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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br />1 <br />C <br />C' <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />1 <br />t <br /> <br />1 <br /> <br />I <br /> <br /> <br />as Catostomus texanus by Abbott (1861), who mistakenly believed that the stuffed <br />specimen came from the Colorado River of Texas. The fish also was described as C. <br />cypho by Lockington (1881). Eigenmann and Kirsch (in Kirsch 1.889) recognized the <br />unusual features of this species and assigned it to a new genus Xyrauchen (literally, <br />"razomape"; Jordan and Evermann 1896). LaRivers (1962) redescribed the species <br />and provided a complete synonymy. He also corrected the identity of the type locality, <br />which was the "Colorado and New Rivers" in Arizona. <br />The razorback sucker was known to humans in prehistoric times and used by them as <br />food. Common names, incuding "tsa'xnap" and "suxyex" were given to the fish by <br />American Indians (reviewed by Minckley et al. 1991). Other common names incude <br />"humpback sucker", "buffalo" and "buffalofish" (Jordan and Evermann 1896; Sigler and <br />Miller 1963; Minckley 1973). Presently, scientists recognize the common name of <br />razorback sucker (Robins et al. 1991). <br />Razorback sucker populations have declined markedly in the last 50 years. Atone <br />time it was thought that the razorback sucker was "holding its own" and perhaps even <br />expanding in large impoundments (Wallis 1951; Miller 1961), but most of these <br />populations have almost entirely disappeared. Extant populations consist primarily of <br />old fish believed to be nearing their maximum life expectancy (Minckley et sl. 1991). <br />3 <br />1 <br />