E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Wildlife of British Columbia

Large-scaled sucker (it usually has fewer than 75 scales along the lateral line) has 12-17 (usually 13-16) dorsal rays.In profile, the body tapers steeply back from the dorsal fin to the relatively narrow caudal peduncle (its depth usually less than half the width of the dorsal fin base). The snout is short when viewed from below, scarcely projects beyond the upper lip. For further information see McPhail (2007). (Source: McPhail, J. D. 2007. The Freshwater Fishes of British Columbia. The University of Alberta Press. 620 p.)

The largescale sucker probably is the most common sucker in the southern half of our province. It grows to a large size and appears to be morphologically and ecologically uniform over most of its B.C. range. In the summer, the population in Eagle Lake (Chilcotin) is reported to forage at the surface on emerging chironomids

North America: Arctic basin in Canada from Peace River drainage in British Columbia to Smokey River drainage in Alberta; Pacific Slope from Nass River in British Columbia to Snake River drainage (below Shoshone Falls) in Idaho and Nevada, USA, and Coquille River in Oregon, USA.