The northern hogsucker, Hypentelium nigricans, has the characteristic massive head and slender, tapering, cylindrical body of all hogsuckers. The eyes are placed far back on the head and the lips are fleshy and papillose. The upper sides are dark, with four dark saddles across the back, and the belly is light. The tip of the dorsal fin is dark and all fins but the anal are mottled with dark pigment. Males develop large, scattered nuptial tubercles on rays of the anal fin and lower caudal fin, and smaller, uniserial tubercles on the dorsal and pectoral fins. Pelvic fin tubercles are considerably larger than those on the pectoral fins. Tiny, granular tubercles occur on body scales, mostly on the margins, and head tubercles extend over the entire snout and onto the branchiostegal area.

The northern hogsucker is a very common species that occurs in or adjacent to riffle areas in warmwater, moderate sized creeks and small rivers. It is also tolerant of coldwater streams, occurs in tiny creeks and large rivers, and extremely large specimens have been found in reservoirs. It is common in almost all streams in the Park.

Size: maximum total length 570 mm (22.5 in.) (Trautman 1981); 1.93 kg (4.25 lb.) Color: upper sides dark, belly light; sides with blotches; 4 dark saddles Fins: dorsal fin rays 11 (10-12); pectoral fin rays 15-18; anal fin rays 7; pelvic fin rays 9 Lateral-line scales: 42-55 (42-48 in Tennessee) Gill rakers: 21-26 Vertebrae: 42-46

Northern hogsuckers spawn over shallow gravel areas in early spring when water temperatures reach 15 C (59 F). Males congregate over these areas, and receptive females may typically be courted by several males. The spawning activity is violent, and the commotion clears sediment from the area and may result in shallow depressions forming in the gravel. Eggs are non-adhesive and settle on the gravel. Northern hogsuckers reach total lengths of 90 mm (3.5 in.), 165 mm (6.5 in.); 245 mm (9.6 in.); 300 mm (11.8 in.); and 330 mm (13 in.) by the ends of their first through fifth growing seasons. Males reach sexual maturity in their second season, and females reach it in their third. Extremely large specimens are usually females, and life span is about 11 years. In small streams growth is slower, and sexual maturity might be reached at 100 mm (4 in.).

The northern hogsucker feeds primarily on immature stages of benthic organisms, including insects and snails. Feeding is accomplished by turning over small stones with the protrusible mouth and ingesting exposed and dislodged organisms. Other stream fishes often follow feeding hogsuckers, opportunistically ingesting food exposed in this fashion. The above information has been summarized from Raney and Lachner (1946) and Scott and Crossman (1973).

References:

Etnier, David A. and Wayne C. Starnes. 1993. The Fishes of Tennessee. University of Tennessee Press. Knoxville, Tennessee.

Raney, E. C. and E. A. Lachner. 1946. Age, growth, and habits of the hog sucker, Hypentelium nigricans (LeSueur), in New York. Amer. Midl. Nat. 36:78-86

Scott, W. B. and E. J. Crossman. 1973. Freshwater fishes of Canada. Fish. Res. Bd. Can. Bull. 184:1-966.

Simbeck, Damien J. 1990. Distribution of the Fishes of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Master of Science Thesis, University of Tennessee.

Trautman, M. B. 1981. The fishes of Ohio. Ohio St. Univ. Press, Columbus.