Chasmistes brevirostris Cope, 1879
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
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. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.
Wikipedia contributors, Shortnose sucker; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:17:41.263062+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Chasmistes brevirostris Cope, 1879
- Name authority
- Cope, 1879
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cypriniformes
- Family
- Catostomidae
- Genus
- Chasmistes
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderCypriniformes
- familyCatostomidae Agassiz, 1850
- subfamilyCatostominae Agassiz, 1850
- tribeCatostomini Agassiz, 1850
- genusChasmistes Jordan, 1878
- speciesChasmistes brevirostris Cope, 1879
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Chasmistes. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Chasmistes cujus Cope, 1883 | CatostomidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chasmistes fecundus (Cope & Yarrow, 1875) | CatostomidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chasmistes liorus Jordan, 1878 | CatostomidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Cope, E. D. (1879). The fishes of the Klamath Lake, Oregon. American Naturalist, v. 13 (no. 12): 784–785. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:TQ6Y. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.