Manitoba |url=https://mspace.lib.umanitoba.ca/xmlui/handle/1993/6898}}</ref> documented across different studies throughout [[North America]].

==Physical description==
The quillback is a medium-sized, deep-bodied fish found throughout North America. It has a small head, humped back and deeply forked [[caudal fin]]. The compressed body of the quillback makes it look flattened when viewed from the side.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Carpiodes_cyprinus/ |title=Quillback |work=Critter Catalog |date=2006 |access-date=2015-05-07 }}</ref> The quillback has a subterminal mouth with no barbels, and no nipple-like protrusions on the bottom lip. It has large, reflective, silver cycloid scales that are responsible for giving the quillback its characteristic silver color. They have a white belly with yellow or orange lower fins. The tail and [[dorsal fin]] are usually gray or silver. The quillback gets its name from the long quill that is formed via the first several fin rays of the dorsal fin. Quillback are typically 15–20 inches on average, weighing between 1 and 4 pounds. However, they can grow up to 26 inches and weigh 10 pounds. The quillback has a nearly straight, hyper-sensitive [[lateral line]], composed of at least 37 lateral line scales. This helps the fish locate predators and prey.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

==Distribution, habitat and diet==
The quillback is found throughout much of North America, from [[Saskatchewan]] to [[Florida]], and from [[South Dakota]] to [[Alabama]]. The quillback occupies temperate, freshwater habitats. This includes many streams, lakes, channels and rivers. They prefer water that is clear, slow moving, highly productive and moderately deep. The quillback can commonly be found in the [[Hudson Bay]], the [[Mississippi River]] basin, the [[Great Lakes]], and drainages from the [[Delaware River|Delaware]], [[Apalachicola River|Apalachicola]], and [[Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana)|Pearl]] rivers.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://gfp.sd.gov/wildlife/critters/fish/rare-fish/quillback-sucker.aspx |title=Quillback Sucker |work=South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks |date=2010 |access-date=2015-05-07 }}</ref> They often comprise a large portion of the biomass of warmwater rivers, but they are very difficult to catch with traditional American angling methods.<ref name="roughfish">[http://www.roughfish.com/content/view/46/128/ roughfish.com – Quillback carpsucker] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715211409/http://www.roughfish.com/content/view/46/128/ |date=July 15, 2011 }}</ref> The quillback is closely related to the [[highfin carpsucker]] and the [[river carpsucker]].  All three species are rarely caught by anglers due to their feeding habits, but they have been caught occasionally on worms, minnows, and artificial lures.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

Quillbacks usually feed in [[School (fish)|schools]]. They are [[omnivore]]s and bottom feeders that prefer lakes, rivers and streams in which the water is clear at the bottom. The school of quillbacks moves slowly over a sand or gravel bottom when they eat. Their typical diet consists of aquatic insect larvae and other small organisms although they have also been known to eat [[Mollusca|molluscs]] and [[aquatic vegetation]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Steiner |first=Linda |title=Pennsylvania Fishes |publisher=Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission |date=September 2013 |isbn=978-1-930369-01-6 |edition=4th |location=United States of America |pages=75–76}}</ref>

==Life history==
[[File:Bigmouth buffalo vs quillback.jpg|thumb|A bigmouth buffalo (top) compared to a quillback (bottom). Both of these species are long-lived [[Catostomidae|catostomids]]<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />]]
The quillback is a slow-paced and long-lived freshwater fish species that belongs to a subfamily (Ictiobinae) for which extremely long-lived fishes are becoming known.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lackmann |first1=Alec R. |last2=Kratz |first2=Brandon J. |last3=Bielak-Lackmann |first3=Ewelina S. |last4=Jacobson |first4=Reed I. |last5=Sauer |first5=Derek J. |last6=Andrews |first6=Allen H. |last7=Butler |first7=Malcolm G. |last8=Clark |first8=Mark E. |date=2021-04-09 |title=Long-lived population demographics in a declining, vulnerable fishery — bigmouth buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus) of Jamestown Reservoir, North Dakota |url=https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/cjfas-2020-0485 |journal=Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences |volume=78 |issue=10 |pages=1486–1496 |language=en |doi=10.1139/cjfas-2020-0485|s2cid=234864913 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |author=Richard A. Snow |author2=Michael J. Porta |author3=David M. Bogner |title=Examination of the current Oklahoma state record Smallmouth Buffalo |url=https://ojs.library.okstate.edu/osu/index.php/OAS/article/view/8241 |journal=Proceedings of the Oklahoma Academy of Science |year=2020 |volume=100 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lackmann |first1=Alec R. |last2=Sereda |first2=Jeff |last3=Pollock |first3=Mike |last4=Bryshun |first4=Reid |last5=Chupik |first5=Michelle |last6=McCallum |first6=Katlin |last7=Villeneuve |first7=James |last8=Bielak-Lackmann |first8=Ewelina S. |last9=Clark |first9=Mark E. |date=2023-02-01 |title=Bet-hedging bigmouth buffalo ( Ictiobus cyprinellus ) recruit episodically over a 127-year timeframe in Saskatchewan |url=https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/cjfas-2022-0122 |journal=Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences |language=en |volume=80 |issue=2 |pages=313–329 |doi=10.1139/cjfas-2022-0122 |issn=0706-652X}}</ref> A study of a Minnesota population found that they may reach sexual maturity by age 8–9 years, live several decades at adult size, recruit more sporadically than previously realized, and attain longevity in excess of 40 years.<ref name=":1" /> The study also documented accrual of age-spot pigmentation after 30 years,<ref name=":1" /> similar to their larger-bodied cousins, the [[bigmouth buffalo]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lackmann |first1=Alec R. |last2=Black |first2=Stuart A. |last3=Bielak-Lackmann |first3=Ewelina S. |last4=Lackmann |first4=Jeffrey A. |date=2023-10-20 |title=Centenarian lifespans of three freshwater fish species in Arizona reveal the exceptional longevity of the buffalofishes (Ictiobus) |journal=Scientific Reports |language=en |volume=13 |issue=1 |page=17401 |doi=10.1038/s41598-023-44328-8 |pmid=37864074 |issn=2045-2322|pmc=10589290 }}</ref> A study from Colorado revealed sexual maturity by an age of 3 years, highly variable recruitment, population declines, and longevity approaching 50 years.<ref name=":2" />

==Reproduction==
The quillback reproduces once yearly, typically in late spring or early summer. The timing of reproduction depends on the water temperature. Ideal temperatures for reproduction are between 7–18 degrees Celsius. [[Spawning]] occurs upstream of the typical quillback habitat, and they migrate in schools to the spawning site. The female quillback produces between 15,000 and 60,000 eggs, and scatters them in shallow water over a sandy or mud bottom.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/species-and-habitats/species-guide-index/fish/quillback-carpsucker |title=Quillback Carpsucker |work=ODNR Division |date=2012 |access-date=2015-05-07 }}</ref> Fertilization then happens externally, and the eggs are left in quiet water. Since the quillback is [[oviparous]], the eggs are hatched outside of the fish's body. The quillback possesses a [[polygynandrous]] mating system, meaning that two or more males have an exclusive sexual relationship with two or more females. The numbers of each sex can vary, and do not need to be equal.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

==Relationship with humans==
The quillback is currently at risk for [[extinction]] in various states throughout the continental United States including [[Vermont]], [[New York (state)|New York]] and [[Michigan]]. A recent threat to the species is modern [[bowfishing]], which is unregulated across the USA and prone to excessive waste.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lackmann |first1=Alec R. |last2=Bielak-Lackmann |first2=Ewelina S. |last3=Jacobson |first3=Reed I. |last4=Andrews |first4=Allen H. |last5=Butler |first5=Malcolm G. |last6=Clark |first6=Mark E. |date=2023-08-30 |title=Harvest trends, growth and longevity, and population dynamics reveal traditional assumptions for redhorse (Moxostoma spp.) management in Minnesota are not supported |journal=Environmental Biology of Fishes |language=en |doi=10.1007/s10641-023-01460-8 |issn=1573-5133}}</ref> Other places prove vulnerability to the species including [[Alberta]], Saskatchewan, [[Quebec]], South Dakota, [[Kansas]], [[Oklahoma]], [[Arkansas]], [[Louisiana]] and [[North Carolina]]. Quillbacks benefit the [[ecosystem]] they reside in because they are [[bottom feeders]]. Bottom feeders help keep their natural environment clean by feeding on the material at the bottom of the habitat. The quillback has an economic benefit to [[Mexico]]. The [[IGFA]] world record for the species stands at 8lb 1oz taken from [[Lake Manitoba]] in [[Canada]] in 2016.<ref>{{cite web |title=Quillback |url=https://igfa.org/igfa-world-records-search/?search_type=CommonName&search_term_1=Quillback |website=igfa.org |publisher=International Game Fish Association |access-date=17 May 2019}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q142697}}

[[Category:Carpiodes]]
[[Category:Freshwater fish of North America]]
[[Category:Fish described in 1817]]