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<br />154
<br />LaRivers, 1952: 95/ 1962: 359. LaRivers and Trelease, 1952: 116. Rostland,
<br />1952: 265. Hubbs and Miller, 1953: 208. Winn and Miller, 1954: 274. Eddy,
<br />1957: 69. Kimsey and Fisk, 1960: 466. Lowe, 1960: 172. Fo{lett, 1961: 213.
<br />Sigler and Miller, 1963: 106. Miller and Lowe, 1964: 145/ 1967: 145. Minckley,
<br />1965a: 49/ 1971: 185. Anonymous, 1966: F-40 (back). Barber and Minckley,
<br />1966: 323. Bradley and Deacon, 1967: 229. Minckley and Alger, 1968: 93.
<br />Minckley and Deacon, 1968: 1426. Moore, 1968: 101.
<br />Head and body elongated. Asharp-edged keel developed in adults behind
<br />occiput, supported by greatly produced, underlying bones. Lateral-line scales
<br />moderately small, 68 to 87 in number; scales often absent from, or deeply
<br />embedded in skin of anterior margin of predorsal keel. Dorsal fin relatively
<br />long, with 13 to 16, usually 14 or 15, fin-rays. Gilt rakers slender and numerous,
<br />44 to 50 on the first arch,
<br />Color olivaceous to brownish-black above, lighter .below (often yellow).
<br />Sides with brown or pinkish to reddish-brown stripes. Dorsal fin dark; anal fin
<br />yellow; caudal fin light yellow-brown, Breeding males black or dark brown on
<br />dorsum and upper sides, orange laterally, and bright yellow on belly.
<br />The razorback sucker is one of the larger species of catostomids in
<br />western North America, sometimes reaching lengths approaching a meter
<br />and weights of 5 or 6 kg. As with the Colorado River squawfish, this
<br />' unique animal is now extirpated in the Gila River basin, where it formerly
<br />' occupied all the larger streams (Minckley & Deacon, 1968). It maintained
<br />populations in the Salt River reservoirs until at least the early 1950s. In
<br />1949, it was being caught in commercial quantities ("six tons ...during
<br />the spawning season ... [Hubbs & Miler, 1953]"), from Saguaro Lake,
<br />but it has not appeared in collections since about that time. It disappeared
<br />from Roosevelt lake just before the 1930s, but persisted in the Verde
<br />River basin, in Peck's Lake near Clarkdale, at least until 195413, and was
<br />~- obviously present in that system in times past, since remains of one indi-
<br />vidual were identified from an Indian sifie near Perkinsville, Yavapai
<br />County (Minckley & Alger, 1968). Early reports indicate great abundance
<br />of this species in the Gila and Colorado rivers, where they were taken
<br />by Indians for use as food (Ellis, 1914; Miller, 1955; LaRivers, 1962), and
<br />later by caucasoids for the same purpose. It apparently undertook upstream
<br />i migrations at times, presumably to spawn (Jordan, 1891a; Hubbs & Miller,
<br />1953). "Old timers" interviewed in the Phoenix area knew the fish well,
<br />describing it accurately, and considered that it was an excellent food fish.
<br />They often called them "buffalofish" or "buffalo;' either because of the
<br />keeled back, or because, as stated by Bartlett (1853?) there was "a fish
<br />resembling the buffalofish of Mississippi, between Yuma and Gila Bend."
<br />Chamberlain (in Miller, 1961 b) also heard this species called "buffalo" in
<br />reference to fish captured from the San Pedro River and sold in Tombstone.
<br />At present, the razorback sucker seems to be nearing extinction in
<br />the lower Colorado River, below Lake Mohave; few records are available
<br />from that region in the period 1962 through 1972. One was seen a few
<br />laA photograph of a number of razorback suckers fram Peck's Lake is reproduced
<br />in: Wagner, R. A. 1954. "Basic survey of Verde River and its on-stream im-
<br />poundments." Compl. Rept., Proj. F-2-R-1, Work Plan 2, Job 1, Fed. Wildl. Restor.
<br />Proj, Arizona Game and Fish Dept., Phoenix (processed).
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