The New International Encyclopædia/Buffalo-fish

BUFFALO-FISH. One of several suckers (Catastomidæ) of the Mississippi Valley, comprised in the genus Bubalichthys or Ictiobus, and so called because of the humped outline of the back, the large head, and dark colors. The red-mouthed buffalo-fish (Ictiobus cyprinella) is brownish-olive, and reaches a length of nearly 3 feet, and a weight of 20 to 30 pounds. The big-mouthed one (Ictiobus urus) is also large and very dark, with all the fins black; while the small-mouthed (Ictiobus bubalus altus) is paler and more southerly in its habitat. The flesh is poor.