Catostomidae

Shortnose sucker

Chasmistes brevirostris

Catostomid Fish Reaching Sixty Four Centimeters

• Temperate
• Lower river
• Upper river
• Northern Hemisphere
• Local endemic species
• Restricted distribution
• Freshwater fish
• North America
• Large
• Temperate fish

The shortnose sucker (Chasmistes brevirostris), also known as the koptu (pronounced KOP-too) by the Klamath Tribes, is a rare species of fish in the family Catostomidae, the suckers. It is native to southern Oregon and northern California in the United States. This species and related ones were a major food source for local tribes, and are still considered to be sacred animals.