Fish
Black Redhorse
Moxostoma duquesnei · also called black redhorses
In one of the cleaner, faster-flowing stretches of a stream shared with several other sucker species, a black redhorse forages over gravel that pickier fish require and murkier water elsewhere in the same watershed simply cannot support.
Overview
The black redhorse, Moxostoma duquesnei, is a slate-toned sucker native to clean, moderately fast-flowing streams and rivers across a broad range of eastern and central North America. Its dependence on relatively clean water makes it one of the more useful indicator species for assessing stream health within its range.
A fish that only sticks around when the water’s good
Where several redhorse relatives tolerate a broader range of water conditions, the black redhorse holds out for genuinely clean, well-oxygenated streams, making its presence or absence a meaningful signal about the underlying health of the water itself.
Status
Least Concern — widespread and stable across suitable clean, fast-flowing stream habitat throughout eastern and central North America.
Black Redhorse: common questions
Why is the black redhorse considered a good indicator of stream health?
A black redhorse depends on cleaner, faster-flowing stream conditions than several of its redhorse relatives, meaning a healthy population found in a given stream can serve as a useful sign of good water quality, since the species tends to decline in water affected by sedimentation or pollution.
How does the black redhorse compare in colour to other redhorse species?
A black redhorse displays a slate-grey to dark body with reddish-toned fins, and despite its common name, the colouration is not dramatically darker than several other redhorse species, making body shape and habitat preference often more useful for identification than colour alone.
How does the black redhorse spawn?
A black redhorse migrates upstream into gravel riffle habitat to spawn, scattering eggs directly over the substrate rather than building a nest, a reproductive behaviour shared broadly among redhorse and sucker species generally.
Where does the black redhorse live?
The black redhorse is native to clean, moderately fast-flowing streams and rivers across a broad range of eastern and central North America, requiring better water quality than several of its more tolerant redhorse relatives.