Redhorse, silver Moxostoma anisurum

Rafinesque, 1820

CATOSTOMIDAE FAMILY
Also called silver mullet, white nose redhorse, white nose mullet, white nose sucker

The silver redhorse while found in the same general areas as the shorthead redhorse, Moxostoma macrolepidotum, is not as wide ranging. It occurs from the Great Lakes northeast to about Quebec, Canada and south to southern Georgia, northern Alabama and Oklahoma. From there it extends to Lake Superior, northwestward to just across the border into Alberta, Canada. In the U.S. it does not extend very far west or east of the Great Lakes, except in Georgia and the Carolinas where it occurs all the way to the coast. It occurs northwest of the Great Lakes through the lower two thirds of Lake Winnipeg to as far north as central Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

It has no teeth and no dorsal spines. The single dorsal fin contains only soft rays and is located approximately in the middle of the back. The top edge of the dorsal fin is rounded (convex), whereas in the shorthead redhorse it is emarginate or concave. It is generally silvery in appearance, except for its bronze toned or olive green back. The fins are either white or grayish or pale red, but they may appear bright red in netted fish because they hemorrhage easily. The nose is white.

Though not particularly sought after as a sport fish, it has some potential and is probably under utilized in this respect. The flesh is tasty and similar to that of the shorthead redhorse, but like the shorthead redhorse, it has many small bones