SS AANA » S RRR SSA ~ SN \ \ \ << i fs EMSA LEO Gee et Lp LITE DOPED ets Be dee DEGREE OLE OTOI DLP ED LSE YEE OEE ELLIE EEL ELE LLL ee LL: j eZ, A ae (SI dee v, Glee Me LEG ‘ \\ 7, KA WW WN . RX Go LA, O. ? aso caer a ae ts Selb See, bE SLL SE Soe ISS 4 eat hes ieee [Width of base ........... SAN OAS Cp a3 170 5.7 GQPORTES TE WiaCitliih yo rete heie’s witete tath leledlersyre ee eto temcens De, 7.5 Only two specimens of this shark have been recorded—the type described by Capello from the coast of Portugal, and an example about 9 feet, 8 inches long which came ashore in ex- cellent condition at the Amagansett life-saving station on Long Island, Feb. 8, 1883. The latter specimen was forwarded to the U.S. National Museum, Washington D. C. A figure of the species is published in Oceanic Ichthyology, pl. 5, hie A, Family GALEIDAE - Requiem Sharks Genus MUSTELUS Cuvier Body slender, elongate; mouth small, crescent-shaped, with well developed labial folds at the angles, snout rather long and | depressed; teeth in both jaws very blunt, small, rhombic, many- rowed, arranged like pavement; spiracles small, just behind the eyes; eye large, oblong; pectorals large; ventrals well de- veloped; first dorsal large, not far behind pectorals, somewhat larger than second dorsal; anal opposite to and smaller than second dorsal; basal lobe of caudal little developed, the tail nearly straight; embryo without placental attachment to the uterus. Ya: <>." , => Ms oe FISHES. OF NEW YORK 23 6 Mustelus canis (Mitchill) Dog Shark ; Smooth Dogfish Squalus canis Mitcuity, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 486, 1815. Mustelus canis DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 355, pl. 64, fig. 209, 1842; ‘STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 251, pl. XX XVII, fig. 2, 2a, 1867; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 20, 1883; JornpDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 29, 1896. Body cylindric, elongate, tapering greatly from the dorsal fin to the tail; head flattened above, one fourth of total length without caudal; snout obtusely pointed, one third as long as the head. Hight of body equals one half length of head. Nostrils large, semilunar, midway between tip of snout and angle of mouth. Eye two fifths as long as the snout. Teeth in about 10 rows, smooth, flattened, the posterior edges of each tooth slightly elevated. Spiracles small, circular, near the lower posterior angle of the eye. Gill openings moderate, half length of snout, the last two over the base of the pectorals. Hight of dorsal fin, measured from middle of its base, slightly greater than depth of body. Length of pectoral equal to base of dorsal. End of ventral base midway between tip of snout and tip of caudal, the length of the fin scarcely one third length of head. Caudal fin-as long as the head, its lower lobe short, blunt, about one third as long as the upper. Color ashen gray above, some- times with pale spots, white beneath; outer edges of the dorsals and anal with a black margin, specially in young; iris ereenish yellow. Length 8 feet. This is known as the dogshark, smooth dogfish and hound- fish. It is extremely common in the north Atlantic and is a source of great annoyance to anglers. The shark is not eaten but it is used in making fertilizers and oil is prepared from its liver. It occurs in Gravesend bay in August, September and October. In captivity it is restless and delicate, often coming to the surface of the water and struggling as if trying to escape. Its food consists of small crustaceans, seaweed, etc. Genus GALEOocERDO Miiller & Henle Body cylindric, elongate, tapering; mouth crescentic; teeth in doth jaws large, oblique, coarsely serrate on both margins; 24. NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM outer margin with a deep notch; spiracles present; the last two gill openings over the pectoral base; caudal fin with a pit at the root above and below; first dorsal fin above the space between pectorals and ventrals. Size large. , 7 Galeocerdo tigrinus Miiller & Henle Tiger Shark; Leopard Shark Galeocerdo tigrinus MULLER & HENLE, Plagiostomen, 59, pl. 23, 1838; Guy- THER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 378, 1870; Jonpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 21, 1883; JorpAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 82, 1896; SmitH, Bull. U. S. F. C. for 1897, 88, 1898. The caudal fin forms about one third of the total length and exceeds the space between the dorsals; the second dorsal is in advance of the anal; upper jaw with a long labial fold; teeth 23. Color yellowish gray, whitish beneath, brown on the middle of the back and with numerous brown cross bands and spots on the sides; adults nearly uniform brown. Said to reach a length of 30 feet. Tropical seas, occasionally found in summer northward to Cape Cod and to San Diego. Dr H. M. Smith has published the following record of its occurrence near Woods Hole Mass. “Present every year in variable abundance, and caught in traps in Vineyard sound and Buzzards bay. The last species of shark to appear in this region, rarely coming before August. It remains until October. Usual length, 5 feet.” The writer has seen a tiger shark fully 9 feet long in a trap at Marthas Vineyard. Genus PRIONACE Cantor Body and head slender; teeth in both jaws strongly serrated in adults, broad in the upper jaw, narrow, straight and clavi- form in the lower; spiracles absent; first dorsal large, its origin midway between axils of pectorals and ventrals; second dorsal much smaller than first, usually equal to anal; embryo without placental attachment to uterus; size large; inhabiting warm seas. bo OX FISHES OF NEW YORK 8 Prionace glauca (Linnaeus) Great Blue Shark Squalus glaucus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 235, 1758. Carcharias (Prionodon) glaucus MULLER & HENLE, Plagiostomen, 36, pl. IT, 1838. - Carcharias glaucus GunTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 364, 1870. Carcharhinus glaucus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U.S. Nat. Mus. 22, 1883. Prionace glauca JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., 33, pl. IV, fig. 16; pl. V, fig. 16a, 1896; Smiru, Bull. U. 8. F. C. for 1897, 88, 1898. Snout very long; nostrils rather nearer to the mouth than to the tip of snout; a slight groove at the angle of the mouth; teeth of the upper jaw oblique, slightly constricted near the base; lower teeth narrow, lanceolate, with a broad base in the adult, triangular in the young. Pectoral fin long, falciform, extending to below the dorsal. Color light bluish gray above, paler below. The great blue shark is common in the Mediterranean and is found occasionally on our Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Dr H. M. Smith records it as a very rare species at Woods Hole Mass., only a single individual being certainly known from that locality, taken from a trap in July 1877. Genus carcHaRHinus Blainville Body rather robust, the head broad and depressed; mouth inferior, with the teeth in both jaws strongly serrated in the adult, less so or entire in the young; those in the upper jaw broad or narrow, those below narrow, straight, and nearly erect. No spiracles. First dorsal large, placed not far behind pec-. torals; pectorals faleate; second dorsal small. Embryos at- tached by placenta to the uterus. 9 Carcharhinus obscurus (Le Sueur) Dusky Shark Squalus obscurus LE SuEuR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 223, pl. 9, 1818. Carcharias (Prionodon) obscurus MULLER & HENLE, Plagiostomen, 46, 1841. Carcharias obscurus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 350, pl. 61, fig. 201, 1842. (Copy of LE SUEUR); STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 248, pl. XXXVI, fig. 2, 1867; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 366, 1870. Carcharhinus obscurus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U.S. Nat. Mus. 22, 1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 35, 1896; Smiru, Bull, U.S. F. C. for 1897, 88, 1898. Head broad, somewhat pointed, flattened above and below; snout sharp edged, rounded and wide at the end; eyes large, °6 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM nearly circular; nostrils oblique, near the tip of the snout; gill- openings unequal, the first large, the last small and over the origin of the pectoral; the second dorsal smaller than the anal, and much produced behind; pectorals very long, narrow, falci- form, their outer margin four times the inner. Color dusky above, dark clear blue in young, white below. Size large, length 9 or 10 feet. The dusky shark inhabits the middle Atlantic and occurs fre- quently on our coast in summer. Abundant in Great Egg bay where it is called the “man-eating shark.” A specimen weighing 150 pounds was reported there July 23, and during the same week a larger one weighing 200 pounds was landed. Young individuals measuring 214 to 24 inches in length, caught with hooks July 29, 1887, still bore the umbilical scar. A young example was caught in a pound at Islip L. I. in the summer of 1898. De Kay had no specimen of the dusky shark for examination, but depended on Le Sueur for the description and figure pub- lished in his New York Fauna. Mitchill has made no reference to the species. Smith publishes the following on its occurrence at Woods Hole Mass. “ Very common, but less so than the sand shark. Taken in traps and on lines fished from wharves. Comes about June 1 and remains through a part of November. The largest :ob- served here are 12 to 14 feet long; the average are 8 or 9 feet, and the smallest are 24 feet.” Storer says it is not a common species in Massachusetts waters; it sometimes floats ashore in the night or becomes entangled in the mackerel nets. The dusky shark feeds chiefly on menhaden when they are schooling. | 10 Carcharhinus milberti (Miller & Henle) Milbert’s Shark Carcharias (Prionodon) milberti VALENCIENNES in Mutter & HENLE, Pla- giostomen, 38, pl. 19, fig. 3 (teeth), 1842. Carcharias caeruleus De Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 349, pl. 61, fig. 200, 1842; JorpAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 873, 1883. Eulania nilberti GILtu, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 262, 1864. FISHES OF NEW YORK Zi Carcharhinus milberti JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 37, 1896; SmiTH, Bull. U. S. F. C. for 1897, 88, 1898. Small blue shark MitcHity, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 487, 1815. Lamna caudata DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 354, pl. 62, fig. 205, 1842. Body stout, its depth one fifth of the length without caudal; head two sevenths of total length to caudal base, snout promi- nent, pointed, broad, thin, and firm, its length from mouth equal to width of mouth; distance between nostrils two thirds length of snout; upper teeth very broad, triangular, erect, ser- rate on both edges, without notch; lower teeth narrower and more finely serrated; gill openings comparatively narrow; first dorsal begins close behind origin of pectoral, its hight somewhat greater than its base and equals one half interspace between dorsals; second dorsal very small, its base one fifth interspace between dorsals; caudal moderate, its length contained two and two thirds times in length of body, its lower lobe less than one half as long as the upper; pectorals rather small, not falcate, the length contained three and one half times in total length without caudal. The young are slate blue on the upper parts, the same color but less pronounced on the sides, and the lower parts whitish; adults are uniform bluish gray above, lighter on the sides of head and body, white beneath, the iris greenish blue. Some examples taken at Woods Hole Mass. in 1873, were said to be of an intense almost indigo blue. The blue shark occurs along our east coast in summer from Cape Cod to Florida. Young examples are not uncommon in the waters of New York. An example taken at Brenton’s reef, on the coast of Rhode Island, measured 7 feet, 4 inches and weighed 161 pounds. Mitchill states that it is often taken by nets in New Yorx waters, as it commonly bites off the line when hooked. Indi- viduals seen by him were 4 or 5 feet long. De Kay refers to this shark a second time under the name long-tailed porbeagle, of which he saw several young from New York harbor and an adult from Brenton’s reef, on the coast of Rhode Island, 28 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM This shark was reported at Woods Hole Mass., in 1871 by Prof. Baird. Dr Smith records four examples, each about 4 feet long, from a trap near Woods Hole, Aug. 8, 1873, since which time none have been observed. The species feeds chiefly on fish. Genus aprronopon Gill Snout conical, more or less produced; teeth not serrated, nar- row, on a broad base, erect in both jaws or sometimes slightly oblique in the upper; dorsal over the interspace between pec- torals and ventrals. : 11 Aprionodon isodon (Val. in Miiller & Henle) j Tiburon Carcharias isodon VALENCIENNES in MULLER & HENLE, Plagiostomen, 32, 1841. ! Carcharias (Aprionodon) isodon DuMERIL, Elasmobranches, 349, 1870. Aprionodon punctatus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 24, 1883. Carcharias punctatus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 361, 1870. Aprionodon isodon PorEy, Hnum.,. Pisce. Cubens. 200, 1875; JornpAn & EVER- MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 42, 1896. Snout short, compressed, and rounded; nostril one third of the distance from tip of snout to angle of mouth, nearly as large as the eye; the distance between the nostrils equals that from tip of snout to mouth; teeth in upper jaw small, on a broad base, without serrations, those of lower jaw similar but smaller, a small median tooth as usual; number of teeth 37; first dorsal much higher and longer than the second and is separated from the last gill opening by a space equal to two thirds the length of its base; pectorals reach to below end of first dorsal; caudal pit very apparent, specially below; scales rounded posteriorly, with five kéels; color above dark gray (greenish brown, Duméril), whitish below. : The species is recorded from New York, Virginia, and Cuba. The type specimen in the Musée d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, is O. 65m == 252 inches long. The following measurements from the type are given by Miiller and Henle. FISHES OF NEW YORK 297 Inches Lines Eine Ay Ol SHOU Cy MOSER de grotacis gine vie Se eo toy oie eee lg mn ee 10 ety TSEC bor MOU EN Aerts i. aeeeee s Bos wb > fas. = a ve ce 'Ghe ma eheveiede ales = 10- iat Tall HO" ATG Nevers tee Aca. sR) ose vidi a's, Ge Ap 10 6 TES ETC UPRE EES Fc ee LEE Fa C19 hs A = SR 2 ee Pare as 2 6 Base of anal fin<......... ee era een. nts! ack doStabata 3 SBE Sse ra LE CLZSE Sy CROC BO Tae pee eg od eae 0 ee ee ene a eo Re eer cietie ithe iin? orca Wied betee uk aae 2e S aie ees hee we ores wae 1 9 ae Satu LO Cast) TT Sein se ge ty eee wee Edel e eco oye Wie Se Scales PR es a aes Distance frem pectoral to ventral. 23... 6. ek ee ee ie 4 6 SENSOR ALT i OTSA LeIID oi hour te om eee aeleneynce Caucus tie < «c= 2 3 Pea aia ESE COPS TI A epee Ce ieee sae Sige we nino 2 5 Paseo SECON OGLESa li ose. ys See alee a eee okie wee ok ws Dei age sel Aare SEC OTE CLOESAL TAM so Feo c eee she scien Gea slat tue ve ob oo Lee eeers fi Maaee Sule DCCUOTAL ELIT So '.cc. ci cert emote wie wend Fae ene one oS 3 + Width of pectoral fin..... oe aes ERS PAE De ES eg 2, 4 Diswamce between: nostrils’ sss Sieve 2. es Ve hay ey eee iF 6 NEE bE TIVOLI. Gace ois; slates eek ae OOS Cam oe tetin eae she 2 eco eo eee Genus scotropon Miller & Henle Body siender; snout depressed; no spiracles; teeth entire or little serrated, oblique and flat, the points directed sidewise so that the inner margins are more or less nearly horizontal, the teeth in front more nearly erect; teeth not swollen at the base,, each of them with a deep notch on the outer margin below the sharp point; labial folds conspicuous; first dorsal over the inter- space between pectorals and ventrals; second dorsal very small; ventrals small; size small. 12 Scoliodon terrae novae (Richardson) Sharp-nosed Shark - Squalus (Carcharias) terrae-novae RICHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. 289, 1836. Carcharias terrae-novae GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 360, 1870. Carcharias (Scoliodon) terrae-novae GiLu, Cat. Fish. East Coast N. rE 1861. \ ; Squalus punctatus MitcHILu, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 483, 1815. Scoliodon terrae-novae JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 24, 1888; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 43, 1896. Snout moderately rounded; mouth U-shaped, with a short labial groove at its angle extending on both jaws; distance from tip of snout to nostril less than distance between nostrils; gill openings narrow; first dorsal moderate, midway between pec- 30 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM torals and ventrals; second dorsal very small, slightly behind, and rather smaller than anal; anal fin much shorter than dis- tance from anal to ventrals; pectorals rather large, reaching about to middle of first dorsal; ventrals small. Color gray; caudal fin with a narrow blackish edge. Cape Cod to Brazil, very common on the southern Atlantic coast. The green-backed shark, Squalus punctatus, of Mitchill is said to belong to this species. His example was 31 inches long, but he was incorrectly informed that the shark reaches two or three times that size. Mitchill wrote: “ When this shark ig in the water his back and sides appear greenish. But soon after his exposure to air, and immediately after his death, the hue becomes a pale ash, leaden, or dove, with but trifling variegations. The parts about the mouth, neck, and belly are cf a clear white. The upper side of the pectoral fins resembles the color of the back; the lower partakes of the complexion of the belly. The openings of the excretory ducts on the snout and lips are blackish. _ “he shark is very common on the coast of our southern ‘states; it reaches the length of 3 feet.” Family sPHyYRNIDAE Hammerheaded Sharks Genus sPHyRNA Rafinesque Head laterally extended, hammer-shaped or kidney-shaped, the eyes on the ends of the “ hammer ” and the nostrils anterior; mouth inferior, crescentic; teeth in the jaws similar, oblique, notched on the outside near the base; no spiracles; last gill- opening over the pectoral; first dorsal large, nearer pectorals than ventrals; second dorsal and anal small; pectorals large; a pit at. the root of the caudal; caudal fin notched near its tip, its lower lobe developed. 18 Sphyrna tiburo (Linnaeus) Shovelhead Shark; Bonnethead Squalus tiburo LinnAEus, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 234, 1758. Zygaena tiburo GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 382, 1870. Reniceps tiburo Git, Ann. N. Y. Lyc. Nat. Hist. VIII, 412, 1861; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 25, 1883. Sphyrna tiburo JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 44, pl. V, fig. 19, 1896. _ FISHES OF NEW YORK OL Body slender and little compressed; head flat, semicircular in ‘front, posterior margins of “hammer”. short, free, the lateral margins continuous with the anterior; first dorsal high, midway between pectorals and ventrals; second dorsal much smaller, produced behind, higher and shorter than anal; ventral and caudal fins moderate; pectorals large; mouth small; teeth small, very oblique, deeply notched on the outer margin. Head one sixth of total length to tip of caudal, slightly longer than wide. Color uniform ashy, whitish beneath. Length 5 feet. At- lantic and Pacific oceans, occurring on our coast from Long Island southward. 3 Neither Mitchill nor De Kay mentions the shovelhead shark, though both record the hammerhead. Prof. Baird found it a common fish in Great Egg bay in 1854, but the species was not seen there by the writer in 1887. 14 Sphyrna zygaena (Linnaeus) Hammerhead Shark Squalus zygaena LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 234, 1758; MitTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 482, 1815. Zygaena malleus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 362, pl. 64, fig. 204, 1842; SrorER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 262, pl. XX XVIII, fig. 3, 1867. Sphyrna zygaena JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 26, 1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN; Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 45, 1896; Smiru, Bull. eS. He. Ci VIL S88, 1898. Body elongate, cylindric; head hammer-shaped, its width two or three times its length; nostril near eye, prolonged into a groove which runs along nearly the entire front margin of the head; eye large, placed near the angle formed by the anterior and lateral margins of the “hammer ”, enabling the animal to look above and beneath; three rows of white, hyaline teeth in each jaw, those in upper jaw entire, acute, triangular, their tips directed outward from the center, with a shoulder on the outer side; in the center a few with shoulders on both sides; gill open- ings short and small, the last smallest and placed over the pec- toral base; first dorsal large, quadrilateral, slightly behind pec- torals, higher than wide, deeply concave behind, and pointed 32 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM posteriorly; second dorsal rhomboidal, very small, produced pos- teriorly, its base extending farther backward than the anal base; pectorals placed low, subtriangular, broad, slightly concave be- hind; ventrals small, broad, nearly midway between the dorsal fins, produced behind; anal similar to second dorsal but some- what larger, more concave behind; caudal equal in length to width of head, its lower lobe short, the upper ending in a small triangular portion; color uniform dusky gray, paler beneath. The hammerhead shark reaches a length of 15 feet; it is a voracious species, found in all warm seas. Mitchill records the capture of three individuals in a net at Sag Harbor, in Septem- ‘ber 1805, the largest measuring 11 feet; and on opening its belly many detached parts of a man, together with his clothing, were found in it. He had a specimen from the bay of New York. De Kay had a specimen 25 inches long which was taken in a seine in New York harbor and he saw examples 4 feet long in Hell Gate. Dr Smith publishes the following about its occur- | rence at Woods Hole: | , Usually common; some years abundant. Taken in traps from July to October, being most numerous in July and August. ‘Generally swims with its dorsal and caudal fins out of the water. ‘The largest ones taken here are 7 or 8 feet long; the smallest are under 14 feet; and the average are 4 feet. The name “ rake- head ” is an old local designation of this species. In Great Egg Harbor bay, N. J., small examples, measuring about 2 feet or less, are occasionally caught with hooks in Au- gust and larger ones, 5 or 6 feet long, have been seen. It is called ““ shovelnose shark ” there. This shark is not common in Grayves- end bay, but is sometimes found in August and September. Family ALOPIDAE Thresher Sharks Genus aLopras Rafinesque Body fusiform, moderately elongate, the snout short and - blunt; mouth horseshoe-shaped; teeth distant, flat, triangular, entire, the third tooth of upper jaw on each side much the small- est; gill openings moderate, the last smallest and placed just FISHES OF NEW YORK ae anterior to or slightly over the pectoral base; no nictitating membrane; spiracles minute, just behind the eye, or absent, first dorsal high, triangular, midway between pectorals and ventrals; second dorsal and anal very small; pectorals long and wide, deeply concave behind; ventrals wider than high, below the interspace between the dorsals; caudal without keel, exceed- ingly long and narrow, its lower lobe moderate, its upper lobe with a deep pit at its root and a notch near its tip; size large; a Single species inhabiting most warm seas, and easily known by its long tail. - 15 Alopias vulpes (Gmelin) Thresher Shark; Swingle-tal Shark Squalus vulpes GmEtin, L. Syst. Nat. I, 1496, 1788 (fide GUNTHER); MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. and Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 482, 1815. Carcharias vulpes DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 348, pl. LXI, fig. 199, 1842; STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 245, pl. XXXVI, fig. 3, 1867. Alopecias vulpes GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 393, 1870. Alopias vulpes JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 27, 1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 45, pl. VI, fig. 20, 1896; SmitrH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 89, 1898. Body fusiform, moderately elongate, its greatest hight one fourth of the length to the pit at the root of the caudal; head two sevenths of the same length; eye one ninth as long as head; no nictitating membrane; snout short, twice as long as the eye, Flat, triangular teeth of moderate size, with entire edges, in both jaws, the third tooth of the upper jaw on each side much smaller than the others; spiracles just behind the eyes, minute or wanting; gill openings moderate, the last one over the base of the pectoral; first dorsal large, midway between pectorals and ventrals; second dorsal and anal very small; caudal elon- gate, slender, forming about one half of the total length; a pit at its base, upper. lobe notched near the tip, lower lobe moderate; no caudal keel; ventrals one half as long as the pec- torals; pectorals falcate, reaching to below the middle of the first dorsal. The thresher shark is abundant in the Mediterranean and warm parts of the Atlantic and Pacific, occasionally seen off the south shore of Long Island in summer and frequently taken in Vineyard sound. It reaches a length of 20 feet. 34 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Mitchill described, in the Medical Repository, 8:77, an individual measuring 13 feet and 1 inch, which was found, in 1803, on the South side of Long Island. De Kay describes the species but without mentioning any locality of its capture. His figure was. based on a female specimen, about 13 feet long, in the American museum. At Woods Hole Mass. the thresher comes in April and remains. till late in the fall. It is common in Vineyard sound and is found also in Buzzards bay. In the fall the boat fishermen, fish- ing for cod at Gay Head, catch them with lines baited with iresh -herring. Individuals 20 feet long have been caught at Menemsha. The shark feeds on mackerel, menhaden, herring and other small fishes. Family cARCHARIDAE Sand Sharks Genus carcHartias Rafinesque Body moderately elongate; the snout pointed; mouth large, crescentic; teeth long, narrow, awl-shaped, not serrated, most of them with one or two small basal cusps; spiracles minute, pore- like; no nictitating membrane; gill openings in advance of the pectorals, moderately large; dorsal fins nearly equal, not large, the first well behind the pectorals; caudal well developed, with- out keel, its basal lobe short, a notch near its tip; pectorals. short, not reaching to beginning of dorsal; size moderate. 16 Carcharias littoralis (Mitchill) Sand Shark Squalus littoralis MircHitt, Am. Month. Mag. II, 328, 1818; Le SUEUR,. Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 224. Carcharias littoralis DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 351, 1842; JoRDAN &- EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 46, 1896; Smrru, Bull. U. S. F. C.. XVII, 89, 1898. Eugomphodus littoralis Git, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 260, 1864. Odontaspis americanus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 392, 1870. Carcharias americanus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 27, 1888. Body moderately elongate, its greatest hight contained five to six and one half times in the total length; head moderately FISHES OF NEW YORK OD ‘pointed, its length nearly one fourth of the total in half grown individuals; eye small, longer than deep, its length one fifth that of the snout, which is nearly one fourth as long as the head. The spiracle is located behind the eye at a distance equal to three times the diameter of the eye. Two rows of teeth in func- - tion in upper jaw and three rows in lower; longest tooth of the lower jaw as long as the eye, slightly longer than the longest tooth of the upper jaw; teeth long, awl-shaped, mostly with one cr two small cusps at the base, the first and fourth of upper jaw and the first of lower jaw without cusps. Space occupied - by gill openings equals one fourth of the length of the head; the depth of the gill openings equals four times the length of the eye. The distance from the snout to the nostril equals the distance between the nostrils. The width of the mouth, includ- ing the labial folds, equals two fifths of the length of the head. The first dorsal base is entirely within the first half of the total length; it is about one third as long as the head, and somewhat exceeds the hight of the fin. The pectoral is one half as long as the head and, when extended, does not quite reach the vertical through the dorsal origin. The ventral origin is slightly behind the end of the first dorsal base; the length of the fin is nearly one third of that of the head. The caudal, measured from the pit at its root, forms two sevenths of the total length. This small but voracious shark is common on our Atlantic coast, specially from Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras. It preys on the smaller fishes. The last individual observed by me in Great South bay during the summer of 1898 was swimming close to the surface near the inlet at Fire Island, September 16. Mitchill described this shark under the name of the ground Shark (Squalus littoralis) in the American Monthly Magazime for March 1818, p. 328. His specimen was caught in a set net near New York city, and measured about 5 feet. He mentions a larger individual, 8 feet 9 inches long, which weighed upward of 150 pounds. The fishermen called the fish ground shark because it is usually found along shores, er within soundings. 36 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM According to Dr Smith this is the commonest shark of the Woods Hole region; it is found in Vineyard sound from June to November. The largest are 12 feet long. Fish, crabs and other animals are found in its stomach. Some of the teeth of a large individual were secured from A. P. Latto at Southampton in July. Instead of a single basal cusp, aS usual, certain teeth had two such cusps on each side. The last sand shark seen by me during the summer of 1898, in Great South bay, was observed September 16 near the inlet at Fire island, swimming slowly westward near the surface. A list of specimens follows. ; (Teeth) Southampton, Atlantic ocean July d Clam Pond cove, Great South bay Sep. 6 2 Clam Pond cove, Great South bay Sep. 6 A young male received from Gravesend bay June 26, 1895, lived in captivity till Dec. 19, 1895, when the temperature of the water in its pool was 58° F. The following notes were made | from the recently dead specimen: Color, bronze gray with light brown blotches, the largest about as long as the eye; belly and other lower parts white; eye yellowish; tips of pectorals, ventrals, dorsals, anal and caudal. - above and below with a narrow black streak; numerous minute dark specks on the under surface of snout and suborbital region, extending back to angle of mouth. Two rows of teeth in function above and three below. Length of longest tooth in lower jaw, one half inch; in upper jaw, three eighths inch. MEASUREMENTS Feet Inches TGO@ GT 0 kek eo fees lai seavala's wide endear ae ale eons: wanvee Sale yl 6 DEDUh? OF “DOD Sse. Se eee ee Ce ee Gee Berm 64% Least depth of caudal pedunele. i. ene oe ce scp cage 15% Tip of snout to perpendicular through last gillopening .... 10 From: first to: lastetllopeninies: 9.40 Sct ee ect 20d tee ss ee 2% Depth of Sill OPeNiMGS te ea aoa e ee, ahem hem meen wrsaate 2 STS A se: oo rekia tie oe beter Se ie eae TT Miron Co 1h, aac men a 214 REV SO ‘SPIT A CLE: oath hie ns ve cue o's he An's > oar ee 1% . BOO laa Foo coho ida ab OE ee ice Ee oats ORS Take hs) eae neem Ylong % deep GNOME TO, MOSES La coop ooo eee street ake be ane ete a ceniinya rea reco or? 14% 7,” ae es oe FISHES OF NEW YORK 37 MEASUREMENTS Feet Inches MTEL TIOGUEI A ooas ats 8 tages oiafa lec wiles wee oe ceases ods A ely 58 Mistance between NOstrils. 2... 6... ce ete eee oe. od tues Pact 1144 th O OTE OF, MUOWLM stores o's\ siren a 2 yics)a) see rate a! oe isle ee 1% emenn OL TOUT, OPENING 4.525 2% vac ce Seals. ot die e's Be he 258 Maden of mouth, including labial folds............... see + eared OLN POU Ci s tesa Steere sae Xan sles oieis oo 8 ale eal « ET at 1 Beorantold.ito first sill opening. 2.6000. 66. ee wees ees Sestoee 334 PROM IEE SE CLOT SAN o'5 !5 dors she atone s fe cece dies bie Sie eles Soete eae 16 BERETS TT ASE cers ne See eiate Sone eo tierel eco e's 0 9 8’ s'e gee eet sates 314 Baaele of dorsal base to-top Of. fim... ee ald. we oe oh ia 3 Length of posterior margin of dorsal................ a re 1% MaesinMeEst to SCCONd GOrsal.. Ho. lec. tees ces selec wwe bade 4) meneth of second dorsal base: 20... ek ec ee Bch ads 234 Middle of second dorsal base to top rl bg: (0 9 Nahe ep fie Se eae RMS 2, Posterior margin of second dorsal................... ee 1% serene Gorsal to Caudal pity oc... e se ec ce ewe we tens Sete 3 Caudal from LIRA al Base a TCE Uae ay ast ae Sevier ate SPE Seateths mente hos EE (O70 1G 120 (0) 0 Sees Ser ee a Ae ee ataise 984 STS TREE ERCR WoT £2 1 (63) 02 en are sean 3 Pitino pectoral, ODIIQUCLY 2. oo see ee de we as we wees Sdabate 10% Meera Ot PCCLOTAL 0. ae eG) cas as ote oe oe Pia tee ae eae ote 5 Peete oI: OF PCCtOLAl. ci. 5 See te ins wie wd walls sels PES 24 Extended pectoral not quite reaching to perpendicular through front of dorsal. Ventral origin slightly behind end of first dorsal base MIG GVOTMDEAUS cio ess 6 over ce eideee se cieee ae 8 pe Ties serene ete 3 314 MEENA OMNI Ot VETLLEAL. oe lsacc eos Se ales wleje odes eins doabate eave 13% iene b> Ot CIASDOR: Joi) s).5055. Sica ba Sete a ce tise wets whee ie 1% Hind of ventral base to origin of anal................. ae 33% MMM ISP Y 3 Nes ot 5 Sao AP rs ND hae a9 ele Syd Listas SEE Shei al anorets Agee 3 MNES TIC COE ANIA) sclscaiels oic,c.c os Graf ooh hie Oa ow cela Ss aks cna 1 MnP AIAN. 300) oe eke ois wee SE eee Ee ae ee ae 2 Anal base to origin of lower caudal lobe............. eorae 13% Family LAMNIDAE Mackerel Sharks Genus isurus Rafinesque Z Body fusiform, stout; mouth wide, with long, sharp edged, lanceolate, entire teeth having no basal cusps; spiracles minute or absent; gill openings wide, all in advance of pectorals, lateral, not extending under the throat; first dorsal large, not far be- hind origin of pectoral; second dorsal and anal very small; pee-. 38 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM torals large; ventrals moderate; tail slender; a pit at the root of the caudal; the caudal peduncle strongly keeled on each side; caudal fin lunate, its two lobes nearly equal. Size large. 17 Isurus dekayi (Gill) Mackerel Shark Lamna punctata DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 352, pl. 63, figs. 206, 207, 1842 (not Squalus punctatus MITCHILL); STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 249, pl. XX XVII, fig. 1, 1867. (This is probably Lamna cornubica). Isuropsis dekayi GILL, Ann. N. Y. Lye. Nat. Hist. 153, 1861. Isurus dekayi JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 874, 1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 48, pl. VI, fig. 21, 1896. Body fusiform, cylindric, its greatest depth equaling one fifth of the total length, and slightly exceeding the length of. the head. The caudal lobes are nearly equal in length, the upper about equal to depth of body. Gill openings wide, the last over the anterior edge of the pectoral base; middle teeth very long, much longer and narrower than the crowded, triangular lateral teeth; first dorsal inserted behind pectorals at a distance equal to one fourth of length of head; falcate, its base equal to - one third of its distance from tip of snout, its hight nearly one eighth of the total length; pectoral faleate, more than one fifth of total length, and longer than upper caudal lobe; anal and second dorsal small; caudal keel nearly one fifth of total length; deep pits at the root of the caudal above and below. Color dark slate, lighter beneath. De Kay was informed that it is of a deep bottle green in life and the tongue is mottled with black. Storer states that all the upper part of the body is greenish, which becomes of a slate color after death; pupils black; iris dusky. The mackerel shark reaches the length of 10 feet. It occurs _ from Cape Cod to the West Indies; but is rarely captured in most localities. | De Kay described a specimen 10 feet 2 inches long, taken in New York harbor, October 1840. A somewhat smaller example was caught near the light-ship off Sandy Hook by Capt. C. H. Barnard 16 years earlier than the date of De Kay’s description. Storer refers to it as the most common species of shark found in fae d aoe,” ea see ; \ eee zy. = 4 Wo * Ait wv Shales: ae i fF ; msde uy Ee FISHES OF NEW YORK 39 Massachusetts, which is not the case at present. In 1845 about 150 at least were captured in nets at Monhegan Me. during three weeks of mackerel fishing. _ The fish was valued for its oil, of which 114 gallons have been taken from a single liver. This species feeds on many kinds of fish, but persistently fol- lows the mackerel schools, and is generally known as the mackerel shark. At Provincetown it is called the blue shark. Genus LAMNA Cuvier Body short, stout, the back considerably elevated; snout prominent, pointed; teeth entire, pointed, triangular, with a small basal cusp on each side, one or both cusps sometimes wanting on some teeth in the young; gill openings wide, and all of them in advance of the pectoral fin; first dorsal falcate, in- serted over the axil of the pectoral; second dorsal and anal very small, nearly opposite each other; pectorals falcate; caudal peduncle strongly keeled on each side; deep pits at the root of the caudal above and below; caudal lobes nearly equal in length. Size large. 18 Lamna cornubica (Gmelin) © Porbeagle Squalus cornubicus GMELIN, L. Syst. Nat. I, 1497, 1788. . Lamna cornubica GunTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 389, 1870; JorDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 30, 1883; BEAN, Bull. U.S. F. C. IX, 198, pl. LVI, 1891; Jorpan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 49, pl. VI, fig. 22, 1896. ; Body short, stout, fusiform, its greatest depth equaling nearly one fifth of the total length including caudal, and slightly less than the length of the head. The caudal lobes are nearly equal in length, the upper as long as the head and exceeding depth of body; caudal peduncle strongly keeled on each side; deep pits at the root of the caudal above and below. The snout is conical, pointed, its length somewhat more than the width of the mouth. Teeth entire, triangular, pointed, with a basal cusp on each side, the cusp sometimes wanting in young, i; or +o on each side in an individual about 34 feet long, the third tooth of the upper 40 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM jaw on each side small; gill openings wide and all of them in advance of the pectoral base; first dorsal falcate, inserted over the axil of the pectoral; second dorsal and anal very small, nearly opposite each other; pectoral falcate, its length nearly equal to greatest depth of body and equals distance from angle of mouth to last gill opening. Color dark slate, whitish beneath. Found in the Atlantic and Pacific, north to Massachusetts bay and the Gulf of Alaska; called salmon shark at Kadiak. Reaches a length of 10 feet. The porbeagle, salmon shark, or mackerel shark is a very powerful and destructive species, and it has a wide distribution. If the figure of Lamna punctata Storer be correct, his mackerel shark| must be Lamna cornubica and not Isurus dekayi. The advanced position of the first dorsal seems to indicate this. , Genus CARCHARODON Smith Agrees with Isurus and Lamna except in dentition; teeth large, flat, erect, triangular, serrate; first dorsal moderate, nearly midway between pectorals and ventrals; second dorsal and anal very small; pectorals large; ventrals moderate; caudal peduncle stout; caudal lobes large and strong; deep pits at the base of the caudal fin above and below. 19 Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus) Great White Shark ; Man-eater Squalus carcharias LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 235, 1758. Carcharias atwoodi SToRER, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. III, 72, 1848; Hist. Vish. Mass. 246, pl. XXXVI, fig. 4, 1867. ? Carcharodon carcharias JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 875, 1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 50, 1896. Body stout, its greatest depth contained about five or five and one half times in the total length, and equaling about three fourths of the length of the head; eye perpendicularly oblong, and about one third as long as the snout; caudal lobes large and strong, nearly equal in length, the upper about six sevenths of depth of body; caudal peduncle stout, strongly keeled, its least depth two thirds of snout, deep pits at the base of the caudal ~ FISHES OF NEW YORK 41 fin above and below; the snout obtusely pointed, about one fifth to one sixth of length of head; mouth very large; both jaws with large, triangular, serrated teeth in five rows, those in the lower jaw narrower, about 24 in each row above and 22 below; spiracles minute or wanting; gill openings wide and all in advance of the pectoral fin; first dorsal moderately large, in- serted nearly midway between pectoral and ventral bases; second dorsal and anal very small, subequal, their bases scarcely more than one half as long as the snout; pectoral large, reach- ing te below the end of the dorsal when extended, ventral moderate, its length equal to nearly one fourth of that of the head. Color leaden gray, lower parts white; tips and edges of pectoral black. This shark reaches a length of 30 feet and a weight of nearly 2 tons. It is found in the temperate and tropi- cal parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, but is rare in New York waters. The ferocity of the man-eater shark may be inferred from the following account of a specimen 13 feet long taken at Province- town Mass. and brought to Boston, for exhibition. My specimen was captured at Provincetown June 16 When first seen it was swimming in about 10 feet of water on the Long point side of Provincetown harbor. A boat’s crew having given chase, a harpoon was thrown into it, when it in- stantly turned toward the boat and seized it with great ferocity near the bows, in which act several of its teeth were broken off. It was eventually killed by being frequently lanced. Jordan and Evermann record an individual about 30 feet long, eaught near Soquel Cal. which had in its stomach a young sea lion weighing about 100 pounds. | Family CEeTORHINIDAE Basking Sharks Genus cerorninus Blainville Body stout, the skin much wrinkled and beset with small spines; snout blunt; head small; mouth moderate, with numer- ous small, conical teeth without cusps or serrations; spiracles minute, above the corners of the mouth; gill openings very wide rr ______ 42 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM extending from the back almost around the throat, all of them in advance of the pectorals; first dorsal large, midway between pectorals and ventrals; second dorsal and anal small; caudal fin lunate, the upper lobe considerably the larger; caudal peduncle keeled; pectorals and ventrals large. Brain very small. Size very large. . 20 Cetorhinus maximus (Gunner) Basking Shark; Elephant Shark Squalus maximus GUNNER, Trondhj. Selsk. Skrift., III, 83, tab. 2; IV, 14, tab. 3, 1765; Mircuiti, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 486, 1815. Selachus maximus DE Ikay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, p. 357, pl. 68, fig. 208 _ (partly copied from Le Sueur), 1842; Storer, Hist. Fish. Mass. 253, pl. XX XVII, fig. 3, 1867. Cetorhinus maximus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 31, 1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 51, pl. VII, fig. 23, — 1896. Body very stout, the skin wrinkled, rough, beset with small spines, its greatest depth contained about five times in the total length, and equaling about three fourths of the length of the head; caudal fin lunate, the upper lobe the larger, about equal to the depth of body; caudal peduncle keeled; snout smooth, blunt, nearly half the length of head; mouth moderate; the teeth very small and numerous, conical, without cusps or serratures, each jaw with six or seven rows, about 200 in each row; spiracles minute, above the corners of the mouth; eye very small, with- out nictitating membrane; gill openings very wide, extending from the back almost around the throat, all of them in front of the pectorals; gill-rakers slender, long and close.set, resemb- ling whalebone, whence the name, bone shark; first dorsal large, triangular, midway between pectorals and ventrals; second dorsal small, but larger than the anal; pectoral large, reaching a little past the dorsal origin when extended; ventral large, its length nearly one third the length of the head. Color dark slate or leaden above, lighter beneath. The basking shark reaches a length of nearly 40 feet and is the largest of the sharks. It is an inhabitant of Arctic seas, coming southward as far as Portugal, Virginia and California. —. . }? oy Ns ee Tactic oe FISHES OF NEW YORK . 43 Mitchill refers to its capture at Provincetown Mass. and to _ its name of bone shark because of the peculiar structure of its gills. De Kay mentions the specimen which was captured in the lower harbor of New York in 1822, from which he made some alterations in a drawing partly copied from Le Sueur’s sketch of the same fish. Storer described an individual measur- ing 33 feet 3 inches. He says it is rarely observed on the coast of Massachusetts. It becomes gregarious only in the breeding season. The oil made. from the liver of the basking shark was at one time considered valuable. Order CYCLOSPONDYLI Suborder CYCLOSPONDYLI Family SOUALIDAE Dogfishes Genus squaxtus (Artedi) Linnaeus Body slender, elongate; mouth slightly arched, with a long, straight, deep, oblique groove on each side, without labial folds; teeth small, simple, equal in both jaws, their points turned aside so that the inner margins form a cutting edge; spiracles well developed, near the eye; gill openings moderate, all in advance of pectorals; first dorsal larger than the second, far in front of the ventrals, which are behind the middle of the body; second dorsal behind ventrals; dorsal spines strong, not grooved; caudal fin with unequal lobes, the upper elongate, broad, sub- truncate at the end, the lower short and rounded; pectorals large and long, placed low déwn; ventrals midway between end . of first and beginning of second dorsal. No anal fin. 21 Squalus acanthias Linnaeus Spined Dogfish Squalus acanthias LINNAEwvS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 233, 1758; JornpAN & GIL- BERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 16, 1883; JornDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 54, 1896. Spinaxz acanthias DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 359, pl. 64, fig. 210, 1842. Acanthias americanus STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 256, pl. XX XVIII, fig. 1, la, 1867. { Acanthias vulgaris GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 418, 1870. 44 NEW YORK STATE MUSEHUM Body slender, moderately long, its greatest depth about one eighth of the total length, and about three fourths of the length of the head; caudal fin scarcely bent upward, its length nearly one fifth of the total length; snout pointed, its length equaling about one fourth of the length of the head; mouth slightly arched, with a long, straight, deep, oblique groove on each side, without labial folds. Teeth small, equal in both jaws, their points turned aside so that the inner margins form a cutting edge ; spiracles well developed, just behind the eye; eye large, oblong, its diameter two thirds of the length of the snout; no nictitating membrane; gill openings narrow slits, in front of the pectorals; first dorsal moderate, larger than the second, far in advance of the postmedian ventrals, which are in front of the small second dorsal; pectoral when extended reaches to below the first dorsal spine, its length contained about seven times in the total, including caudal fin; ventral one fourth as long as the head. Color dark slate or gray on upper parts, whitish below, numer- ous white spots on the back, becoming faint or obsolete with age. The spined dogfish reaches a length of 34 feet and the weight of 20 pounds. It inhabits both coasts of the Atlantic and is recorded also from Cuba. It is found in Gravesend bay, Long Island, only in October, and young examples have been taken at Southampton in the same month. The species is common in summer and fall on the fishing banks off the New Jersey coast. It is not hardy in captivity. | At Woods Hole Mass., according to Dr Smith, it is less abun- dant than formerly,and was comparatively scarce in1897. When the fish fertilizer factory was established at Woods Hole, this was the principal fish utilized in the manufacture of oil and guano; later, the scarcity or irregularity of the supply necessi- tated the use of menhaden. When the horned dogfish first comes, in May, it feeds largely on ctenophores. In Massachusetts bay the species arrives in June and remains only a few days, but returns again in September’ and stays till Pa i ae CF” ie? ge oe eee ee OT = ‘ee at wth aK SS nos us Hi ad 2) te ol Se eo ere FISHES OF NEW YORK 45 the middle of November. These fish are usually caught with the hook and often entangle themselves in nets, to which they do great damage. They feed on mackerel, whiting and other fishes. The oil of the liver is an article of commerce, the flesh is use- ful for fertilizers, and the skin has been used for polishing; on some parts of Cape Cod the fish has been dried for fuel. Mitchill mentions the spined dogfish only in one of his minor papers. De Kay recorded it as common on the New York coast. He found remains of the soft clam and scales of fishes in its stomach. Suborder TEHECTOSPONDYLI Family SQUATINIDAE Angel Sharks Genus squaTiIna Duméril Body flat, depressed as in the rays, the snout obtuse or slightly concave in front; nostrils on the front margin of the snout with skinny flaps; mouth anterior; teeth in many series, conical, pointed, distant; spiracles wide, transverse, behind the eyes; gill openings wide, very near each other, partly inferior and partly hidden by the pectoral fins; two small, subequal dorsal fins on the tail behind the ventrals; no anal fin; caudal small, the lower lobe longer than the upper; males with small prehensile organs; vertebrae tectospondylous. 22 Squatina squatina (Linnaeus) Angel fish; Monkfish Squalus squatina LinNAEvs, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 233, 1758. Squatina dumerili DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 368, pl. 62, fig. 203, 1842. Rhina squatina GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 430, 1870. Squatina angelus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 35, 1883. Squatina squatina JORDAN & HVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 58; Smitu, Bull. U. S. F. ©. XVII, 89, 1898. Body raylike in shape, flat, depressed, its greatest depth less than one fourteenth of the total length and about one third of the length of the head; caudal peduncle stout; caudal fin small, its lower lobe the longer; snout short, rounded; nostrils on its front margin, with skinny flaps. Mouth anterior, its width 46 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM about equal to the interorbital width; teeth acute, small, con- ical, distant; spiracles large, crescentic, behind the eyes; eye small, its diameter one fourth of the distance between the eyes; gill openings wide, subinferior, partly covered by the pectoral fin; two small dorsal fins, close together, behind the ventrals; anal fin wanting; pectoral fins very large, widely expanded, deeply notched at the base; ventrals very large, their length greater than that of the head; skin covered with stiff prickles, largest on the median line of the back. Color bluish ashy gray or brown above, sometimes blotched and speckled, pale below. The monkfish reaches a length of 4 feet. It is easily recognized by its peculiar shape. It in- habits the Mediterranean and the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of - the United States from Cape Cod and San Francisco south- ward. It is not common in New York waters, but it appears occasionally in Gravesend bay in summer and is believed to occur in this state only in bays adjacent to the Atlantic. Mitchill, apparently, was not familiar with the species. De Kay knew the fish only from Le Sueur’s descriptions and the writings of other ichthyologists. He gives the common names employed in Europe; monk, monkeyfish, kingston, shark ray, and fiddlefish. A New York fisherman informed De Kay that it was known to him as the little bullhead shark. A specimen weighing 35 or 40 pounds and measuring about 4 feet was taken in a trap at Menemsha bight, Marthas Vine- ° yard, Sep. 1, 1873. The writer saw one taken at the same place a few years later. Order BATOIDEI Rays Suborder SARCURA Family RAJIDAE Skates Genus ragA (Artedi) Linnaeus In the rays the disk is broad, rhombic; the pectorals extend to, but not around the snout; the ventrals are large and deeply notched; the tail is usually long, without serrated spine, slender, FISHES OF NEW YORK 47 rounded, or depressed, with caudal fin small or absent, with two small dorsal fins, close together, near its tip, and with a dermal fold on each side. The skin is more or less covered with prickles and spines, males having rows of erectile hooks near the outer angles of the pectorals. No electric organs. Eggs laid in leathery, four-angled cases, having two long tubular tendrils at each end. Teeth in the middle of the jaws, sharp in males, blunt in females. 23 Raja erinacea Mitchill Common Skate; Prickly Skate; Hedgehog Ray Raja erinaceus MitcHILL, Am. Jour. Sci. Arts, [X, 290, pl. 6 (male), 1825; Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 372, pl. 78, fig. 246, 1842. Raja eglanteria GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus, VIII, 462, 1870. Raia erinacea JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 40, 1883. Raja erinacea JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 68, pl. IX, fig. 29, 1896; Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVIT, 89, 1898. Disk rhomboid, with the angles rounded; its length nearly equal to its width; spines largest on the anterior extensions of the pectorals, where they are close set, strong, laterally com- pressed and hooked backward; smaller spines scattered over the head, above the spiracles, above and in front of the eyes, on the back, the median line of which is comparatively smooth, without enlarged spines except in the young; a triangular patch of spines on the shoulder girdle; inner posterior angles of the pectorals nearly smooth. Males have two rows of large, erectile hooks, pointing backward, near the outer angles of the pectorals. Females have groups of small scales on each side of the vent. Tail about as long as the disk; a dermal fold on each side; dorsal fins rough, connected at the base; mouth small; jaws curved, with small teeth in about 50 rows above and 48 below, the mid- dle ones sharp in males, all blunt in females. Color light brown, with small round spots of dark brown. Length 1 to 2 feet. (After Garman) A very common species on our coast, from Maine to Virginia. It is one of the small rays and is not much valued for food. Eggs of this skate have been obtained in Gravesend bay in March. In captivity eggs have been deposited in winter. The 48 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM species will endure captivity during the spring, fall, and part of the winter, but not at all in summer. | Mitchill had the ray from Barnegat and from off Sandy Hook. De Kay did not see the fish, but copied the description and figure of Mitchill. Smith refers to it as the “ summer skate ” or “ bon- net skate.” It is found at Woods Hole from June to October. The names “ hedgehog ray” and “bonnet skate” are given in allusion to its habit of rolling itself up when caught. At South- ampton L. I. this species was taken in small numbers Aug. 8, 1898. 24 Raja ocellata Mitchill Spotted Skate; Big Skate Raja ocellata MITcHILL, Trans, Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 477, 1815; Jorpan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 68, pl. X, fig. 30, 1896; Smirn, Bull. U. 8. F. C. XVII, 89, 1898. Raia ocellata DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 369, not pl. 65, fig. 212, 1842; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 40, 1883. Similar in shape to R. erinacea, but larger, with a wider mouth and with many more rows of teeth. The length of the disk slightly exceeds its width. The spines are arranged as in R. erinacea, but additional rows are present down the back and on the sides of the tail. Tail nearly as long as the disk; caudal fin not separate, with small spines; mouth large; jaws curved; teeth in about 90 rows above and 88 below. Color light brown, with rounded dark spots; a translucent space on each side of the snout; near the posterior angle of the pectoral there is usually (but not always) a large white ocellus, with a dark spot in the center and a darker border; two ‘smaller similar spots often present. (After Garman) The spotted skate reaches a length of nearly 8 feet; its egg cases are more than twice as large as those of R. erinacea. The species is found from New York to Massachusetts and northward. Dr Mitchill described a specimen which was 30 inches long and 19 inches wide. Dr De Kay calls this species the spotted vay. He found the stomach of one filled with rock crabs, Cancer irroratus. To the fishermen this and allied spe- FISHES OF NEW YORK 49 cies are known as skate. It has no commercial value in Great South bay. In the traps at Islip skates reappear on October first on their fall migration. A female was caught near the inlet at Fire Island, Sep. 29, 1898. The species was more abun- dant later in the fall. At Woods Hole, according to Dr Smith, this is the big skate or winter skate. It is common from February to June and from October 15 to the end of the trap fishing; it is absent or very rare in summer. 25 Raja eglanteria Bosc Clear-nosed Skate; Brier Ray Raja eglanteria Bosc in LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. II, 104, 109, 1800; Gun- THER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 462, 1870; JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 71, 1896; Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 89, 1898. Raia eglanteria JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 41, 1883. Raja diaphanes MiTcuHIi.u, Trans, Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. 478, 1815. Diners trom 2h. ¢rinacea: and KR.’ ocellata in its acutely produced snout, smaller spines and translucent space on each side of the rostrum. The length of the disk (12 inches) equals four fifths of its width (15 inches). Spines small and very sharp, most numerous on the front part of the pectoral, the head, the snout, the middle of the back, and the tail between the rows of enlarged spines; enlarged spines around the eyes and spiracles, on the middle of the snout, in a median row along the back, and in two rows along each side of the tail. The Spines on the tail are very sharp, large and small ones alternat- ing in the rows; a large spine in the middle of each shoulder; a spine between the dorsal fins; tail as long as the disk, and with a median and two lateral rows of moderately large spines and one or more intermediate rows of much smaller ones; caudal fin absent or very small; dorsals small, the anterior larger, one ninth the length of tail in hight; mouth moderate; teeth in about 50 rows in upper jaw and 48 in the lower. Color pale brown, with numerous bands, bars, lines and blotches of darker; darker spots in the middle of the pectoral; each side of the snout with a pale, translucent area. 50 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM The clear-nosed skate, sometimes called brier ray, reaches a length of 2 feet or more. It inhabits the eastern coast of the United States from Cape Cod to Florida; it has been found moderately common in Great South bay in and near Fire Island inlet. Early in September both males and females were caught at Fire Island inlet and Wigo inlet, but in October the species appeared to be scarce. It has no commercial value in the bay and is usually thrown away. At Woods Hole Mass. it is not common. A few are taken every year in traps at Menemsha, Marthas Vineyard. ° 26 Raja laevis (Mitchill) Barn-door Skate Raja laevis MircuiLi, Am. Month. Mag. II, 327, 1818; Jornpan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 71, 1896; Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 89, 1898. Raia laevis DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 370, 1842; JornpAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 42, 1883; ‘STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 266, pl. XXXIX, fig. 2, 1867. Similar in shape to R. eglanteria, but larger and with fewer rows of teeth. The length of the disk equals three fourths of its width. The spines of the body are few and small; small patches of slightly enlarged spines on the anterior extension of the pectorals opposite the eyes and spiracles; slightly enlarged, hooked spines in several narrow rows on the angles of the disk in males; a median row, more or less incom- plete, of distant spines on the tail and usually a lateral row on each side, many of these lateral spines sometimes obsolete; small spines on the snout, along the anterior edges of the disk, and on the top of the head. Tail nearly as long as the disk; two subequal dorsal fins, scarcely half as long as the snout, separated by a narrow interspace and extending to near the end of the tail; no caudal fin; eye one fifth as long as the snout; mouth large, jaws curved, teeth in about 30 rows in each jaw; length of claspers of the male equals one third of the width of the disk. Color usually brownish with paler spots, these sometimes surrounded by dark rings. FISHES OF NEW YORK 51 The barn-door skate reaches a length exceeding 4 feet; it is used to some extent for food. The species has been taken in Gravesend bay in October. It suffers in captivity for the want of sand and mud and because of the lack of suitable food, its average duration of life is 3 or 4 months. Mitchill described an individual measuring 49 inches which was caught at a wharf in the East river Noy. 5, 1815. At Woods Hole Mass. it is common in spring and fall, rare in summer. Family NARCOBATIDAE Electric Rays Genus TETRONARCE Gill Rays with a large electric organ composed of many hexagonal tubes between the pectoral fins and the head; disk very broad, abruptly contracted at the tail; two dorsal fins, the first much the larger, its origin not far in advance of the end of the ven- trals; caudal fin well developed; ventral fins large, separate; spiracles large, oblong, well behind the eyes, with entire edges; mouth small; teeth sharp; skin smooth. Seas of Europe and America. 27 Tetronarce occidentalis (Storer) Torpedo; Cramp Fish; Numb Fish Torpedo occidentalis STORER, Am. Jour. Sci. Arts, 165, pl. 3, 1843; Hist. Fish. Mass. 271, pl. XX XIX, fig. 5, 1867; JornpDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. 8S. Nat. Mus. 39, 1883. Raja torpedo MitcHiLL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 476, 1815. Tetronarce occidentalis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 77, pl. XI, fig. 33, 1896; Smirn, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 89, 1898. Length of disk equals six sevenths of its width and more than one half the total length; length of base of ventrals equals one fourth the width of disk; eyes small, placed three times their diameter from tip of snout, and about the same distance from each other; length of first dorsal base nearly equals distance between the spiracles; hight of first dorsal fin exceeds length of snout; base of second dorsal scarcely more than one half the Jength of first, the hight of the fin hardly two thirds of that of } ; ; i ‘3 : 52, NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM first; caudal slightly emarginate, its width and length nearly equal, about two sevenths of width of disk. The upper surface is dark purplish brown with a few darker spots distributed over it; beneath white. The torpedo is found on the Atlantic coast of the United States from Cape Cod to Florida; it occurs also in the West Indies. The fish is usually uncommon except in Buzzards bay and Vineyard sound. It reaches the length of 5 feet and the weight of 100 pounds. | Mitchill placed a torpedo among the fishes of New York on the authority of fishermen and others who had seen the Species and knew of its peculiar electric properties. De Kay did not see the fish and merely refers to the probability of its occurrence and its relation to the genus Torpedo. The existence of a torpedo on the coast of Massachusetts was made known by Storer in 1848, when he described a speci- men caught at Wellfleet, in November 1842. Capt. Atwood, a well known former resident of Provincetown Mass. informed Dr Storer that he had received a great many powerful shocks from the fish which threw him to the ground; these were pro- duced by touching the animal. He also received shocks by tak- ing hold of a harpoon which was struck into the fish. . Storer relates an anecdote illustrating the effect produced on a dog. Mr Newcomb sr, the oldest fisherman in Boston market, stated to me that his father, who resided at Wellfleet, had a dog which frequently waded into the shallow waters of the coves and brought out flounders which he had seized with his mouth. In one of his fishing excursions he attacked a torpedo, which per- fectly convulsed him. He dropped the fish and ran away howl- ing most piteously, and could never be persuaded to resume his fishing. At Woods Hole Mass. the torpedo is most abundant in October and November. At times aS many as six are taken at one lift of a trap at Menemsha. The smallest weigh 4 or 5 pounds, the largest 75 pounds. Cr CO FISHES OF NEW YORK Suborder MASTICURA Whip-tailed Rays Family pASYATIDAE Sting Rays Genus DASYATIS Rafinesque Disk usually broader than long; pectoral fins united in front to form the tip of the snout; tail very slender and elongate, fin- less, but often with one or two membranous folds, and with a strong serrated spine near its base; skin rarely smooth, usually more or less spinous or prickly, tail with numerous small spines in some species; mouth small; teeth small, paved, usually more or less pointed or tubercular; a few papillae, usually in the mouth behind the lower jaw; nostrils close together; nasal valves forming a rectangular flap, which is joined to the upper jaw by a narrow frenum; spiracles large, placed close behind the eyes. Ovoviviparous. 28 Dasyatis centrura (Mitchill) ! Common Sting Ray Raja centrura MiTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 479, 1815. Pastinaca hastata STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 268, pl. XX XIX, fig. 3, 1867. Dasibatis centrura JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 67, 1888. (From Garman) Trygon hastata GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 476, 1870. Dasyatis centrura JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 88, 1896; SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 90, 1898. Disk quadrangular, about one fourth wider than long; ante- rior margins sinuous, concave opposite the eyes, convex toward the slightly protuberant snout and rounded over angles; pos-: terior straighter, very little convex; hinder angles blunt; ven- trals truncate, with rounded angles; tail more than twice as ' long as the body, much compressed, rounded above, with keel or cutaneous expansion below, with one or more strong serrated spines at the termination of the anterior fifth of its length, rough on all sides with spines or tubercles. Till half grown the. young are naked; as they approach maturity broad stellate based, conical pointed, irregularly placed bucklers appear on the middle of the hinder part of the back and on the top and sides 54 NEW YORK STATH MUSEUM of the tail. Wery large examples have the central part of the back closely mailed with small flattened tubercles. The buck- iers bear more resemblance to those of the R ajae, radiata and clavata, than to the tubercles of pastinaca, has- tata, or tuberculata. Mouth arched forward, with five papillae; teeth in quincunx, blunt, smooth. Color of back and tail olive brown; light to white below. From pastinaca, which this species resembles in shape, it is distinguished by the tubercles, by the length and compression of the tail, and absence of all trace of keel or expansion on its upper side. A young specimen measures from snout to tail 13.8, in length of tail 30.5, and width of pectorals 17.5 inches. The largest specimen in the collection has a total length of 10 feet 3 inches (Coll. Mus. Comp. Zool. Cambridge Mass.). Common south of Cape Cod. Occasionally found northward. (After Garman) | Formerly hundreds of individuals were caught annually in Gravesend bay, but now it is seldom seen there. The species will live in captivity several months in the spring and summer. Mitchill records it as occurring on the coast of Long Island. The tail, he states, is 5 feet or more in length. Storer described a specimen 9 feet long. He was informed by Dr Yale that the fish was abundant on the flats in the harbor of Holmes’s Hole, Mar- thas Vineyard, in July and August. Near Woods Hole Mass. it is common during summer, appearing early in July. The sting ray is much dreaded by fishermen, who say that wounds made by its spines are exceedingly painful and danger- ous, the slime secreted by the fish acting as a poison. Subgenus DASYATIS 29 Dasyatis hastata (De Kay) Kit Pastinaca hastata Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 378, pl. 65, fig. 214, 1842. Trygon hastata STORER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 261, 1846. Dasibatis hastata GARMAN, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 70, 18838. Dasyatis hastata JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 83, 1896. The sting rays of the subgenus Dasyatis differ from the type centrura in having a narrow keel or expansion on the tail both above and below. FISHES OF NEW YORK 5D Disk with the shape and proportions Obs een (run a 5 anterior margins nearly straight, meeting in a blunt angle on the end of the snout, curved near the outer angle to meet the slightly convex posterior margins; inner borders convex; outer and hinder angles rounded; ventrals almost entirely covered by the pectorals, their hinder margins convex; tail more than one and one half times as long as the disk, with a low keel on the upper side, a long, broad, membranous expansion below, rough- ened with small asperities, and with one or more serrated spines beginning in the first fourth of its length; body smooth in young, with scattered small asperities in the old; a row of narrow, com- pressed tubercles on the middle of the back and base of tail, their points depressed and directed backward. On each shoulder, parallel with the median row, there is a shorter row varying in length according to age. Mouth with three papillae; jaws more curved than in centrura and less than in sabina. Color bluish or uniform olive brown above, white beneath. West Indies to Brazil, north to Rhode Island. De Kay’s description of his whip sting ray is based on a female captured in September off the coast of Rhode Island by Carson Brevoort of New York. The length of the fish was & feet 6 inches and its weight 110 pounds. Mr Brevoort stated that the whip rays appeared to associate together, as he noticed many of similar size and appearance swimming about at the same time. They moved slowly together through the water, along the edges of the rocks, about 3 feet below the surface. When captured, the individual described by Dr De Kay whipped its tail about with great activity in all directions. From this circumstance it derives the name of whip ray. 30 Dasyatis say (Le Sueur) Southern Sting Ray Raja say LE SuEvR, Jour. Ac. Nat, Sci. Phila. I, 42, 1817. Myliobatis? say DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 376, 1842. Trygon sayi MULLER & HENLE, Plagiostomen, 166, 1841; Duwerit, Elas- mobranches, 603, 1870. Dasybatis sayi GARMAN, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 69, 1883. Dasyatis say JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 86, 1896. - 56 NEW YORK STATE MUSHUM Disk quadrangular, about one sixth wider than long, anterior margins nearly straight, posterior and inner borders convex, outer and posterior angles rounded; snout not protruding be- yond the lines of the margins, ventrals rounded; tail strong, rather more than one and one half times the length of disk, with a strong serrated spine, bearing a short, low cutaneous expansion behind the spine on the upper side, and a longer, little wider one below, ending nearly opposite; upper jaw undulated, lower prominent in the middle; teeth small, smooth in young and females, sharp in adult males; three papillae at the bottom of the mouth, and one at each side; body and tail naked. Color olive brown in adult, reddish or yellowish in young; lower sur- face whitish. New York to Florida and Brazil. (After Garman) According to Garman, a young female measured from snout to tail 7.1, length of tail was 11, and width of pectorals 8.2 inches. Le Sueur’s type was from the New Jersey coast. . Miller and Henle mention six specimens in the Museum of Natural History at Paris, which were sent from New York by Milbert. The species has not been reported recently in New York waters. Genus PTEROPLATEA Miller & Henle Disk much broader than long, its anterior margins meeting in a very obtuse angle, its outer angles more or less acute, the form, therefore, transversely rhombic; tail very short and slender, shorter than the disk, without fin, armed with a very small serrated spine or without spine; skin smooth or very nearly so. Size large. 31 Pteroplatea maclura (Le Sueur) Butterfly Ray Raja maclura LE SuEvR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 41, 1817. Pastinaca maclura Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 375, pl. 65, fig. 218, 1842. Pteroplatea maclura MULLER & HENLE, Plagiostomen, 169, 1841; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 487, 1870; JogpaAn & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 46, 1883; JorpAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. 8. Nat.. Mus. 86, 1896; SuitH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 90, 1898. Disk almost twice as broad as long, covered with smooth skin (or with minute granulations according to Le Sueur), the snout ee eRe ee eee FISHES OF NEW YORK 57 very little projecting, so that the.anterior margin of each pectoral is slightly concave; tail two fifths to one third the length of disk, with a slight dermal fold above and below, and with one or two spines very near its base or sometimes with- out spines; eyes small and near the snout; spiracles large, near the eyes; nostrils small, near the mouth, not extending to the upper lip; teeth numerous, triangular, acute, each emarginate at the base behind; ventrals short, broad and rounded, their length less than one fifth of that of disk. Color brownish olive, sometimes bluish, finely marbled with grayish, and finely speckled; anterior edge of disk with blotches of paler; tail with four dark blotches above, forming half rings. Cape Cod to Brazil, common southward. The species is now rarely seen in Gravesend bay. It does not endure captivity. Le Sueur’s description was based on a specimen 6 feet 7 inches wide, taken at Newport R.I. He was informed by fisher- men that it reaches the width of 15 feet. De Kay copied Le Sueur’s description and figure. Dr Smith says it ig rare at Woods Hole, and appears in August and September when present. It has the local name of Angel fish at Woods Hole. Family MyLIOBATIDE Eagle Rays Genus myntioBsatis Duméril Disk broad; pectoral fins ending laterally in an acute angle, not continued forward around the snout, but ceasing on the sides of the head and reappearing in front of the snout as a fleshy protuberance (cephalic fin); tail very long and’ slender, whiplike, with a small dorsal fin near its root, and one or more serrated spines; teeth hexangular, large, flat, tessellated, the middle ones much broader than long in the adult; several series of narrower teeth on each side of the median series; teeth chang- ing considerably. with age; jaws about equal; free edge of the nasal valye not deeply emarginate; skin smooth. nt ee reece. 58 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 32 Myliobatis freminvillei (Le Sueur) Hagle Ray Myliobatis fréminvillei Le Surur, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. TV, 111, 1824; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 376, 1842. Myliobatis acuta STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 269, pl. XX XIX, fig. 4, 1867. Myliobatis freminvillei JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 51, 1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 89, 1896; Smit, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 90, 1898. Disk broader than long, width to length bearing the ratio of » to 3; width of disk equal to length of tail. Diameter of eye equals about one fourth of the interorbital distance; spiracles behind the eyes and one and one half times as long. Width of mouth one half its distance from tip of snout. Free edge of the nasal valve not deeply notched. Reaches a length of 4 feet. Body and head above, reddish brown; tail lighter at the base, but nearly black toward the tip; lower parts whitish. The species is not uncommon, from Cape Cod to Brazil. It probably feeds on mollusks. It was reported to me by men of the menhaden steamer Annie Morris that about Aug. 20, 1887, off Hereford inlet, they saw schools of sting rays at the surface “ flopping along like geese.” The schools were large enough to have filled a menhaden seine. The rays were said to have two spines on the tail. Le Sueur’s description was based on a Rhode Island specimen. De Kay copied briefly from Le Sueur, and placed the fish among the extra-limital species. William O. Ayres found an individual at Brook Haven L. I., which he described in the Boston Journal of Natural History, 4:290, pl. 13. Dr Storer received portions of a specimen from Holmes’ Hole Mass. Dr Smith records it as not very common at Woods Hole Mass., but taken in small num- bers every year in traps. Genus RHINOPTERA Kuhl Disk broader than long, its anterior angles more or less acute; snout more or less emarginate on the median line; cephalic fin emarginate and placed on a plane below the level of the pector- als, the snout thus appearing four-lobed; free border of the nasal valve not emarginate; teeth in 5 to 20 rows, the median FISHES OF NEW YORK 59 teeth sometimes much enlarged, sometimes not much larger than the outer teeth; tail long, whiplike, with a small dorsal spine behind the dorsal fin which is at the base of the tail; ventral fins oblong, truncated behind. 33 Rhinoptera bonasus (Mitchill) Cow-nosed Ray Raja bonasus MiITcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 479, 1815. Rhinoptera quadriloba Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 375, pl. 66, fig. 217, 1842; GunTuerR, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 494, 1870; JonDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 51, 1883. Rhinoptera bonasus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 90, 1896; Smitu, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 90, 1898. The length of disk equals two thirds of its width; its anterior borders almost straight, posterior undulated; pectorals acutely produced; muzzle deeply emarginate; mouth wide; nostrils mid- way between mouth and tip of snout; spiracles large, longer than eye; teeth in seven rows in each jaw, the median teeth more than four times as broad as long, the others gradually diminishing in size outward; tail very slender, as long as the body; a small dorsal fin at base of tail and a slender, serrate spine behind it; skin smooth except a few protuberances on the top of the head. Color olive brown above; beneath white. Cape Cod to Forida; not rare. This species is now rarely seen in Gravesend bay, where it was at one time very common in the autumn. When Mitchill wrote of the fishes of New York (1815) he stated that the cow- nosed ray visits the coast, usually about September, in numer- ous shoals, entering the bay and ranging very extensively over the flats where the soft clam lives. These shellfish he is supposed to devour; for a shoal of cow- noses roots up the salt water flats as completely as a drove of hogs would do. Ihave seen the water in violent agitation when these fishes were at work in the bottom.- They render it so muddy that they are concealed from sight. Frequently, how- ever, they rise to the top and may be distinctly observed. I have seen them swim near the surface in clear water. They then Support and propel themselves in their element by their large flaps as a crow or other bird, with slowly moving wings, passes through the air. They may be said to fiy rather than to swim. A. full grown individual weighs about 100 pounds. 60 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Mitchill also states that the fishermen usually allow these rays to decay on the shores, but sometimes take out their livers for conversion into oil. According to Dr Smith, the cow-nosed ray is common at Woods Hole Mass. Subclass TELEOSTOMI True Fishes Series GANOIDEI Ganoid Fishes Order SELACHOSTOMI ’ Paddlefishes Family POLYODONTIDAE Paddlefishes Genus Potyopon Lacépéde Body fusiform, elongate, somewhat compressed; skin smooth or with minute ossifications; snout produced into a very long spatulate process, the inner part composed of the produced nasal bones, the sides flexible and supported by a bony network; mouth wide, terminal, but overhung by the snout, without max- illaries, but with toothed premaxillaries; numerous fine, decidu- ous teeth in the jaws and on palatines; no tongue; nostrils double, immediately in front of the eye; spiracles present; oper- culum rudimentary, its skin produced behind.into a long acute flap; no pseudobranchiae; no barbels; no opercular. gill; gills four and one half; gill rakers numerous, very long and slender, in a double series on each arch, the two series divided by a broad membrane; gill membranes connected but free from isth- mus; one broad branchiostegal; lateral line continuous, its lower margin with short branches; air bladder cellular, entire, com- municating with the dorsal wall of the esophagus; pyloric caeca in the form of a short, broad, leaflike organ, with four or five larger divisions, each being subdivided; rectum with a fully developed spiral valve; dorsal fin posterior, without spines; anal similar, and more posterior; tail heterocercal, with well devel- FISHES OF NEW YORK 61 oped lower caudal lobe so that the fin is nearly equally forked; sides of the bent portion of the tail armed with small rhombic plates; upper caudal fulerums narrow, numerous; pectorals mod- erate, placed low; ventrals abdominal, many-rayed. Rivers of the middle United States. 34 Polyodon spathula (Walbaum) Paddlefish; Spoonbill Cat Squalus spathula WALBAUM, Artedi, Gen. Pisce. 522, 1792. Polyodon feuille LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. I, 403, 1800. Polyodon folium BiocH & SCHNEIDER, Syst. Ichth. 457, 1801 (after Lacé- péde); Mitrcuitt, Am. Jour. Sci. Arts, XII, 201, 1827; KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. IV, 21, pl. 2, fig. 1, 1844; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 346, 1870. Polyodon spathula JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 83, 1888; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 101, 1896. The body of the paddlefish is fusiform with the snout much produced, spatulalike. Body scaleless, covered with smooth skin; mouth broad, terminal, somewhat resembling that of the Shark; teeth in jaws very numerous and fine, deciduous; spiracles with a minute barbel. The operculum is rudimentary, its flap of skin long, reaching almost or quite to the ventral fins; pseu- dobranchiae absent; gill arches five, the last rudimentary; gill rakers long and in a double series on each arch; gill membranes connected, free from the isthmus; nostrils double, situated at . base of blade; a continuous lateral line from upper part of head along dorsal outline to tail; eye small, directed downward and to the side; dorsal and anal fins far back, composed of soft rays, nearly opposite; tail heterocercal, well forked; sides of the bent portion of the tail armed with rhombic plates. The pectoral fins are of moderate size and placed low; ventrals many-rayed, abdominal. The distance from eye to end of snout is about one third of the total length, including caudal. The depth of the body is contained four and one half times in the distance from eye to base of caudal. The hight of the dorsal fin about equals the depth of the body. This is known as the paddlefish, spoonbill or spoon-billed sturgeon, shovel fish, billfish, and duck-billed cat. Called “ sal- a I i —— = a ne a = = rap go - : et asl 8 Se eS ee am > —— hapa LOS OS BR we ee ee a Rr Ee I er ay an oe - poy Oe ere is 62 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM mon” in western hotels. The names are derived from the re- markable snout, which is produced into a long spatula-shaped process, covered above and below with an intricate network and with very thin flexible edges. The head and snout form nearly half of the entire length of the fish. The fish can not be con- founded with anything else in the waters of the United States. There is in China a similar fish, which, however, belongs to a different genus. Distribution. The single species of American paddlefish is confined to the Mississippi valley. It inhabits only the larger streams in Pennsylvania. It is common in the Allegheny and the Monongahela rivers. Size. The paddlefish grows to a length of 6 feet, and a weight of 30 pounds or more. Habits. The species frequents muddy bottoms, but does not feed on the mud and slime, aS many persons have supposed. The long snout is useful in procuring its food, which consists chiefly of entomostracans, water worms, aquatic plants, leeches, beetles and insect larvae. Prof. S. A. Forbes, director of the Illinois Laboratory of Natural History, has published the first and most satisfactory account of the feeding habits of this sharklike fish. He found very little mud mixed with the food. Prof. Forbes was informed by the fishermen that the paddlefish plows up the mud in feed- ing with its spatulalike snout and then swims slowly backward through the water. . t “The remarkably developed gill rakers of this species are very numerous and fine, in a double row on each gill arch, and they are twice as long as the filaments of the gill. By their interlacing they form a strainer scarcely less effective than the fringes of the baleen plates of the whale, and probably allow the passage of the fine silt of the river bed when this is thrown into the water by the shovel of the fish but arrests everything as large as the cyclops. I have not found anything recorded as to the spawning habits of the paddlefish. The young have the jaws and palate filled with minute teeth, which disappear with age.” FISHES OF NEW YORK 63 Mode of capture. The fish are generally caught by seining. Edible qualities. The flesh of the paddlefish is frequently con- sidered tough and sharklike, but individuals of 8 or 10 pounds are skinned, and sold in some of the western markets freely, and are thought by some persons to be fairly good for the table. Order CHONDROSTEI Stwrgeons Family ACIPENSERIDAE Sturgeons Genus AcIPENSER Linnaeus Body elongate, subcylindric, armed with five rows of bony _bucklers, each with a median keel terminating in a spine which becomes obsolete with age; a median dorsal series of bucklers, and a lateral and abdominal series on each side, the abdominal Series sometimes deciduous; between these the skin is rough with small, irregular plates. Head covered with bony plates joined by sutures; snout produced, subconic; spiracles present; mouth small, inferior, protractile, with thickened lips; no teeth; gill rakers lanceolate; four barbels in a transverse series on the lower side of the snout in front of the mouth; eyes small; nos- trils large, double, in front of eye; gills four; an accessory oper- cular gill; gill membranes united to isthmus; pseudobranchiae small or obsolete; no branchiostegals; maxillary distinct from the premaxillary; fin rays slender, all articulated; vertical fins with fulerums; pectorals placed low; ventrals many-rayed, be- hind middle of body; dorsal placed posteriorly; anal somewhat behind dorsal, similar; tail heterocercal, the lower caudal lobe de- veloped; the tail not depressed or mailed; air bladder large, sim- ple, connected with the esophagus; stomach without blind sac; rectum with a spiral valve; pancreas divided into pyloric ap- pendages. (After Jordan and Evermann) 35 Acipenser sturio Linnaeus Common Sturgeon Acipenser sturio LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 237, 1758; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 342, 1870; JorpAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus, 105, 1896; SmirH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVI, 90, 1898, 64 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Acipenser oryrinchus MirconiLy, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 462, 1815. Acipenser oryrhincus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 346, pl. 58, fig. 189 (young), 1842. Acipenser sturio var. oxyrrhynchus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 86, 1883. The common or sharp-nosed sturgeon has a stout, roundish and elongate body, its hight equaling one half the length of the head and one sixth of the total without the caudal. The least depth of the tail equals one third of the greatest body depth. The head is long, one third of total without the caudal, and the snout is as long as the rest.of the head in the voung. The eye is one sixth as long as the snout. Two pairs of short, slender barbels midway between the mouth and tip of snout. The front of the mouth is nearly under the posterior edge of the pupil. The nostrils are double, the posterior pair more than twice as large as the anterior. The dorsal and anal fins are placed far back and opposite to each other. The distance of the ventral origin from the end of the lower caudal lobe equals the length of the head. The upper caudal lobe is nearly twice as long as the lower. D. 38 to 40; A. 28 to 26; V. 24. Lateral plates 27 (0329: dorsal shields 10 to 14; ventral shields 11 or 12. The color of the upper parts is dark olive gray, sometimes brownish; the lower parts are light gray or whitish. The pupius are black; the iris golden. The range of the common sturgeon includes the Atlantic ocean southward to Africa and the West Indies. The northern limit on our east coast appears to be Cape Cod. In the Dela- ware river the fish has rarely ascended as far as Port Jervis. — Dr Mitchill was the first to call attention to the similarity between the American sharp-nosed sturgeon and the sturio of Europe. The fish attains a length of 12 feet in America, and it is stated that European examples measuring 18 feet have been taken. The sturgeon ascends the large rivers from the sea in spring and early summer. It is very common in the lower part of the Delaware river, where it forms the object of an important fish- ery. This is the species concerning which so many stories have - FISHES OF NEW YORK 65 been related as to leaping into boats and injuring the occu- pants. : | The mouth of the sturgeon is furnished with a very protrac- tile roundish tube having powerful muscles and intended for withdrawing from the mud the various small shellfish and crus- taceans on which the animal subsists. The mouth is surrounded also with numerous tentacles, with tactile properties, which are utilized in procuring food. The reproductive habits of the sturgeon and the embryology of the species have been made the subject of an exhaustive study by Prof. John A. Ryder, of the University of Pennsylva- nia, whose monograph forms a part of the Bulletin of the U.S. Fish Commission for 1888. The eggs have been fertilized and developed artificially by Seth Green and others many years - ago, and in some parts of Europe the hatching of the species has been carried on successfully. The U.S. Fish Commission has also recently taken up the culture both of the marine and the lake sturgeon, and these valuable fish may soon be reared on an extensive scale. The utilization of the flesh, the skin and air bladder and the eggs of the sturgeon is so well known as to require little more than passing mention in this place. The smoking of the flesh © and the manufacture of caviar from the eggs are very import- ant industries along our eastern coast. | The sturgeons are easily taken in gill nets and pounds, but the great strength of the fish frequently entails considerable loss of apparatus. The common sturgeon appears every spring in Gravesend bay, and sometimes in the fall. It is hardy in captivity. A female 8 feet long was brought from the mouth of the Delaware river May 20, 1897, to the New York aquarium. It seemed to take no food till December 1, when it began to feed freely on opened hard clams. Early in November 1898, the fish _was still alive and healthy. O6 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 36 Acipenser rubicundus Le Sueur Lake Sturgeon Acipenser rubicundus LE SuEuR, Trans. Am. Phil. Soc. I, 388, 1818; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 344, pl. 58, fig. 191, 1842: GunNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 388, 1870; Jorpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. 8. Nat. Mus. 87, 1888; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 106, 1896. Acipenser macylosus Gunter, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 339, 1870. The body of the lake sturgeon is rather more slender than that of the common sturgeon. The snout is rather blunt; in the young long and slender. The shields of the body are large, about 14 on the back, 30 or more on the side, and eight or nine along the abdomen, between pectoral and ventral fins. Each shield is surmounted by a strong hooked spine. The head is con- tained three and one third times in the length without tail. Barbels four, rather long; eye small; dorsal and anal fins small, placed far back as in the pike. D. 35; A. 26. | This is known as the lake sturgeon, Ohio river sturgeon, rock sturgeon, bony sturgeon, red sturgeon and ruddy sturgeon. It inhabits the Mississippi and Ohio rivers and the Great lakes, and is abundant in the Allegheny. From the lakes it ascends the streams in spring for the purpose of spawning. Dr Richard- son states the northern limit of the sturgeon in North America to be about the 55th parallel of latitude. Size. The lake sturgeon is smaller than the common marine . sturgeon, the average adult being less than 5 feet in length. The average weight of 14,000 mature sturgeon-taken at San- dusky O. was about 50 pounds. It frequently reaches a length of 6 feet. Habits. In the lakes the species, according to observations of James W. Milner, inhabits comparatively shoal waters. — The food of this sturgeon is made up chiefly of shellfish, including the genera Limnaea, Melantho, Physa, Planorbis, and Valvata. Eggs of fishes are also to be found in its stomach. In Lake Erie the species spawns in June, for which purpose it ascends the rivers in large schools till stopped by obstructions ~ i =e a ee oe on Ree POO , FISHES OF NEW YORK 67 or insufficient depth of water. The breaching of the sturgeon is a well known habit. Instances are recorded of serious injury to persons by sturgeons throwing themselves into boats. The sturgeon will occasionally take a baited hook, but its great strength and unwieldiness make it an undesirable fish for the angler. Large numbers of sturgeon have been destroyed by fishermen during the whitefish season simply on account of the annoyance caused by their presence in the nets. Now that the flesh is coming to be esteemed for smoking, and the demand for caviar made from their eggs has largely increased, the wanton waste of this fish has been checked. A troublesome parasite of the sturgeon is the lamprey eel (Petromyzon concolor Kirt.) which attaches itself to the skin presumably for the pur- pose of feeding on the mucus, which is exuded from the pores in great abundance, and remains fixed in one position so long as to penetrate to the flesh and produce a deep ulcerous sore. The lake sturgeon was formerly not very much prized, but is rapidly growing in favor. The flesh is eaten in the fresh con- dition or after boiling in vinegar or curing by smoking. Smoked sturgeon is now considered almost if not quite equal to smoked halibut, and the demand for it is increasing. From the eggs of the sturgeon a good grade of caviar is produced. “The caviar is made by pressing the ova through seives, leaving the mem- branes of the ovaries remaining in the sieve, and the eggs fall through intoa tub. This is continued until the eggs are entirely free from particles of membrane, when they are put into salt pickle and allowed to remain for some time.” A large specimen now in the museum of Cornell University is reported as being from Cayuga lake. Seth Green informed Dr Meek that sturgeons had occasionally been taken in that lake; but, so far as he knew, they had never been found in any other of the small lakes of central New York. H. V. Kipp of Montezuma N. Y. wrote Dr Meek as follows: There have not been any sturgeons taken from Cayuga lake since 1880, but quite a number before that date, and the largest known weighed 35 pounds. ~ 68 NEW YORK STATR MUSEUM 37 Acipenser brevirostrum LeSueur Short-nosed Sturgeon Acipenser brevirostrum LE SUEUR, Trans, Am. Phil. Soe. I, 380, 1818; RypER, Bull. U. S. F. C. VIII, 237, 1890; JorpAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. 8S. Nat. Mus. 106, 1896. Acipenser brevirostris GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 341, 1870; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 87, 18838; SmituH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 90, 1898. In the short-nosed sturgeon the snout is very blunt.and only about one fourth to one third as long as the head. The four short barbels are a little nearer to the end of the snout than to the mouth, and do not reach to the mouth. The head is one fifth to two ninths as long as the total to the fork of the tail; the distance between the eyes slightly greater than length ‘of snout and somewhat more than one third of length of head. The average number of bucklers in the dorsal series is 10 to 11; in the lateral series, 25; in the ventral row, seven to eight. No preanal scutes. The unarmored part of the skin, according to recent observations of Prof. John A. Ryder, is almost free — from prickles and ossifications. D. 338; A. 19 to 22; V. 17 to 21; P. 30 to 31; C. 60, its lower lobe two fifths as long as the upper, measuring from the fork. The color of the skin of the upper parts is reddish brown; lower parts nearly white; peritoneum dark brown; viscera almost black. This little-known sturgeon has not been generally recognized anywhere except in the Delaware and in Gravesend bay; only a few specimens have been obtained in the river, and it is rare in Gravesend bay. Prof. Ryder collected five examples at Delaware City in the spring of 1888 and has published a description of the species in the Bulletin of the U. 8S. Fish Com- mission for that year. Size. The largest specimen known was 33 inches long; indi- viduals 20 inches long are capable of reproducing the species. Uses. At the present time the short-nosed sturgeon prob- ably never comes into the markets, on account of its small Size, which prevents its capture in the nets used for taking the common sturgeon. About 1817, however, it was brought in the shad season to Philadelphia and sold for 25c to 75c each. ee Le a Pee ee eR ee eee ee eS ee ae ee) ee FISHES OF NEW YORK 69 Reproduction. Spawning takes place in the Delaware during May. The eggs are deposited in depths of 1 to 5 fathoms on hard bottom in brackish or nearly fresh water. Prof. Ryder states that the eggs are extruded by rubbing the belly either against hard places on the river bed or against the rough bodies of the males, two or more of which accompany each female. The gravid roe fish are larger than the males. Prof. Ryder found the ova more or less adhesive immediately after their removal from the abdomen, but the sticky mucous cover- ing is soluble in water. The period of hatching varies from four to six days. _ Food. Up to the third month of its life the young sturgeon has minute conical teeth in its jaws, and at this age it is be- lieved to subsist on “rhizopods, unicellular algae, infusoria, minute larvae of insects and worms, crustaceans, ete.” Still following the observations of Prof. Ryder, we learn that the sturgeon, when it has reached a length of 1 inch to 14 inches, has minute teeth on the floor of the pharynx and feeds on small water fleas, and probably algae, worms, embryo fishes, insects and fresh-water copepods. Later in life the fish seeks larger .crustaceans, and the adults occasionally contain frag- ments of mussel shells. The young fish have been caught under the ice in midwinter and are known to pass most of the year in fresh water. A single small example of this sturgeon was brought to the New York aquarium from Gravesend bay May 18, 1896, and was alive and in good condition in November 1898. Dr Smith records the occurrence of the species along with the common sturgeon at Woods Hole Mass., but says it is less numerous. It is captured in the traps. Order RHOMBOGANOIDEA Gar Pikes Family LEPISOSTEIDAE Gar Pikes | Genus LEPISOSTEUS Lacépéde Body elongate, subcylindric, covered with hard, rhombic ganoid scales or plates which are imbricated in oblique series running downward and backward; both jaws more or less elon- 70 NEW YORK STATR MUSEUM gate, spatulate or beaklike, the upper jaw projecting beyond the lower; premaxillary forming most of the margin of the upper jaw; maxillary transversely divided into several pieces; upper jaw with an outer series of small, sharp, even teeth, then a series of large teeth, some of the anterior teeth being usually movable; next a series of fine teeth, in one row in front, becoming a band behind. In some species the inner row of these teeth contains larger ones; next the vomerine teeth, also in a long band, and posteriorly a palatine band. These bands on the roof of the mouth are frequently somewhat confluent or irregular. In young specimens some of the palatine teeth are often enlarged, these sometimes forming regular series. Lower jaw with an outer series of small teeth, next a series of. large teeth, next again a broad band of fine teeth on each side. Each of the large teeth fits into a depression in the opposite jaw. Pharyngeals with rasplike teeth; tongue tooth- less, short, broad, emarginate, free at tip; external bones of skull very hard and rugose; eyes small; nostrils near the end of the upper jaw; an accessory gill on the inner side of the opercle; pseudobranchiae present; no spiracles; gills four, a slit behind the fourth; branchiostegals three; gill membranes somewhat connected, free from the isthmus; gill rakers very short; air bladder cellular, lunglike, somewhat functional; fins with fulcrums; dorsal fin short, rather high, posterior, nearly op- posite the anal, which is similar in form; tail heterocereal, in the young produced as a filament beyond the caudal fin; caudal convex; ventrals nearly midway between pectorals and anal; pectorals and ventrals moderate, few-rayed; stomach not caecal; pyloric appendages numerous; spiral valve of intestines rudi- mentary. Fishes of the fresh waters of North America and China. (After Jordan and Evermann) : 38 Lepisosteus osseus Linnaeus Gar Pike; Billfish Esoz osseus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 318, 1758; MircuHiui, Trans.. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 444, 1815; Am. Month. Mag. II, 321, 1818. Lepisosteus bison DE Kay, N. Y, Fauna, Fishes, 271, pl. 48, fig. 189, 1842. FISHES OF NEW YORK 1 Lepidsosteus osseus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 1870; Jorpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 91, 1883. Lepisosieus osseuS JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 109, 1896. The garpike has an elongate, subcylindric body. Its depth is contained about 12 times in the length without the caudal. The jaws are greatly produced, the upper being the longer. The length of the head is one third of the total without caudal. Teeth in the jaws rather fine, sharp and stiff; a single inner row of large teeth, and an outer row of small teeth on each side. The snout is more than twice as long as the rest of the head, its least width being from one fifteenth to one twentieth of its length. D.7to8;A.9;V.6;P.10. Scales 62 to 65. Color greenish; the sides silvery and the belly whitish; nu- merous round, dark spots on the sides, most distinct posteriorly and most conspicuous in the young, becoming obscure with age. Very young individuals have a blackish lateral band. The fins are generally plain, but the vertical fins have numerous round dark spots. The specimen described is no. 36098, U. S. National Museum. Its length is 24 inches. This is the common long-nosed gar pike of the Great lakes, the Mississippi valley and the eastern states from Pennsylvania to South Carolina. It ranges south to Mexico and west to the plains. Additional names for the species are: billfish, sword- fish, bony gar, bony pike, alligator, alligator gar, and buf- falo fish. Prof. Cope recognizes two varieties of this gar in Pennsylvania. One of these abounds in the Susquehanna and the lower Delaware. He distinguishes it by its ro- -bust form, short face and gill covers and the roughened scales of the front part of the body. The other variety occurs in lakes and in the Allegheny river and is to be known by its slenderer face and gill covers, its smaller size, generally smooth scales and the absence of dark spots on the body and fins. It should be remembered, however, that the species is extremely variable in these particulars, and all of the names based on Such characters have been generally discarded. 72 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM The garpike attains to a length of 5 to 6 feet, of which the head and snout usually form about one third. The body is comparatively slender, equaling about one twelfth of the entire length. This species is more abundant in the Great lakes and large streams than in the small rivers. It is emphatically a fish of prey and extremely tenacious of life. It spawns in shoal water, or in the streams, in the late spring and early summer months. Occasionally taken from the northern end of Cayuga lake, but not so numerous as formerly. | sie The garpike is said to be nowhere used for food, because its flesh is tough and is believed to be unwholesome. I have seen it, however, with the bill cut off and the skin removed, offered — for sale in the market at Washington D. C. 39 Lepisosteus platostomus Rafinesque Short-nosed Gar Lepisosteus platostomus RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 72, 1820; KrrRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. IV, 20, 1844; Jorpan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U.S: Nat: Mass i210; pl. XXII, fig. 49, 1896. Lepidosteus platystomus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 329, 1870; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 91, 1883. — Lepisosteus platyrhincus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 273, pl. 48, fig. 137, 1842. The short-nosed garpike has an elongated body, its depth being contained seven and one half timesin the length; the length of the head is less than one third of the length of body to base of tail; distance from eye to tip of snout greater than from eye to posterior edge of opercle; upper jaw slightly longer than the lower; both jaws with many long, sharp teeth. Dorsal and anal fins placed far back, near the tail; ventrals in middle of length. D. 8; A. 9. About 55 rows of scales between head and caudal. Fins all more or less black spotted. The specimen described, no. 3241, U. S. National Museum, from Cleveland O., is 12 inches long. The short-nosed gar, because of its shorter snout, which even in young specimens does not much exceed the rest of the head in length, has been considered as representing a separate sub- genus, Cylindrosteus of Rafinesque. “FISHES OF NEW YORK 73 This fish seldom exceeds 3 feet in length. Its habits are pre- sumably the same as those of the long-nosed gar, and it is equally worthless for food. It may be readily distinguished from the long-nosed species by the shape of its snout and by its more robust form. The short-nosed gar inhabits the Great lakes and the Ohio and Mississippi valleys. It is more abundant in the southern part of its habitat. It was not recorded from waters of New York by either Mitchill or De Kay. f Order CYCLOGANOIDEA Bowfins Family AMIIDAE Bowfins Genus amra Linnaeus Body oblong, compressed behind, terete anteriorly; head sub- conical, anteriorly bluntish, slightly depressed, its superficial bones corrugated and very hard, scarcely covered by skin; snout short, rounded; lateral margins of upper jaw formed by the maxillaries, which are divided by a longitudinal suture; jaws nearly even in front; cleft of the mouth nearly horizontal, extending beyond the small eye; lower jaw broad, U-shaped, the rami well separated; between them a broad bony plate, with radiating striae, its posterior edge free; jaws each with an outer series of conical teeth, behind which in the lower is a band of rasplike teeth ; bands of small teeth on the vomer and ptery- goids; palatines with a series of larger, pointed teeth; premaxil- laries not protractile; tongue thick, scarcely free at tip; nostrils well separated, the anterior with a short barbel; suborbital very harrow; a bony plate covering the cheek, similar to the plates on the top of the head; operculum with a broad dermal border; branchiostegals 10 to 12; no pseudobranchiae or opercular gill; no spiracle; gills four, a slit behind the fourth; gill membranes not connected, free from the isthmus; two peculiar, long, lanceo- late, obliquely striate appendages on each side of the isthmus, projecting backward and covered by the branchiostegal rays, 74 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM the anterior wholly adnate to the isthmus, the posterior free behind; isthmus scaleless; gill rakers stoutish, very short; scales of moderate size, rather firm, cycloid, with a membranous border; lateral line present; dorsal fin long and low, nearly uniform; the posterior rays not much higher than the others; tail somewhat heterocercal (more so in the young), convex behind; no fulcrums; anal fin short and low; pectoral and ventral fins short and rounded, the ventrals nearer anal than pectorals; vertebrae amphicoelian or double concave, as usual among fishes, none of them specially modified; abdominal and caudal parts of the vertebral column subequal; air bladder cellular, bifid in front, lunglike, connected by a glottis with the pharynx, and capable of assisting in respiration; stomach with a blind Sac; no pyloric caeca; no closed oviduct; intestine with a rudi- mentary spiral valve. Fresh waters of the United States. . (After Jordan and Evermann) 40 Amia calva Linnaeus Bowfin ; Mudfish Amia calva LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 500, 1766; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 325, 1870; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 270, 1842: JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 94, 1883; Jornpan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 113, 1896; DEAN, 4th Ann. Rep’t, N. Y. Comm, Fish, Game, Forests, 246-56, pl. ¢ & 9 and fig. I-VIII, 1899. Amia occidentalis DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 269, pl. XX XIX, fig. 125, 1842. . The mudfish has a well rounded, robust body; head more or | less conical; top covered with hard bony plates; body entirely covered with cycloid scales. The mouth is large; maxilla ex- tending far past eye. Depth of body equals three fourths of length of head and is contained slightly more than five times in length of body. Distance from tip of snout to origin of dorsal equals one third of the total length including tail, the dorsal fin beginning over the end of pectoral; length of dorsal base equal to twice length of head; anal base very short, nearly one third of length of head. Strong conical teeth in the jaws; in the lower jaw there is a band of finer teeth behind the outer row FISHES OF NEW YORK TD of large ones. The vomer, palatine and pterygoid bones are finely toothed. A small barbel at anterior nostril. Lateral line continuous; through 62 scales. There are seven rows of scales between dorsal and lateral line and 11 or 12 from lateral line to ventral.. D:.50; A. 10 or 11. The color in life is dark olive, the sides with greenish reticu- lations, the belly whitish; round dark spots on the lower jaw and gular plate. The male has a roundish black spot with an orange border at the base of the caudal fin. The bowfin has various common names, among them mudfish, dogfish, lawyer, grindle, and John-a-grindle. Its range is as ex- tensive as its character is generally worthless. It is found in the Great lakes and tributary streams, in the Ohio and Missis- sippi valleys southward to Texas, and in eastern waters from Pennsylvania to Florida. The female bowfin is larger than the male, reaching a length of 2 feet, while the male seldom exceeds 18 inches. The male is still further distinguished by the presence of a large black spot or spots, margined with orange or crimson, at the base of the tail fin. The female also has the caudal spot, but very faintly developed. The greatest recorded weight of this fish is 12 pounds. Habits. This is one of the most voracious of all fishes. It feeds on all other fish of suitable size and also destroys other animals within reach. The capture of the bowfin by means of the trolling spoon has recently come into greatly increased favor with anglers because of the game qualities of the fish and its wonderful tenacity of life. The species has been known to live out of the water, exposed to the sunlight, 12 hours or more. The young may be kept in an aquarium or other receptacle with- out change of water for months. The spawning season of the bowfin is in May and June, and stagnant sloughs are favorite localities for this purpose. The eggs and young are protected by the parents, and the young remain in the pools after the falling waters cause the departure of the adults. Dr Estes, who has made the best observations on the reproduction of this 3 ee nl _ 76 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM species, states that the little ones are protected in the mouth of the parent when suddenly alarmed. The jumping of the bowfin is one of its most characteristic habits. Dr Estes saw them turn complete somersaults while in the air. The bowfin is not a food fish, its flesh being soft and un- savory; yet Dr Goode found them highly esteemed as a sweet morsel by the negroes.of the south. The young are in great demand as bait for pike and pickerel, and both these and the adults are interesting for the aquarium because of their colors, the ease with which they endure captivity, the peculiarities of their anatomic structure and their affinities with extinct ganoids. It is seldom taken near Ithaca and is not common at the northern end of Cayuga lake. | Series TELEOSTEI Bony Fishes Subclass oSTARIOPHYSI Order NEMATOGNATHI Catfishes Family s1tuRIDAE Catfishes Genus FELICHTHYS Swainson Body rather elongate, little compressed; head depressed, broad above; mouth large, the upper jaw the longer; teeth all — villiform, those on the vomer and palatines forming a more or less perfectly crescent-shaped band; barbels four; maxillary barbels bandlike, very long; two short barbels on chin; nostrils close together, the posterior with a valve; nuchal region with a granulated, bony buckler; fontanelle large, well forward; gill membranes somewhat connected; dorsal fin short, in front of ventrals, with one sharp spine and seven rays; pectorals witha Similar spine; pectoral spines, and sometimes dorsal spines also, ending in a long, striated, bandlike filament; anal fin emarginate, shorter than caudal part of vertebral column; adipose fin mod- FISHES OF NEW YORK Td; erate, free behind; caudal fin widely forked; ventral rays six. Species all marine; in tropical American waters. 1 tect _ 41 Felichthys marinus (Mitchill) Sea Catfish; Gaff Topsail Silurus marinus M1TCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 433, 1815. Galeichthys marinus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Tishes, 178, pi. 37, fig. 118, 1842. Alurichthys marinus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. V, 178, 1864; JorDAN & GILBERT, Bull, 16, U. S. Nat. Mus, 111, 1883, Felichthys marinus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 118, Di MITT fe) 52; 1896; Suita, Bull, U. S. FF? oC. XVU, 90, 1898: Body somewhat compressed, moderately elongate, its depth at dorsal origin two ninths of length to base of middle caudal rays; caudal peduncle slender, its least depth little more than one third of greatest depth of body; head short, snout rounded, length of head one fourth of total length to base of middle caudal rays; occipital buckler small, oblong, nearly uniform in breadth; band of palatine teeth nearly continuous, variable; maxillary barbel, pectoral fin and dorsal fin about equal in length; eye oblong, small, one fifth length of head; snout about one fourth of length of head; maxillary barbel reaches nearly to ventral origin; pectoral filament about to vent; dorsal, when laid back, almost to adipose fin; ventral origin slightly nearer tip of snout than base of middle caudal rays; caudal lobes un- equal, the upper two sevenths of length to middle caudal rays, the lower as long as the head; adipose fin small, one third higher than wide, its length contained three and two thirds times in that of head; anal base one sixth total length to base of middle . caudal rays, longest anal ray two and one third times in head; ventral one half as long as head. D.1, 7; A. 23 (16 developed); P. 1, 12; V. I, 5; B. 6. Vetebrae 20+30. Color, glossy bluish above, silvery or milk white below. ‘The sea catfish is found from Cape Cod to Texas; common southward. Mitchill says it “is an exquisite fish for eating; ” but the species is generally not valued for food. De Kay also” was informed by persons who had eaten it that the fish has an exquisite flavor. He states that it is frequently abundant in eet A ETE A OR ct lL A 78 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Communipaw creek, on the Jersey side of the harbor of New York. It swims frequently with its long dorsal above the sur- face, in the manner of sharks, and imitates those animals in voracity. Mitchill had a specimen 20 inches long. At Woods Hole Mass., according to Dr Smith, the species is quite rare, and few have been seen recently; one was caught in a trap at Menemsha in 1886. Genus HEXANEMATICHTHYS Bleeker Body moderately elongate, subterete; head depressed, armed with a bony shield above, behind which projects an occipital shield; a smaller, crescent-shaped shield at the base of the dorsal spine; these shields usually exposed but sometimes covered by the skin; skull with a fontanel; mouth moderate, the upper jaw the longer; teeth villiform or granular, in a band in each jaw; teeth in one or two patches each on the vomer and pala- tines, the palatine patches without a backward projecting angle — on the inner margin; palatine teeth fixed; barbels six (no nasal barbels), close together, the posterior with a valve; maxillary barbels short, terete; eyes with a more or less free orbital mar- gin, the upper edge sometimes adnate; dorsal fin short, in front of the ventrals, with a sharp spine, and about seven rays; adi- pose fin well developed, posteriorly free; caudal fin deeply . forked; anal fin short; pectorals with spine; ventral rays six; skin smooth, naked, except on the occipital and nuchal regions, where it is usually confluent with the surface of the bony buck- Jers. Species marine. ; 42 Hexanematichthys felis (Linnaeus) Sea Catfish | Silurus felis LINNEAUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 508, 1766. Arius milberti GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. V, 155, 1864. Arius equestris GUNTHER, 1. c. 173, 1864; Barrp & Grrarp, Ichth. U. S. & Mex. Bound. 32, pl. 15, 1859. Arius felis and equestris JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 110, 1883. Galeichthys felis SmirH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 90, 1898. ; Hexanematichthys felis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 47, _ 128, pl. XXIII, fig. 53, 1896. FISHES OF NEW YORK 79 { Body tapering, elongate, terete, its depth at dorsal origin one fifth of length to base of middle caudal rays; caudal peduncle short, its least depth two fifths of greatest.depth of body; head rather elongate, pointed, its length contained three and two thirds times in total to base of middle caudal rays; occipital process with a median keel, about one third of length of head, its tip convex; fontanel forming a narrow groove; top of head comparatively smooth; maxillary barbei three fourths as long as the head; longest mental barbel little more than one half of length of head; eye oblong, placed high, its length one half the length of snout, which is one third the length of head; dorsal origin somewhat behind middle of pectoral fin; dorsal base about equal to snout, highest ray slightly exceeds greatest depth of body; pectoral fin reaches about to below end of dorsal base; ventral origin midway between tip of snout and end of middle caudal rays, length of fin two and one third times in head. Dis- tance from vent to anal origin equals longest anal ray. Length of anal base equals one half the length of head. Caudal lobes unequal, the upper one fourth longer than lower. D.I, 7; P. I, 6; mae Ao GS developed) 5°V. 1,5. Color steel blue, sides and belly silvery, lower parts pale. Cape Cod to Texas; common southward along the sandy coast. Cuvier and Valenciennes received a specimen from New York, forwarded by Milbert. Of its occurrence at Woods Hole Mass. Dr Smith made the following record: “ Reported to have been common in spring in Vineyard sound many years ago, being often taken with cod; now (1898) very rare, and only occasionally observed since the fish commission station at Woods Hole was established. A specimen was taken in 1887, since which time none has been reported.” Genus toraLurus Rafinesque Body slender, elongate, compressed posteriorly; head slender, conical; superoccipital bone or process prolonged backward, its emarginated apex receiving the acuminate anterior point of the second interspinal, thus forming a continuous bony bridge from 80 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM the head to the dorsal spine; mouth small, terminal, the upper jaw longer; teeth subulate, in a short band on each jaw; dorsal fin high, with one long spine and usually six rays; adipose fin over posterior part of anal; anal fin long, with 25 to 35 rays; ventral fins each with one simple and seven branched rays; pectoral fins each with a stout spine, retrorse serrate within, and about nine rays; caudal fin elongate, deeply forked, the lobes pointed, the upper the longer. Coloration pale or silvery, usually with dark spots on the sides. Fresh waters of North America, specially in river channels and ripples in large streams. 43 Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque) Channel Cat; Spotted Cat Silurus punctatus RAFINESQUE, Am. Month. Mag. 3859, Sept. 1818, jide Jordan. Ictalurus punctatus JORDAN, Bull. Buffalo Soc. Nat. Hist. 95, 1876; Man. Vert. 300, 1876; Jonpan & GitBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 108, 1883; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull, 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 184, pl. X XV, fig. 58, 1896. Amiurus cauda-furcatus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. V, 102. 1864. ~The body of the spotted catfish is rather long and slender, the depth contained five times in the length without caudal and equal to the length of the dorsal spine. The head is moderate, convex above, its length being slightly less than one fourth the total length. The maxillary barbels are very long, longer than head; eye moderate, five and one half in head; pectoral Spine two thirds of length of head; humeral process long and slender, one half the length of pectoral spine; adipose fin well developed; caudal deeply forked. The least depth of the caudal peduncle equals one half the depth of body at last dorsal ray. D. I, 6; A. 24; V.1, 8. | | This species is variously styled the channel cat, white cat, silver cat, blue cat and spotted cat. It is found over a vast extent of country comprising the Mississippi and Ohio valleys © and the Great lakes region. In the eastern states it is absent from streams tributary to the Atlantic, but occurs from Ver- mont southward to Georgia, westward to Montana and south- ~ westward to Mexico. In Pennsylvania it is limited to the Ohio and its affiuents. FISHES OF NEW YORK 81 The adults of this species are bluish silvery, and the young are spotted with olive. It is one of the handsomest of the family of catfishes and an excellent food fish. The spotted cat grows to a length of 3 feet and a weight of 25 pounds. It is extremely variable in color and in number of fin rays, and has, consequently, been described under more than 20 different names. It is most abundant in large clear streams. This species is less hardy than most of the other catfishes. Genus ameEturus Rafinesque Body moderately elongated, robust anteriorly, the caudal peduncle much compressed; head large, wide, obtuse; super- occipital extended backward, terminating in a more or less acute point, which is entirely separate from the second inter- spinal buckler; skin covering the bones thick; eyes rather small; mouth large, the upper jaw usually the longer; teeth in broad bands on the premaxillaries and mandibles; band of upper jaw convex in front, of equal breadth, and without backward pro- longation at the angle; dorsal over the space between pectorals and ventrals, higher than long, with a sharp spine and about six branched rays; adipose fin short, inserted over the posterior half of the anal; anal fin usually short, with 20 or 21 rays, but varying from 15 to 35 if certain fork-tailed species really be- -long to the genus; caudal fin short, truncate in typical species, more or less forked in forms approaching Ictalurus; ven- trals with one simple and seven branched rays; pectoral fins each with a stout spine, which is commonly retrorse serrate behind; lateral line usually incomplete; species numerous in nearly all fresh waters of the eastern United States. 44 Ameiurus lacustris (Walbaum) Lake Catfish Gadus lacustris WALBAUM, Artedi, Gen. Pisce. 144, 1792. Amiurus borealis GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. V, 100, 1864. Ictalurus lacustris JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 108, 1883. Ictalurus nigricans JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 882, 1883. Pimelodus nigricans DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 180, pl. 62, fig. 170, 1842. - Amewrus lacustris JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 187, 1896, tt 82 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM The great catfish has a stout body, a broad ‘and much de- pressed head and a wide mouth. The depth of the body is con- tained five times in total length, without caudal; the head equals more than one fourth of this length. Maxillary barbel as long as anal base, almost as long as the head; eye rather small; dorsal base short, one half the hight of fin; adipose fin well developed; caudal not deeply forked; pectoral spine as long as dorsal spine, one half the length of head; least depth of caudal peduncle less than one half the greatest depth of body: 2. Diy 4065 7A 25s Vines. This is the great fork-tailed cat, Mississippi cat, Florida cat, flannel-mouth cat and great blue cat of various writers. It is also called mud cat in the St Johns river, Fla. The species is highly variable, as we should suppose from its wide distribu- tion. 3 In 1879 Prof. Spencer F. Baird received from Dr Steedman of St Louis a Mississippi river catfish weighing 150 pounds and measuring 5 feet in length. The writer described this fish as a new species related to the great black catfish of the Mississippi valley, Amiurus nigricans. At the present time it is somewhat doubtful whether or not this is merely an overgrown individual of the species under consideration, and the matter must remain in doubt till smaller examples of Amiurus ponderosus have been obtained. The great fork-tailed cat is a native of the Great lakes and: the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, and in the southern states its range extends southward to Florida; northward it ranges to Ontario. This catfish reaches a weight of 100 pounds or more, and, if it include the giant form above referred to, we may place the maximum weight at more than 150 pounds. Dr Steedman was informed by an old fisherman that the heaviest one he had ever seen weighed 198 pounds, but it is doubtful that such large individuals are to be taken at the present time. In Lake Erie this species usually weighs from 5 to 15 pounds, and the largest Specimens reach 40 pounds. ° FISHES OF NEW YORK 83 The habits of this fish are presumably about the same as _ those of other species of the family. On account of the great size,of the fish it naturally prefers lakes and large rivers. It is a bottom feeder and will take almost any kind of bait. This species is wonderfully tenacious of life. It spawns in the spring and protects its young, which follow the parent fish in great schools. Dr Theodore Gill has reviewed in Forest and Stream the subject of the catfishes’ care of their young. This is a valued food species, though not a choice fish. In Lake Erie, according to the Review of the Fisheries of the Great Lakes recently published by the U. 8S. Fish Commission, the cat- fish rank next to whitefish in number of pounds taken. In Lake Erie catfish are taken chiefly by means of set lines, and the fishing is best during the months of June, July and August. The method of fishing is thus described in the review just referred to. ‘‘ The apparatus consists of from 2006 to 400 hooks attached by short lines to a main line, which is from 5 to 27 fathoms long, according to the place in which set, and : is held in place by poles or stakes pushed into the mud. The _ lines are usually set in the lake, but occasionally short ones are fished in the barous and marshes. Catfish are taken with a bait of herring, Coregonus artedi, or grasshoppers, 4 and are mostly used in the families of the fishermen and their neighbors or sold to peddlers. . . The size of the catfish j ranges from 5 to 25 pounds, averaging 8 or 10 pounds.” In ; some parts of Lake Erie the set line fishery for catfish begins April 15. Some of these lines have as many as 2000 hooks. In . } Toledo these fish bring 44¢ a pound. The pound nets also take | a good many catfish in the spring and fall. Erie receives its 4 supply of catfish from fishermen who operate in the lake from Erie to Elk Creek with set lines during the summer months. i De Kay had the species from Buffalo, where he saw specimens m1 | weighing from 25 to 30 pounds, and heard of individuals weigh- _ ing 80 pounds. He states that it is usually captured by the spear. 7 84 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 45 Ameiurus natalis (Le Sueur) Yellow Cat Pimelodus natalis LE SuruR, Mém. Mus, d’Hist. Nat. V, 154, 1819, Pimelodus cupreus Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 187, 1842. (name only) Amiurus natalis GuNTHER, Cat. Fish, Brit. Mus. V, 101, 1864; Jorpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 105, 1883. Ameiurus natalis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 139, 1896. The yellow catfish is robust, and has a rather broad head. The mouth is wide, with the upper jaw usually longer than the lower, sometimes equal. The dorsal profile gradually ascends from the snout to the dorsal spine. The depth of the body at dorsal spine is contained four and two third times in the total length to base of tail. The length of the head is contained three and two third times in the body length, and equals length of anal base. Eye moderate; maxillary barbel reaching end of head; humeral shield little developed; dorsal and pectoral spines strong, shorter than soft rays; hight of dorsal equal to twice the length of its base; adipose fin long as in Noturus, oppo- site to and longer than anal; caudal rounded. D. 1, 6; A. 24; Ved. | The yellow cat, or chubby cat, is found from the Great lakes to Virginia and Texas. It has many varieties; three of which are mentioned by Prof..Cope as occurring in Pennsylvania, two of them in the Ohio river and its tributaries and the third in Lake Erie. The species is not credited to the region east of the Alleghanies. Dr Meek saw only a single specimen from Cayuga lake. is The length of the yellow cat sometimes reaches 2 feet but averages much less. Nothing special is recorded about the habits of this species. It is most abundant in sluggish streams. 46 Ameiurus vulgaris (Thompson) Long-jawed Catfish Pimelodus vulgaris THomrson, Hist. Vermont, 138, 1842. Amiurus vulgaris NELSON, Bull. Ills. Mus. Nat. Hist. 50, 1876; Jonpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 105, 1883. . Amiurus dekayi JORDAN, Man. Vert. 302, 1876; GoopE, Fish. & Fish. Ind. U.S. I, pl. 234, 1884; Bran, Iishes Penna. 15, pl. 18, fig, 24. FISHES OF NEW YORK 85 Ameiurus vulgaris Jorpan & EverMann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 140, 1896. This catfish has a stout body; its depth is one fourth of the © total length without caudal. The head is contained about three and three fourth times in this length. Eye very small; mouth large; jaws equal or sometimes lower jaw projecting; barbels long; maxillary barbel as long as head. The length of the dorsal base is less than one half that of the anal, while its hight is five sixths of the same length; adipose fin well developed. The pectoral spine is stout and about two thirds as long as the fin. Caudal square; anal rounded; least depth of caudal contained two and one third times in greatest depth of body. D.1I, 6; A. LENZ) 5 'V. T'S: The long-jawed catfish is found in the Great lakes region and westward to Manitoba. It is believed to be very nearly related to the common catfish, A. nebulosus, but its projecting lower jaw will serve to distinguish it. This character, however, we know by experience is not so satisfactory as it might be. _ The species reaches the length of 18 inches and the weight of 4 pounds. It is occasionally taken in the Ohio river, but is more abundant in Lake Erie. Jordan and Evermann state its range to be from Vermont to Minnesota and Illinois, chiefly north- ward. The U.S. National Museum has it from Manitoba. Dr Meek found a single specimen which was caught near Ithaca among more than 100 of the common bullheads. It seems to be rare in that basin. Thompson, who described the fish, had speci- mens from Lake Champlain. The long-jawed catfish is similar in all respects except its projecting lower jaw to the common catfish, A. nebulosus,, and may be found identical with it. 47 Ameiurus catus (Linnaeus) White Cat; Channel Cat Silurus catus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 305, 1758. Pimelodus atrarius DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 185, pl. 36, fig. 116, 1842. Ictalurus albidus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus, 107, 1883. I[ctalurus lophius JORDAN & GILBERT, ]. c. 107, 1888. . | 86 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Amiurus albidus JORDAN, Bull. 10, U. S. Nat. Mus. 84, 1877, figs. 15 & 16, 1877; Bean, Fishes Penna. 14, pl. 18, fig. 23, 1893. Ameiurus catus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus, 1388, 1896. The body is stout, its depth equal to length of head, and con- tained four times in the total length to base of caudal fin. The maxillary barbels reach posterior end of head; mandibulary barbels shorter; humeral process, above pectoral, half length of pectoral spine, very rough; dorsal fin short, inserted nearly midway between tip of snout and adipose dorsal; adipose fin well developed; caudal fin slightly forked, the upper lobe longer; anal fin long, one fifth to one fourth of total length to base of caudal. D. I, 6; A. 19 to 22. Pale olive bluish, silvery below without dark spots, but sometimes with mottlings or blotches. New York to Texas, in coastwise streams and swamps. _ Intro- duced into California and now abundant there. This is the white cat or channel cat, in Philadelphia distin- guished as the Schuylkill cat. The channel cat is one of the most abundant of its family in the Potomac river. It is abundant in the Susquehanna and common in the Schuylkill. This species reaches a length of 2 feet and a weight of 5 pounds. It is extremely variable with age. Old examples have the mouth so much wider than it is in the young that they have been described as a distinct species. The big-mouthed cat of Cope is now considered to be the old form of the white cat. The habits of this species agree with those of other species already mentioned. The name channel cat suggests a favorite haunt of the fish. As a food fish it is highly prized. Eugene Smith! says this catfish occurs in all the larger streams subject to the tide in the vicinity of New York city. The caudal is furcate. The anal has 20 or more rays. ’ It is frequently caught on set lines with liver or killy bait and bites best at night. The flesh is much better flavored than that : of A. nebulosus. ‘Linn. Soc. N. XY. Proc:, 1897.1. mor 9,- pi hls SS Re MN Cee Ee FE ee a ee a aw FISHES OF NEW YORK ST 48 Ameiurus nebulosus (Le Sueur) Horned Pout; Bullhead Pimelodus nebulosus LE SuEuUR, Mém. Mus. d’Hist. Nat. V, 149, 1819. Pimelodus catus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 182, pl. 37, fig. 119, 1842. Amiurus catus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 104, 1883. Silurus catus MiTcHILyu, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 488, 1815. (not Silurus catus Linnaeus) Amiurus nebulosus BEAN, Fishes Penna. 16, pl. 19, fig. 25, 1893. Ameiurus nebulosus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 140, © 1896. The common catfish has a very stout body, broad head and a short stout caudal peduncle. The depth of body about equals length of head, and is contained from three and one half to four and one half times in the length. Barbels eight; maxil- lary barbels as long as head; dorsal profile from tip of snout to dorsal fin straight and rather steep; mouth wide and terminal; teeth awl-shaped, in broad bands on the intermaxillaries and dentaries; dorsal situated in front of middle of body; short and high; adipose fin stout; anal large, its base equaling length of head; caudal square or slightly emarginate. D. I, 6; A. 20-22; “PH, 6. This is known as the common catfish, bullhead, hornpout, bullpout, and minister. This species has a wider distribution than the white cat, its range including New England and extending southward to South Carolina, west to Wisconsin and southwest to Texas. It has also been transferred from the Schuylkill to the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, Cal. where it has multiplied so rapidly that it is now one of the most common fishes of those streams. This is the most abundant catfish in Lake Erie and its tribu- taries. The species reaches a maximum length of 18 inches and a weight of 4 pounds, but the average size of market specimens is much smaller. In the lower waters of the Susquehanna color varieties of this species are not uncommon. One of them appears to be the same as the Amiurus marmoratus of Holbrook; this supposed color variety is found also from Illinois to Florida. The lower Susquehanna has furnished also some singularly colored examples of this fish, distinguished by 4) 8s NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM large areas of jet black combined with lemon and white. These ~ freaks are among the most interesting and beautiful observed in this family of fishes. From Jordan’s Manual of the Vertebrates I quote Thoreau’s ac- count of the habits of this species: The horned pout are “dull and blundering fellows,” fond of the mud, and growing best in weedy ponds and rivers without current. They stay near the bottom, moving slowly about with their barbels widely spread, watching for anything eatable. They will take any kind of bait, from an angleworm to a piece of'a tin tomato can, without coquetry, and they seldom fail to swallow the hook. They are very tenacious of life, “opening and shutting their mouths for half an hour after their heads have been cut off.” They spawn in spring, and the old fishes lead the young in great schools near the shore, seemingly car- ing for them as the hen for her chickens. The species was obtained in Swan river at Patchogue N. Y. Aug. 12, 1898. Young were seined in Bronx river in August. Larger individuals were sent from Canandaigua lake and Sara- nac lake in November. Several albinos were obtained from the Hackensack meadows, N. J . in August 1897. In three months they grew from 8 inches to 6 inches in length. In captivity the fish feed freely on chopped hard clams and earthworms and, occasionally, liver. : The following notes are from Eugene Smith, in Proc. Linn. Soe NY. 1897, pvt t12. Very variable in color, from dark blackish and olive to brown and yellowish above, becoming lighter below, and often clouded on the sides. Those from tidal or running water are lighter colored than those from stagnant places or ponds. The largest specimen found by me in the near vicinity of New York measured 134 inches in length and weighed 1 pound 2 ounces. a At the end of the third year this fish is perhaps fully matured. The ripe eggs are of the size of large pin heads and are of an orange color; the very young fishes look like little black toad tadpoles. The spines are strongly developed at an early age. The old fish accompanies the brood for a certain time, always swimming around the swarm of young in order to keep them together. When alarmed the parent dashes off, followed by the whole swarm. FISHES OF NEW YORK 89 Dr Meek found the species very abundant throughout the entire Cayuga lake basin. Dr Eyermann and Barton A. Bean obtained the following specimens in the St Lawrence river basin in 1894. 1, St Lawrence river, Cape Vincent N. Y. June 21. 3, Racket river, Norfolk N. Y. July 18. Dr Evermann also collected specimens at the following localities of the Lake Ontario region in 1894. Stony creek, Henderson Harbor, July 3, 4 Black river, Huntingtonvyille, July 5 Mud creek, Cape Vincent, June 25 Mouth Salmon river, July 25 Chaumont river, July 10 Creek, Pultneyville, Aug. 7 Mouth Little Salmon creek, July 25 Sandy creek, North Hamlin, Aug. 20 Long pond, near Charlotte, Aug. 17 Stony Island, July 2, 3 Lakeview hotel, 7 m. n. e. of Oswego, July 17 Marsh creek, Pointbreeze, Aug. 21 49 Ameiurus nebulosus marmoratus (Holbrook) Marbled Cat Pimelodus marmoratus HOLBROOK, Jour. Ac. Nat, Sci. Phila. 54, 1855. Amiurus marmoratus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 104, 1883. Ameiurus nebulosus marmoratus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus, 141, 1896. Body moderately elongate, its depth about one fourth total length to caudal base; slope of profile very steep; jaws equal or subequal; dorsal fin high, its spine more than one half as long as head, and nearer to adipose fin than to tip of snout; head long, three and one fourth times in total length to caudal base; barbels long; anal rays 21; body much mottled with brown, greenish and whitish. Lowland streams and swamps from New York to southern Indiana and Florida. The type of the mar- moratus of Holbrook was from South Carolina. 90 NEW YORK STATR MUSEUM 50 Ameiurus melas (Rafinesque) Black Bullhead; Brown Catfish Silurus melas RAFINESQUE, Quart. Jour. Sci. Lit. Arts. Lond. 51, 1820. Pimelodus pullus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 184, pl. XX XVII, fig. 117, 1842. Amiurus pullus GILL, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. 44, 1862; JorDAN, Bull. 10, U. S. Nat. Mus. 93, figs. 46, 47, 1877; GoopE, Fish. & Fish, Ind. U. S._ I, pl. 238, fig. 1, 1884; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 16, 1893. Ameiurus melas JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus, 141, 1896. The body of the black bullhead is stout, short and deep. Its depth is contained about three and one half times in its length to tail; in very deep examples but three and one fifth times. The length of the head is contained three and one half times in this length. The head is broad, the dorsal profile straight and rather steep from tip of snout to dorsal fin; eye rather small; — barbels long; caudal peduncle stout. Dorsal I, 6; the spine strong and sharply pointed. The hight of the dorsal fin equals one half the length of head. The anal has 18 rays; its base is two and one half times as long as. dorsal base.. The pectoral fin has one sharp spine and seven rays. Tail truncate; adipose fin well developed; teeth very fine, awl-shaped and in broad bands. Its color is usually blackish or dusky brown, approaching to black, while the lower parts are bluish white. The fins are black, tinged with red, and the barbels are black. The color is subject to considerable variation. The black bullhead reaches the length of 1 foot. It is found in the Great lakes region and in the Mississippi valley, westward to Kansas and southward to Texas. This species was known to De Kay as the brown catfish. His specimens were from Lake Pleasant and Lake Janet, N. Y.; and he states that it is also very common in many other lakes of northern New York, where its principal use is to serve as bait for the lake trout. Dr Jordan had it from the Genesee river. Dr Evermann obtained a specimen in Mill creek at Sacketts | Harbor N. Y. July 2, 1894, and doubtfully referred to this species a young individual collected in Sandy creek, at North Hamlin N. Y. Aug. 20, 1894. 3 FISHES OF NEW YORK 91 Genus norurus Rafinesque Body moderately elongate, robust except in caudal part, which is much compressed; head flat and broad; mouth terminal, broad; teeth in broad villiform bands on premaxillaries and dentaries; teeth of upper jaw prolonged backward into an elon- gate, triangular extension; adipose fin adnate to the back; a poison gland at the base of the pectoral spine. Represented by a single species inhabiting rivers and channels. 51 Noturus flavus Rafinesque | Stone Cat Noturus flavus RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 68, 1820; STorER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 154, 1846; JorpAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 100, 1883; ’ GunTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. V, 104, 1864; Bean, Fishes Penna. 18, 1898; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 144, 1896, pl. XXVII, fig. 63, 1900. ' 'Pimelodus flavus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 187, 1842 (after Kirtland). The stonecat has a moderately elongate body, whose great- est depth and width are nearly equal; the tail is much com- pressed, and the head flat and broad. The greatest depth of the body. is nearly one fifth of the total length without the caudal; the least depth of the caudal peduncle equals nearly one half the length of head. The mouth is terminal, horizontal, its width equal to postorbital part of head and to length of maxillary -barhbel; longer barbel on chin not quite one half as long as the head. Nasal barbel when laid back reaches end of eye. The width of the band of teeth in the upper jaw equals one third ths length of head; the backward prolongation is little longer than the eye. The distance between the eyes equals length of snout and é¢ye. The snout is one half as long as the postorbital part of the head. The dorsal origin is at a distance from tip of snout nearly equal to one third of the total length without cau- | dal. The dorsal base is one half as long as the head. The spine is very sharp and as long as the snout. The longest ray is nearly one half as long as the head. The ventral origin is not far behind the end of the dorsal base; the fin reaches a little beyond the vent, but not to the anal origin. The pectoral reaches to below the third dorsal ray, its spine about two fifths as long 92 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM as the head. The anal origin is a little nearer to base of caudal than to origin of pectoral; the base is as long as the head without the snout, one fifth of total to base of caudal, and the longest ray equals one half the length of head. The very low adipose dorsal begins over the anal origin and continues into the caudal; in older specimens it is deeply notched. The caudal is rounded. D.I, 6; A. 16; V. 9; P. I, 9. Length of the speci- men described (no. 35877, U. S. national museum), 64 inches. In spirits the upper parts are grayish brown, and the lower surface of head and body pale. In life the fish is nearly uni- form yellowish brown. : The stonecat is found from Ontario, throughout the Great lakes region, south to Virginia and Texas, west to Montana and Wyoming. It inhabits the larger streams. Dr Evermann ob- tained two specimens at Nine Mile point, in the Lake Ontario region, June 11, 1893. : The species has very little value as food on account of its small size. It seldom exceeds 12 inches in length, but it is a very good bait for black bass. The stonecats are much dreaded by fishermen because of the painful wounds sometimes pro- duced by their pectoral spines. There is a minute pore in the axil of the pectoral, which is the outlet of a noxious liquid secreted by a poison gland. When this poison is discharged into a wound, it causes an extremely painful sore. Genus scuHitpEopEs Bleeker Body moderately elongate, rounded anteriorly, compressed posteriorly; head flat; skin very thick, concealing bones of head; superoccipital not joined to the head of the second interspinal; mouth large, anterior, the upper jaw somewhat the longer; awl- shaped teeth in broad bands in the jaws, the band in the upper jaw abruptly truncate at each end and not prolonged into a backward extension as in Leptops and Noturus; branchiostegals nine; dorsal fin nearer to ventrals than to pec- torals, with a short spine and seven rays; adipose fin long and low, adnate to the body and continuous with the caudal fin, the adipose membrane sometimes high and continuous, sometimes FISHES OF NEW YORK 93 emarginate; caudal fin very obliquely truncated or rounded, its base also obliquely rounded; many rudimentary rays both above and below the caudal peduncle; anal fin short with 12 to 23 rays; ventrals rounded; pectoral fins with a sharp spine of vary- ing form; vent well in front of anal fin; lateral line complete. A poison gland opening by an orifice in the axil of the pectoral, so that wounds made by the pectoral spines are very painful. Size small. Fresh waters of the eastern United States among rocks and weeds, specially in small brooks. (After Jordan and Everman) 52 Schilbeodes gyrinus (Mitchill) Stone Cat _ Silurus gyrimus Mircuityi, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 322, March,1818 (Wallkill | River, N. Y.); DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 186, 1842 (generic distinc- tion recognized). Noturus gyrinus RAFINESQUE, Journ. de Physique, 421, 1819; Ichth. Ohien. 68, 1820; Jorpan, Man. Vert. 303, 1876, Bull. 10, U. S. Nat. Mus. 102, figs. 66, 67, 1877; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 98, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 20, 1893. Schilbeodes gyrinus BLEEKER, Act. Soe. Sc. Indo-Nederl, IV, 258, 1858, fide GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. V, 104, 1864; JorpAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 146, 1896. -The tadpole stonecat has a short and stout body, sloping rapidly downward from the dorsal origin to the tip of the snout; its greatest depth contained four and one third times in total length without caudal; its width contained four and one half times. The head is short, broad and depressed, its width nearly equal to its length, which is one fourth of the total with- out caudal. The width of the mouth equals two thirds the length of the head; the jaws nearly equal. The width of the maxillary band of teeth equals one third of length of head; there are no lateral backward extensions. The snout is short, two sevenths as long as the head. The eye is small, one seventh as long as the head. The maxillary barbel reaches to the base of the pectoral; the outer mandibulary barbel is slightly longer. The nasal barbel is one half as long as the head. The distance _ of the dorsal from the tip of snout equals that from origin of _ ventral to end of anal. The base is as long as the snout and eye combined; the spine is one third as long as the head, and the } 94 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM longest ray equals length of postorbital part of head. The low adipose fin begins over the anal origin and is continuous with the caudal. The ventral origin is under the end of the dorsal base, the fin does not reach to anal origin. The pectoral reaches to below the middle of the dorsal. The anal base is one fifth of total length without caudal; the longest ray equals postorbital part of head. The caudal is rounded. The pectoral spine is one half as long as the head. The humeral process is one third as long as the head. D: I, 6; A. 13-15; P. 1, 8. Color im spies dark brown; the belly and under surface of head paler. The specimens described (no. 1508, U. S. National Museum) are from 34 to 4 inches long. | The general color is brownish, without blotches. Jordan in the Manual says that it has a black lateral streak, sometimes with two other streaks above this. I have found none with this feature; it is the lateral line itself which looks darker in color. The eyes are small, beadlike and at night glisten like adamant, indicating a more nocturnal habit. These fishes are called stone- catfishes, but they prefer still, muddy water. In the aquarium it is even more hardy than the common catfish and often lies on ‘its side for hours as if dead, or remains suspended in the water in various odd positions. (After Eugene Smith)’ Dr Meek had no knowledge of the occurrence of this species near Ithaca. The museum of Cornell University has a few specimens from the lake, but without definite locality. Dr Meek and Mr Harris took several examples from a small stream near © Montezuma. Dr Evermann secured a specimen in Mill creek, at Sacketts Harbor N. Y. July 2, 1841; one in Long pond, at Char- lotte N. Y. Aug. 17; and one in Guffon creek, at Chaumont N. Y. July 7 of the same year. In general it ranges in the Great lakes region, through the Mississippi and Ohio valleys, and in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Its length does not exceed 5) inches. The species is too small to be of any value except for bait, and on account of its tenacity of life it is greatly in demand for hook and line fishing, specially in the capture of the black bass, for which it is one of the best baits known. 1ZLinn, Soc. N.Y. Proc, 1897. no. 9, p.12-13:, FISHES OF NEW YORK 95 53 Schilbeodes insignis (Richardson) Margmed Stone Cat Pimelodus insigne RICHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. III, 132, 1836 (name only, based upon the Pimelode livrée LE SuEuR, Mém. Mus. d’Hist. Nat. V, 155), 1819. Noturus lemniscatus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. V, 104, 1864; Jorpay, Man. Vert. 303, 1876. : Noturus insignis JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 100, 1883; BEAN, Fishes, Penna. 19, pl. 19, fig. 26, 1893. Schilbeodes insignis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 147, 1896, pl. XXVIII, fig. 66, 1900. The margined stone cat has a moderately elongate and low body, its width greater than its depth, and the least depth of the caudal peduncle about three fourths the greatest depth of body. The head is rather long and depressed, one fourth of total without caudal, the snout short and rounded. The eye is small, its length one half the width of interorbital space and little more than one half the length of snout. The lower jaw is Slightly shorter than the upper; the width of the mouth equals postorbital part of head. The width of the maxillary band of teeth equals one third the length of head; there is no extension backward. The maxillary barbel reaches nearly to the end of the head. Six short gill rakers below the angle of the first gill arch. The dorsal origin is about over the middle of the space between the pectoral and ventral origins; the length of the dorsal base equals the distance between the eyes, and also the length of its spine. The longest ray is half as long as the head. The ventral reaches beyond the vent and almost to the anal origin, its length half the head. The pectoral does not reach to the ventral origin, its spine half as long as the head, rough along its front edge and coarsely serrate behind. The adipose fin is little developed; it begins over the anal origin and is continuous with the caudal. The anal origin is nearly midway between the pectoral origin and the base of the caudal; the base is scarcely two ninths of total length without caudal; the posterior and longest rays are scarcely one half as long as the head. The caudal is rounded. D. I, Tee is NOLO Gey In spirits the upper parts are dark brown, the belly and under i Hi 96 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM surface of head pale. The fins all have a narrow dark margin. The specimen described (no. 18015 U. 8S. National Museum) is 4} inches long. | This species, like the others of its genus, is called stone eat, and it is very common in the Susquehanna, where it is highly prized as a live bait for black bass fishing. The species occurs also in the Delaware, but for some reason or other is not so attractive to the black bass as the Susquehanna river race. It grows to the length of 10 inches. The species ranges from New York to South Carolina, east of the Alleghenies. The dorsal and caudal fins sometimes have a well defined black margin, from which originated the later name, Noturus marginatus. This is the Pimetodus livyreéerm Cuvier and Valenciennes and the P. lemniscatus of Le Sueur. Cuvier and Valenciennes make the following conclud- ing remarks about the species: ‘The species is probably vivi- parous, for the eggs are very large, and contain a well developed 7 embryo. The ovary contains many eggs of which the diameter exceeds 2 lines, and moreover they are taken from a small animal, for our example is 3 inches long.” 54 Schilbeodes miurus (Jordan) Variegated Stone Cat Noturus miurus JORDAN, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y. 371, 1877, Bull. 10, U.S. Nat. Mus. 100, figs. 60, 61, 1877; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 99, 1883. ‘ Schilbeodes miurus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 148, 1896, pl. XXIX, fig. 68, 1900. ; Body rather stout, subterete, its greatest depth contained from four and one half to five and one half times in total length without caudal; least depth of caudal peduncle three fifths of greatest depth of body. Head one fourth of total length with- out caudal; eye one fifth the length of head, snout about two sevenths; maxillary barbels reach beyond end of head; man- dibulary barbel three fifths as long as the head; lower jaw included. Dorsal origin over middle of pectoral, slightly nearer to anal than to tip of snout, the dorsal base one half as long as ‘ FISHES OF NEW YORK 97 the head; adipose fin with a deep notch but connected with the caudal, its length about equal to head; caudal rounded, its middle rays four fifths as long as the head; anal base as long as the head without the snout; highest ray of dorsal equal to dorsal spine, three fifths as long as head; longest anal ray one half as long as the head, extending to middle of ventral base; ventral fin one half as long as the head; humeral process short. Body much mottled with black and gray and with four broad dark bands or cross blotches; top of head, tip of dorsal, middle of adipose fin, and edge of caudal blackish; occiput dark. D. I, Beek rlo to bss V.2 15°83 Po d8. The variegated stone cat has been assigned to the Mississippi valley, south to Louisiana, to tributaries of Lake Michigan, and to the Ohio valley, where it is common. It appears to have been entirely overlooked by ichthyologists till 1876. Dr Ever- mann collected five specimens of this fish in Sandy creek at North Hamlin N. Y. Aug. 20, 1894. The probability is that it will be found in other waters of the Great lakes region. The individuals used for illustration are from 34 inches to 44 inches long. Order PLECTOSPONDYLI Carplike Fishes Suborder EVENTOGNATHI Carps Family cATOSTOMIDAE Suckers Genus carRPriopEs Rafinesque Body oblong; the dorsal outline more or less arched; the ventral outline nearly straight; depth from one half to one third of length; sides compressed, the back sharp edged; caudal peduncle short and deep; head short and deep; its upper surface rounded; eye moderate, median or anterior; suborbital bones well developed; fontanel present ; mouth small, horizontal and inferior; mandible short; lips thin, the upper protractile, nar- row, the lower narrow; lips feebly plicate or nearly smooth; 9S NPW YORK STATE MUSEUM jaws without cartilaginous sheath; muciferous system moder- ately developed; opercular apparatus well developed, the sub- opercle broad; isthmus moderate; pharyngeal bones remarkably thin, laterally compressed, with a shallow furrow along the an-— terior margin on the inside, and another more central on the outline of the enlarged surfaces; teeth very small, compressed, nearly equally thin along the whole inner edge of the bone, form- ing a fine, comblike crest of minute serratures, their cutting edge rising above the inner margin into a prominent point; gill rakers slender and stiff above, becoming reduced dowmward; scales large, about equal over the body; lateral line well de- veloped, nearly straight; dorsal fin long, nearly median, some- what in advance of ventrals, falcate, its anterior rays elevated, often filamentous; caudal fin well forked, the lobes equal; anal fin comparatively long and low, few-rayed; ventrals rather short, usually with 10 rays; pectorals short, placed low; air bladder with two chambers. Size medium or rather large. (After Jordan and Evermann) : 55 Carpiodes thompsoni Agassiz Lake Carp; Drum Catostomus cyprinus THOMPSON, Hist. Vermont, 133, 1842. | Carpiodes thompsoni AGAssiz, Am. Jour. Sci. Arts, 191, 1855; Corr, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 285, 1864; JorDAN, Man. Vert. 297, 1876; JoRDAN, Bull. 12, U. S. Nat. Mus. 198, 1878; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 119, 1883. Body short and stout, the back strongly arched, the greatest depth two fifths of the length to base of caudal fin; head short, about one fourth of length, the snout acutely pointed; lips thin, white, meeting at a wide angle; tip of lower jaw much in ad- | vance of nostrils; maxillary reaching to below front of orbit; eye small, about one fifth length of head; dorsal about median, its rays considerably produced, the longest two thirds as long as base of fin; scales rather closely imbricated, 8-389 to 41-6. D2T ALT Ve 10. | Abundant in the Great lakes region. Found in Lake Cham- plain. FISHES OF NEW YORK 99 Genus carosromus Le Sueur Body elongate, fusiform, rounded, tapering anteriorly and posteriorly; head long, with pointed snout; eye small, placed high; suborbital bones narrow; fontanel present, large; mouth rather large, inferior, upper lip thick, protractile, papillose, lower lip greatly developed, with a broad free margin, usually deeply incised behind, so that it forms two lobes which are often more or less separated; mandible horizontal, short; opercles moderate; pharyngeal bones moderate, their teeth shortish, vertically compressed, rapidly diminishing in size upward; scales comparatively small; typically much smaller and crowded anteriorly; lateral line well developed, straightish; dorsal nearly median, with from 9 to 14 rays; anal fin short and high, with seven developed rays; ventrals inserted under the middle or posterior part of dorsal, with 9 to 10 rays; caudal: fin forked, the lobes nearly equal. In males the fins are higher, and the anal is swollen and tuberculate in the spring. Air bladder with two chambers, the posterior large. Vertebrae 45 to 47. (After Jordan and Evermann) 56 Catostomus catostomus (Forster) Long-nosed Sucker Cyprinus catostonus FORSTER, Phil. Trans. LXIII, 155, tab. 6, 1773. Catostomus hudsonius Le SuEuR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 107, 1817; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 13, 1868. Catostomus longirostris JORDAN, Bull. 12, U. S. Nat. Mus. 175, 1878; JorDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 126, 1883. Catostomus nanomyzon MATHER, App. 12th Rep’t Adirondack Sury. N. Y. 36, plate, fig. 1, 1886. Catostomus catostomus JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 17, 1885; Brean, Fishes Penna. 25, pl. 20, fig. 30, 1898; JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. 8S. Nat. Mus. 176, 1896, pl. XX XII, fig. 77, 1900. The northern sucker has an elongate body, round and taper- ing, with a long and rather slender head. The depth of the body is contained about four and one half times in the length and equals length of head. The*snout is much longer than in C. teres, considerably overhanging the mouth, which is large, with thick coarsely tuberculated lips. Eye small, two fifths as long as the snout and one sixth as long as head; its position 100 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM in the head is exactly median. Dorsal origin equidistant from tip of snout and base of caudal; dorsal base as long as head without snout; longest ray one sixth of total length without caudal, twice as long as the last ray. Distance from ventral origin to anal origin equals length of head. Anal base one half as long as dorsal base; longest anal ray equal to longest of dorsal and twice as long as last ray. Ventral origin is under middle of dorsal; the fin equal to head without snout. Pec- toral nearly one fifth of total length without caudal. D. 10 to 11; A. 7 to 8; V. 10. Scales usually about 100 in lateral line and in 28 rows from dorsal origin to ventral origin. The northern sucker, long-nosed sucker, or red-sided sucker, as the above species is styled, occurs in the Great lakes and northwest to Alaska in clear, cold waters. It is very common in Lake Erie. It grows to a length of 2 feet and is largest and most abundant northward, in Alaska reaching a weight of 5 pounds. Asa food fish the long-nosed sucker is little esteemed; but in cold countries the head and roe are used in making a palatable soup. : The males in the. breeding season, in spring, are profusely covered with tubercles on the head and fins and have a broad rosy band along the middle of the body. In the Yukon river, Alaska, Dr Dall found the fish filled with spawn in April. The eges are of moderate size and yellow in color. Nelson has seen this species seined by Eskimo in brackish estuaries of streams flowing into Kotzebue sound. W. J. Fisher has col- lected specimens on the peninsula of Alaska. ° This was not found in Cayuga lake basin by Dr Meek, but it occurs in the Adirondack region, and Dr Meek believes it is a member of the Cayuga lake fauna. Dr Evermann obtained five specimens at Grenadier island, N. Y. June 28, 1894. The smail race found by Fred Mather in the Adirondacks is the ordinary dwarf form characteristic of mountain regions. He discovered four individuals, only 44 inches long, but mature and breeding “in a little mountain brook emptying into Big Moose nearly north of the Big Moose club house, by a bark FISHES OF NEW YORK LOL shanty known as ‘Pancake Hall’.” The fish were spawning, and he discovered many eggs under the stones. The females _ were brown with white on belly, the male with red stripe on the side. 57 Catostomus commersonii (Lacépéde) Common Sucker ‘Cyprinus commersonnii LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 503, 610, 1803. Cyprinus teres MITCHILL, Trans, Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 458, 1815. ‘Catostomus teres GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 15, 1868; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 25, 1893. Catostomus communis DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 196, pl. 33, fig. 106, ame pallidus Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 200, pl. 33, fig. 104, 1842. Catostomus commersoni JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1883. COatostomus commersoniti JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 178, 1896, pl. XXXIV, fig. 83, 1900. ; The common sucker has a moderately stout body, heavy at the shoulders and tapering to the tail. Its greatest depth is contained four and one half times in its length to tail, slightly more than length of head. Head conical, flattened on top; mouth rather large and the lips strongly papillose; dorsal fin situated in middle of length; ventral opposite dorsal; anal far back; second and third branched rays of dorsal highest, two thirds the length of head; third and fourth rays of anal longest, almost equal to length of head. D. 12; A.7; V. 9. Scales 64; from dorsal to lateral line 9, and from lateral line to ventral, oor 10. The common sucker is also known as the pale sucker, white sucker, gray sucker, brook sucker, and, among the Canadian French, as the carpe blanche. It is the commonest member of its genus in waters east of the Rocky mountains. It is found from Canada to Florida and westward to Montana. Covering such a wide range of territory, the species is naturally variable, and has been described over and over again by many authorities under a great variety of names. The male of this sucker in spring has a faint rosy stripe along the middle of the side. The young are brownish in color and somewhat mottled and have a dark median band or a series of large blotches. The 102 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM adults are light olive varying to paler and sometimes darker; Sides silvery. The species reaches a length of 22 inches, and a weight of 5 pounds. It is a very common inhabitant of ponds and streams of the lowlands, and a small race occurs in certain cold mountain streams of the Adirondack region, where it is dwarfed in size and changed in color but does not differ in essential characters. Dr Rothrock also obtained a:mountain race of this sucker in Twin lakes, Col., at an elevation of 9500 feet above the sea level. t: The common sucker is a very indifferent food fish in the esti- mation of most people, but, when taken from cold waters and in its best condition, its flesh is very palatable. It takes the hook readily. when baited with common earthworms. Dr Richardson says: It is a common fish in all parts of the fur countries, abound- ing in the rivers and even in landlocked marshes and ponds, but preferring shallow grassy lakes with mud bottoms. In the — beginning of summer it may be seen in numbers forcing its way up rocky streams, and even breasting strong rapids, to arrive at its proper Spawning places in stony rivulets; soon after- wards it returns to the lakes. Its food, judging from the con- tents of the stomachs of those which I opened, is chiefly soft insects; but in one I found the fragments of a fresh-water shell. In the winter and autumn it is common in nets, and in the spawning season (June) may be readily speared, or even taken by the hand in shallow streams. It is a very soft, watery fish, but devoid of any unpleasant flavor, and is considered to be one of the best in the country for making soup. Like its congeners, it is singularly tenacious of life, and may be frozen and thawed again without being killed. Dr Meek found this species abundant throughout the entire Cayuga lake basin, where it is known as the common white sucker. Dr Evermann, in his manuscripts on the fishes of Lake Ontario, taken in 1894, mentions this sucker from the following localities: Stony creek, Black river, Mud creek, Cape Vincent, mouth Sal- mon river, Chaumont river, creek at Pultneyville, mouth Little Salmon creek, Sandy creek, Long pond, Stony Island, Lakeview FISHES OF NEW YORK 103 hotel, 7 miles northeast of Oswego, and Marsh creek. In the St Lawrence river basin he and Barton A. Bean obtained the young in Racket river, Norfolk N. Y., July 18 and in the St Lawrence river, 3 miles below Ogdensburg, July 17. Inthe Lake Champlain basin these two collectors secured young and half grown specimens in the Saranac river, at Plattsburg July 28, 1894. The writer received specimens from Canandaigua lake in November of 1896 and 1897, and seined the young in Bronx river in August 1897. The small mountain form was secured from Saranac lake in November 1897. It is conspicuous for its small Size and its red color. The Canandaigua lake suckers, received in November 1896, throve in captivity till July 1897, when the warm water killed them. . Color brownish, olivaceous above, silvery below; the young are much blotched and marked on sides and back. It is occas- ionally caught on the hook. Young ones, in captivity, though they always grub about, and though they take food offered them, do not thrive and gradually starve. They remain wild and take alarm easily and often leap out of their tank. This Species enters slightly brackish water. Eugene Smith 58 Catostomus nigricans Le Sueur Hog Sucker; Stone Roller Catosiomus nigricans LE SuEuR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 102, 1817; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 17, 1868; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 130, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 26, pl. 21, fig. 31, 1898; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 181, 1896; De Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 202, 1842. Exoglossum (Hypentelium) macropterum RAFINESQUE, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sct Phila. I, 420, pl. 17, fig. 3, 1817. The stone roller has a peculiar physiognomy. The head is flattened on top, the interorbital space is concave and the fron- tal bone short, broad and thick. The body is subterete, its depth being contained four and one third times in the length without caudal or equal to length of head. The eye is rather small, being contained three times in length of snout; mouth jarge, lips well developed and strongly papillose; fins all large; *Linn. Soc. N. Y. Proe. 1897. no. 9, p. 13-14. 14) x 104 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM the dorsal base equals two thirds of length of head, while the pectoral is considerably longer than the dorsal. Caudal moder- ately forked; lateral line fully developed, on median line of body; scales moderate, equal. D.11;A.7; V.9. Scales 7-52-7. Specimen examined, no. 8446, U. S. National Museum, from Cayuga lake, N. Y. The stone roller has a wide distribution and a remarkable variety of common names. Among them are; hammerhead, - stone lugger, stone toter, crawl-a-bottom, hog molly, hog mullet, mud sucker, hog sucker, banded sucker, large-scaied sucker, and black sucker. The name, shoemaker, was formerly applied to this species in Lake Erie, perhaps on account of the resemb- lance of its color to that of shoemaker’s pitch. Prof. Cope says that this species in Pennsylvania is most abundant in tributaries of the Ohio and in the Susquehanna, while in the Delaware it is uncommon. It ranges from western New York to North Carolina and westward to Kansas. It is. the most remarkable-looking of all the suckers of New York, and may always easily be distinguished by the shape of its. head. The species grows very large, reaching a length of 2 feet. It delights in rapid streams of cold, clear water. Its habit is to rest quietly on the bottom, where its color protects it from observation. It is sometimes found in small schools. The spawning season is in spring, and the young are abundant in small creeks, as well as in the rivers. The food consists of ° insect larvae and small shells, and it is specially fitted for secur- ing its prey under stones in the rapids. As a food fish this sucker has little value. Genus ERiImyzon Jordan Body oblong, compressed; head moderate ; mouth moderate, somewhat inferior, the upper lip well developed, freely protrac- tile, the lower moderate, infolded, inversely V-shaped in outline, plicate, with 12 to 20 folds on each side; lower jaw without cartilaginous sheath, rather stronger than usual, and oblique when the mouth is closed; eye moderate; suborbital bones well: FISHES OF NEW YORK 105 developed, not much narrower than the fleshy part of the cheek below them; opercular bones moderately developed, not rugose; fontanel rather large; gill rakers rather long; pharyngeal bones weak; the teeth quite small, slender, and weak, rapidly diminishing in length upward, each tooth narrowly compressed, with a cusp on the inner margin of the cutting surface; scales rather large, more or less crowded forward; no lateral line; dorsai fin rather short and high, rays usually 11 or 12; pectoral fins moderate; anal fin high and short, more or less emarginate or bilobed in adult males; caudal fin moderately forked or lunate, its. lobes subequal. Air bladder with two chambers. (After- Jordan and Evermann) 59 Krimyzon sucetta (Lacépéde) Chub Sucker Cyprinus sucetta LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 503, 606, 610, 1803. Catostomus sucetta LE SuEuR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 109, 1817. Labeo gibbosus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 194, pl. 32, fig. 101, 1842 (dorsal incorrect). Catostomus tuberculatus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 199, pl. 31, fig. 97, 1842. Labeo esopus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 195, 1842. Erimyzon goodei JORDAN, Bull. 12, U. S. Nat. Mus. 148, 1878; Jornpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 184, 1888; GoopsE, Fish. and Fish. Ind. U. S. pl. 221, 1884. Hrimyzon sucetta (part) BEAN, Fishes Penna. 27, 1893. Erimyzon sucetta JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 185, 1896. The body of the chub sucker is oblong, rather deep and com- pressed. Its depth one third of standard length. The head is rather short; broad above, its length one fourth of total length to caudal. The mouth is rather small and but slightly inferior, protractile. The eye is contained five times in length of head and slightly less than twice in its distance from tip of snout. Dorsal short, rather high, placed in middle of length; ventrals directly underneath; highest dorsal ray (fourth) not quite equal to second anal ray, about two thirds of length of head; caudal slightly forked. No lateral line. D.12 to 15; A. 7 to 8; V. I, Tf. Scales 37 to 40; transverse 13 to 15. The chub sucker here described is the southern form which was first made known by Lacépéde from an individual received 106 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM from Charleston 8. C. Jordan and Evermann now give the dis- tribution of this form as extending from Virginia to Texas. It appears to reach a little farther northward if the references to De Kay are properly made. His Labeo gibbos us and esopus andthe Catostomus tuberculatus seemto indicate the southern chub sucker. The species reaches the length of 1 foot. It has very little value as food, but the young furnish excellent food for the larger fishes and are very interesting for aquarium purposes. - 60 Erimyzon sucetta oblongus (Mitchill) Chub Sucker; Creek Fish Cyprinus oblongus MircHiLL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 459, 1815. Labeo elegans DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 192, pl. 31, fig. 100, 1842. Labeo oblongus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 198, pl. 42, fig. 1386, 1842. Moxostoma oblongum GuNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus, VII, 21, 1868. Erinyzon sucetta JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 138, 1883; GoopE, Fish. and Fish. Ind. U. S. pl. 220, 1884; Bran, Fishes Penna. 27, 1893 (part): Erimyzon sucetta oblongus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 186, 1896, pl. XXXVI, fig. 89, 1900. The northern chub sucker has the body more slender, its greatest depth being less than one third of the total length with- out the caudal. The nape is less gibbous thanin E. sucetta. The caudal peduncle is more slender, its greatest depth being scarcely one third of the greatest depth of the body (two fifths in sucetta). The head is small and short, the eye less than one fifth as long as the head, the dorsal base shorter and the fins containing fewer rays (11 in sucetta oblongus, 14 in Succ 6.0 Leia). This is known as the chub sucker, sweet sucker, rounded. sucker, creekfish and mullet. It has a wide range, practically including all the waters of the United States east of the Rocky mountains. The chub sucker grows to a length of about 1 foot. It is very tenacious of life and isa ready biter, but has little value for food. The young up to the length of several inches have a very cistinct black lateral band. They are often found in the shelter of water lilies and other aquatic plants close to brackish waters. ‘. = ~* =e and ~ £2) Se EGE eee e Pod FISHES OF NEW YORK 107 Dr Evermann collected two specimens in Black creek, tribu- tary of Oswego river, at Scriba Corners N. Y. July 17, 1894. Dr Meek found it very common about Cayuga and Montezuma N. Y., but did not observe it near Ithaca. In the market of New York, according to De Kay, the chub sucker makes its appearance in October, November and December. Specimens were seined in Bronx river in August 1897. ‘A young example sent from near Princeton N. J. by Prof. Ulric Dahlgren in September 1897 showed the following volun- tary change of color. When it arrived, it had the broad, longi- tudinal, median band well developed and the vertical bands obsolete; but soon after it was placed in a tank it obscured the longitudinal band entirely and developed the vertical bands. The food of the chub sucker consists chiefly of minute crusta- ceans, insect larvae and aquatic plants. Genus MINYTREMA Jordan Body rather elongate, subterete, becoming deep and rather compressed with age; scales rather large and nearly uniform in size; lateral line interrupted in the adult, but with perfect tubes, imperfect in partly grown individuals, and obsolete in the ¥, young; head moderate, rather broad above; mouth moderate, inferior, horizontal; the upper lip well developed, freely protrac- tile; the lower rather small, infolded, inversely V-shaped in outline, lower jaw without cartilaginous sheath; eye moderate, rather high, nearly median; suborbital bones well developed; — _opercular bones well developed, not very rough; fontanel rather large; gill rakers rather long; isthmus moderate; pharyn- geal bones essentially asin Moxostoma; dorsal fin rather short and high, inserted somewhat nearer to tip of snout than to base of caudal; pectoral fins moderate, placed low; anal high and short; ventrals short, midway between tip of snout and base of caudal; caudal fin moderately forked, the lobes equal; air bladder with two chambers. Head in males tuberculate in spring. ve 108 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 61 Minytrema melanops (Rafinesque) Striped Sucker ; Spotted Sucker ; Sand Sucker Catostomus melanops RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 57, 1820; KirtTLAND, Bost— Jour. Nat. Hist. V, 271, pl: 20, fig. 3, 1845. Catostomus fasciatus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 19, 1868. Minytrema melanops JORDAN, Bull. 12, U. S. Nat. Mus. 138, 1878; JorpDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 136, 18883; Bran, Fishes Penna. 28, pl. 21, fig. 82, 18938; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47. U. S. Nat. Mus. 187, 1896, pl. XXXVI, fig. 90, 1900. Body oblong, robust in adults, its greatest depth one fourth total length to base of caudal; head moderate, subconical, its length contained about four and one half times in total length; eye placed high and in the middle of length of head, its diameter 2 in snout, 5 in head; nostrils about over the angle of the mouth; scales large, firm, in about 48 longitudinal and 12 or 13 trans- verse rows; dorsal origin over tip of pectoral, its base as long as its longest ray; ventrals nearly under middle of dorsal, length one sixth of total; longest anal ray nearly one fifth of total; least depth of caudal peduncle about one half the length of head. D. 12; A. 7; V. 9. Color dusky above, coppery below,, usually a dusky blotch behind dorsal fin; scales mostly with a dark spot at the base, the spots forming longitudinal stripes. i The striped sucker, also called soft sucker, sand sucker and . black-nosed sucker, is found in the, Great lakes and south to South Carolina and Texas. In Pennsylvania it is limited to Lake Erie and the Ohio valley. In New York it is to be expected in Lake Ontario and its tributaries, and should also occur in Chautauqua lake. The striped sucker grows to a length of 18 inches. Old males. have the head tuberculate in the breeding season in the spring. The species is very readily distinguished by the dark stripes: along the sides produced by spots at the base of each scale. In the young of this sucker there is no lateral line, but in adults. it is almost entire. This sucker prefers clear, sluggish waters and grassy ponds. ‘It readily adapts itself to life in the aquarium. It feeds almost entirely on mollusks, insects and insect larvae. The species is ballet i ete 7 “~~ + 5. = eo OSes EY, SEA ae Fe Re ee ee FISHES OF NEW YORK 109: not much esteemed as a food fish, though it is sold in large numbers. Minytrema melanops is normally without a lateral line, but this feature is occasionally partially developed and has caused some confusion in assigning certain individuals to their proper genus; indeed,.one author has described and figured the striped sucker as two species, belonging to two different genera, having been misled by this undeveloped character. Genus moxosroma Rafinesque Body moderately elongate, sometimes nearly round, usually compressed; scales large, nearly uniform in size; lateral line com- quete, straight or anteriorly curved; head varying in length, sub- conical; eye usually rather large, placed moderately high; sub- orbital bones very narrow; fontanelle well developed; mouth varying much in size, inferior, the mandible horizontal or nearly so; lips unusually well developed, the form of the lower varying, usually with a slight median fissure, but never deeply incised; lips with transverse folds which are rarely broken up to form: papillae; jaws without cartilaginous sheath; muciferous system well developed; opercular bones moderately developed, nearly “smooth; isthmus broad; gill rakers weak, moderately long; pharyngeal bones rather weak, the teeth rather coarser than in HKrimyzon and Catostomus, strongly compressed, the lower five or six stronger than the others, which rapidly dimin- ish in size upward, each with a prominent internal cusp; dorsal fin nearly median, moderately long; anal fin short and high, with seven developed rays; caudal fin deeply forked; air bladder with three chambers. (After Jordan and Evermann) 62 Moxostoma anisurum (Rafinesque) White-nosed Sucker Catostomus anisurus RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 54, 1820; KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. V, 269, pl. 20, fig. 2, 1845; Storer, Syn. Fish. N. A. 172, 1846. . Catostomus carpio GuNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 20, 1868. Myxostoma anisura JORDAN, Man. Vert. ed. 2, 315, 1878; Bull. 12, U. S. Nat. Mus. 126, 1878. ; 110 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Moxostoma anisurum JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1441, 1888; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 28, 1898; JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47. U. S. Nat. Mus. 190, 1896. . The body is elongate, little compressed, slightly arched ante- riorly, its greatest depth contained three and one third times in the length to end of scales. The head is moderate, flat and broad above, its length less than one fourth of the total without the caudal. Mouth slightly inferior; upper lip thin, lower strongly V-shaped; eye large, about one half as iong as the snout, which is rather blunt and does not project much beyond the mouth; fins all well developed. The dorsal is large; its first ray is as long as the base of the fin, or about seven eighths as long as the head. Upper margin of dorsal nearly straight. Pectorals nearly reach to ventrals; the upper caudal lobe nar- row and longer than the lower. D.15; A. 7 to 8; V. 8. Scales 5 to 6-43 to 46-4 to 5. Here described in part from a specimen measuring 16 inches, from Ohio. The white-nosed sucker is found sparingly in the Ohio river and the Great lakes region; widely distributed, but nowhere abundant. Cuvier and Valenciennes received from Milbert a specimen sent from Lake Ontario, measuring about 2 feet. Dr Jordan says this is very closely related to the common red horse, from which it can hardly be distinguished.except by its fins. Dr Evermann collected a single specimen at Fox island, N. Y. June 29, 1894; he also obtained a specimen, 12 inches long, at Pointbreeze N. Y. Aug. 21, 1894, which he referg to this species, though indicating some characters in which it differs from the normal form of the white-nosed sucker. 63 Moxostoma aureolum (Le Sueur) Red Horse Catostomus aureolus L&® SuEuR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 95, 1817; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 201, pl. 42, fig. 133, 1842. Catostomus oneida DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 198, 1842. Oneida Lake. Catostomus duquesnii KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. V, 268, pl. 20, fig. 1, pl. 21, fig. 2, 1845; GunTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 18, 1868, Youghiogheny River, Pa. Mozxostoma aureolum JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 140, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 30, 1893; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 192, 1896. ‘oC ClC fF. ie | ee eh. er FISHES OF NEW YORK Et Body oblong, the back in front of dorsal elevated and com- pressed, head short, conical, broad between eyes. The eye is. rather large, one fourth length of head, which is contained five times in total length without caudal. The depth of the body is contained three and one half times in this length. Caudal peduncle deep, compressed, its least depth equal to one half the length of head; mouth small; the snout somewhat projecting; fins all well developed; the anterior rays of dorsal longest, as long as dorsal base, pectoral or longest anal rays, equaling length of head; caudal forked; scales large, about equal in size all over the body, and finely striated. D.15; A. 8. Scales 6—46 —6; lateral line complete. The red horse has the additional names of golden red horse, golden sucker, mullet, golden mullet, and lake mullet. It in- habits the Great lakes and the region northward, also the Ohio valley. It is common in Lake Erie but not in the Ohio. This species grows to a length of 18 inches and is one of the handsomest of the suckers. Prof. Forbes records it from lakes. of northern Illinois, also abundantly in the central part of that. state. Dr Evermann, in collecting fishes of the Lake Ontario region, secured it at the following localities: Lake Ontario, 4 miles off Nine Mile point, N. Y. June 12, 1893; lake shore, 3 miles west of Oswego, July 17, 1894; mouth Salmon river, July 25, 1894; Long pond, Charlotte N. Y. Aug. 17, 1894; Sandy creek, North Hamlin N.Y. Aug. 20, 1894. Dr Meek identified a single specimen of the so called common red horse of Cayuga lake with Moxostoma macrole- pidotum, and stated, on the authority of Mr Kipp, that it is common at the northern end. Jordan and Evermann, however,. do not extend the range of macrolepidotum so far north, and it is probable that the common Moxostoma of Cayuga lake is M. aureolum. De Kay records the species as very common in Lake Erie.. In August and September he observed them to be full of Worms. In his New York Fauna, Fishes, p. 198, he describes a sucker or mullet under the name Oneida sucker. This, he stated, is com-- 112 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM mon in Oneida lake. The species is considered identical with Moxostoma aureolum.. His description shows a very close agreement with that of aureolum given above. The food of the red horse consists chiefly of mollusks and in- sects. It is not a choice food fish. Eugene Smith! records this form as occurring in the vicinity of New York city. Mention has already been made of the doubt concerning the northern limits of the range of macrole- pidotum; but for the sake of comparison the brief descrip- tion of macrolepidotum published by Jordan and Eyver- mann is given herewith. | Head moderate, rather stout, its length four and three fifths in body; eye one and two thirds in snout; dorsal fin with its free edge concave; scales usually with dusky shade at base; lower fins pale. Streams about Chesapeake and Delaware bays, and southward to North Carolina. It seems in some respects juter- mediate between M. aureolum and M. crassilabre, but we can not at present identify it with either. Family cyPRINIDAE Carps Genus camposroma Agassiz Body moderately elongate, little compressed; mouth normal, the jaws with thick lips and rudiment of a hard sheath; pre- maxillaries protractile; no barbel; teeth 4—4, or 1, 4-4, 0, with ob- liqgue grinding surface, and a slight hook on one or two teeth; air bladder suspended in the abdominal cavity and entirely sur- rounded by many convolutions of the long alimentary canal, which is six to nine times the total length of the body; ovaries similarly enclosed by the alimentary canal; peritoneum black; pseudobranchiae present; scales moderate; lateral line present; dorsal nearly over ventrals; anal short; no spines. Herbivo- vous. Sexual differences very great, the males being covered with large tubercles in spring. The singular arrangement of the intestines in relation to the air bladder is peculiar to Cam- postoma among all known fishes. (After Jordan and Ever- mann) —————$— ‘Linn. Soe. N. ¥Y. Proe: 1897. no; 9, p. Le | FISHES OF NEW YORK db 18; 64 Campostoma anomalum (Rafinesque) ‘ Stone Roller; Stone Lugger Rutilus anomalus RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 52, 1820. ; Hzoglossum dubium KirTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. V, 272, pl. 21, fig. 1, en dubium GunvTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 183, 1868. Compostoma anomalum AGAssiz, Amer. Jour. Sci. Arts. 218, 1855; JoRDAN & ‘ GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus, 149, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 82, 1898; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 205, 1896, pl. XXXIX, fig. 95, 1900. In the stone roller the body is moderately stout and not greatly compressed; the caudal peduncle long and deep. The greatest depth of the body is contained four to four and one half times in the total length without the caudal; the depth of the caudal peduncle, eight and one half to nine times in the same length. The snout is obtuse, twice as. long as the eye, and two fifths as long as the head. The maxilla reaches to the ver- tical from the posterior nostril, which is more than twice as far from tip of snout as from eye. The dorsal origin is over the 20th scale of the lateral line, and the ventral origin under the 19th. The dorsal base is one half and its longest ray two thirds as long as the head. The ventral reaches nearly to vent. The pectoral is one sixth of total length without caudal. The anal origin is under the 32d scale of the lateral line; the anal base is as long as the snout, and the longest ray equal to head not including the snout. The caudal is moderately forked. D. 8; A. 7 or 8. Scales 8-52 to 53-8; teeth 4-4. Color in spirits brownish above, lower parts pale. In living examples the scales are somewhat mottled with blackish, and there is a dusky vertical bar behind the opercle; dorsal and anal fins olivaceous in females and with a nearly median dusky cross bar. Breeding males have the iris orange, the dorsal and anal fins crimson, and the head and sometimes the body covered with large roundish tubercles. The stone roller is likewise called stone toter, stone lug- ger, and steel-back minnow. It is a fish of very wide distribu- ‘tion, ranging from western New York to North Carolina and throughout the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, west to Wyoming 114 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM and southwest to Texas. It is an extremely variable species and everywhere common. The species grows to the length of eight inches. It has no importance as food for man. It feeds on aquatic plants. The young are hardy in the aquarium, where - they feed on confervae and diatoms. The sexes are very unlike. The males in the breeding season have the head and frequently the entire body covered with large tubercles and the upper half of the dorsal and anal fins fiery orange, with a dark cross bar about the middle of these fins. The fish is* rather sluggish, but when frightened its move- ments are very rapid. It is a bottom feeder. Dr Evermann collected a moderate number of specimens at the following New York localities: Salt brook, 14 miles above Nine Mile point; June 11, 1893; creek, Pultneyville, Aug. 7, 1894; Long pond, Charlotte, Aug. 17, 1894; Marsh creek, Point Breeze, Aug. 21, 1894. Genus cHrosomus Rafinesque Body moderately elongate, little compressed; jaws normal; no barbel; teeth 5-5 or 4-5, moderately hooked, with well marked grinding surface; alimentary canal elongate, about twice as long as body; peritoneum black; scales very small; lateral line short or wanting; dorsal behind ventrals; anal basis short. Size small. Colors in spring brilliant, the pigment bright red. This genus is of somewhat doubtful relationship, and shows many analogies with the subgenus Phoxinus under Leu- eiscus. (After Jordan and Evermann) 65 Chrosomus erythrogaster Rafinesque Red-bellied Dace Lusilus erythrogaster RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 47, 1820; KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. IV, pl. II, fig. 2, male and female,. 1844. Leuciscus erythrogaster GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 247, 1868. Chrosonvus erythrogaster CopE, Trans. Am. Phil. Soc. XIII, 391; JorpANn & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 153, 1888; BEAN, Fishes Penna, 32, pl. 22, fig. 35, 1893; JorDAN,& EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 209, 1896. | | The red-bellied dace has a fusiform, moderately elongate and thick body, whose greatest hight is contained from four and FISHES OF NEW YORK 115 one fifth to five times, and the least depth of its caudal peduncle eight and one half times, in the total length to the caudal base. The head is conical with pointed snout as long as the eye, which is about one fourth as long as the head. The head equals one fourth of total length to caudal base. The maxilla reaches nearly to below the front of the eye. The lateral line varies in development, sometimes reaching to above the erigin of the ventrals and continued backward even farther at intervals, but usually not extending to ventrals. The dorsal origin is over the space between the ventral origin and the vent; about 39 _ rows of scales between it and the nape. The dorsal base is one half as long as the head; the longest ray equals head with- out snout. The pectoral reaches nearly to ventral origin, and the ventral reaches vent. The anal base is two fifths as long as the head; the longest ray equal to longest of the dorsal. The caudal is moderately forked, its middle rays two thirds as long as the outer.’ D..8; A..7;) V. 8; P..12. . Seales: 18-80 to 85-10; teeth 5-5. Length of specimens described, from Yel- low creek, 3 inches. A narrow dusky line along the top of the back; two narrow, dark bands on the sides, the lower one passing forward on the head to tip of snout; the space between the bands and below bright silvery. Breeding males have the bases of the dorsal, anal and caudal fins and the area between the dark bands scarlet, while the body is covered with minute tubercles, and the fins generally are vivid yellow. The U.S. Fish Commission parties obtained this minnow at the following localities in the Lake Ontario region: Salt brook, 13 miles above Nine Mile point, June 11, 1893; Cemetery creek, or Black river, Watertown, July 5, 1894; Long pond, Charlotte, Aug. 17, 1894. I am unable to find a reference to this species in the works of Mitchill and De Kay. The red-bellied minnow or dace is found from Pennsylvania to Dakota and Tennessee. It is abundant in small streams, and is a strikingly beautiful fish. Aiong the sides are two blackish bands; one beginning above the eye and extending to the tail; another trayerses the eye and follows the lateral line 116 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM to the base of the caudal, where it ends in a black spot. The belly and the space between the bands are bright silvery, re- placed by scarlet red in breeding males, which have the same color at the bases of the dorsal, caudal and anal fins. In the hight of the breeding season the fins are bright yellow, and the body is covered with small tubercles. According to Prof. Cope the red-bellied minnow is not found in the Delaware, but it occurs in the Susquehanna and is common in the streams of western Pennsylvania. It reaches a length of 3 inches, and is Similar in its habits to the stone roller, with which it asso- ciates. It prefers clear streams, which have their origin in Springs. As an aquarium fish this is scarcely excelled in beauty and hardiness, and as a bait for the black bass it has few superiors. : i tase Genus HyBOGNATHUS Agassiz Body elongate, somewhat compressed; mouth horizontal, the jaws normal, sharp edged; lower jaw with a slight, hard pro- tuberance in front; no barbel; upper jaw protractile; teeth 4-4, cultriform, with oblique grinding surface and little if any hook; alimentary canal elongate, three to 10 times the length of the body; peritoneum black; scales large; lateral line con- tinuous; dorsal inserted before ventrals; anal basis short. Size moderate. Sexual changes very slight, no red or black pigment distinguishing the males in spring. Species numerous, mostly southwestern, not well known. 7. , | 66 Hybognathus nuchalis Agassiz Silvery Minnow Hybognathus nuchalis Acassiz, Am. Jour. Sci. Arts. 224, 1855; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 184, 1868; JorpDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 156, 1893; Bran, Fishes Penna. 33, 1893; JORDAN & EXVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 218, 1896. Hybognathus regius GIRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 209, 1856; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 185, 1868. Hybognathus osmerinus Core, Proc. Am. Phil. See. Phila. 466, 1870 (Raritan river, N. J.). Body moderately stout and short, its greatest depth equaling one fourth of the total length without the caudal, and the least FISHES OF NEW YORK 117 depth of the caudal peduncle equaling nearly one half of the greatest depth of the body; body compressed, its greatest width less than one half its hight. Head short, its upper and lower profiles tapering equally into the short and not very obtuse snout, which is as long as the eye, and three elevenths as long as the head. Mouth small, slightly oblique, the jaws nearly equal, or the lower slightly included, the maxilla without a barbel, and reaching to below the anterior nostril. The dorsal origin is over, and the ventral origin under, the 12th scale of the lateral line. The dorsal base is two thirds as long as the head; the longest dorsal ray equals the distance from the nostril to the end of the operculum, and the last ray is less than one half as long as the longest. The ventral does not reach to the vent; its length two thirds that of the head. The anal origin is under the 24th scale of the lateral line; the anal base is scarcely as long as the postorbital part of the head; the last anal ray is one third, and the longest anal ray two thirds, as long as the head. The pectoral is four fifths as long as the head, and reaches to below the 11th scale of the lateral line. The caudal is moderate in size and deeply forked, the middle rays less than one half as long as the external rays. D. ii, 7; A. ii, 7; V.8; P.15. Scales 6—88 to 39—4; teeth 4—4 long, much com- pressed, and with a long oblique grinding surface. Intestines seven to 10 times as long as the body. The lateral line is : gently decurved on about the first six scales, thence straight and median to the root of the caudal fin. Color in spirits light brown with a broad silvery band, the fins all pale. Olivaceous green above, translucent in life; sides silvery, with bright reflections; fins unspotted. Length 4 to 7 inches. The silvery minnow, or blunt jaw, is found in clear streams from New York to Georgia and Texas, west to the upper Missouri. In the Potomac river occurs a large variety which reaches a length of 7 inches. This variety has a larger eye and a deeper body than the western form. | The U. S. Fish Commission collectors in the Lake Ontario region obtained specimens at the following localities: Salt. 118 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM’ brook, 13 miles above Nine Mile point, June 11, 1893; Mull creek, Sacketts Harbor,July 2,1894; Cemetery creek Watertown, July 5, 1894. The fish was most abundant at Mill creek. The fish spawns in the early spring. It is extensively used for food along with the Notropis hudsonius, the so called “smelt” or “ gudgeon.” It takes the hook very freely during the spawning season. Genus PIMEPHALES Rafinesque Body rather robust, little compressed; head short and rounded, mouth small, inferior; upper jaw protractile; no barbel; teeth 4-4, with oblique grinding surface, usually only one of the teeth hooked; dorsal over ventrals, its first (rudi- mentary) ray separated from the rest by membrane, not joined to them as usual in minnows, this character most distinct in adult males, in which the skin of the first ray is thickened; anal basis short; intestinal canal elongate; peritoneum black; pseudobranchiae present; scales rather small; lateral line com- plete or variously incomplete. Size small. Breeding males with much black pigment and with large warts on the head. (After Jordan and Evermann) 67 Pimephales promelas Rafinesque Fathead ; Blackhead Minnow Pimephales promelas RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 53, 1820; KirrLAnp, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. III, 475, pl. 27, fig.2, 1841; Storer, Syn. Fish. N. A. 166, 1846; GunTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 181, 1868; Jorpan & Gr- BERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 158, 1883; Bran, Fishes Penna. 35, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 217, 1896. The fathead minnow has a short, deep and moderately thick body, and the head short with a very obtuse snout. The greatest depth of the body is equal to or slightly greater than length of head and is contained from three and two thirds to four and one fourth times in total length without caudal. The least depth of the caudal peduncle equals the length of postorbital part of the head. The head forms about one fourth of the total length to base of caudal; the width of the head equals two thirds of its length, The eye is as long as the snout and two ninths as long FISHES OF NEW YORK 119 as the head. The mouth is very small, terminal, slightly oblique; the maxilla not reaching vertical through hinder nostril. The dorsal origin is above, and the ventral origin below the 21st scale of the lateral line.’ The dorsal base is two thirds as long as the head; the first ray is about as long as the eye, and the longest as long as the head without the snout. The ventral reaches a little beyond the anal origin; its length equal to dorsal base. The anal base equals nearly one half the length of head, and the longest ray is as long as the dorsal base. The caudal is moderate and not deeply forked. The lateral line is con- tinuous on about 20 to 28 scales, and in one specimen continued with interruptions almost to the caudal base. D.1,8; A.i, 7; V. 8; P. 18. Scales 9-45 to 49-6; teeth 4-4. Length of specimens described, 3 inches. Color in spirits light brown, top and sides of head darker. A broad dark band on the base of the dorsal, most distinct anteriorly and sometimes absent behind. Males in spring are dusky, with black head and the snout and chin with numerous coarse tubercles. The fathead or blackhead is an inhabitant of the Ohio valley, and the Great lakes region west to Dakota and southwest to Texas. It is common in sluggish brooks, and instances have been known of its distribution by the action of cyclones. In Pennsylvania it is common in tributaries of the Ohio. The U. S. Fish Commission has obtained specimens from the fellowing localities in the basin of Lake Ontario: Salt brook, 1$ miles above Nine Mile point, June 11, 1893; Mill creek, Sack- ett Harbor, July 2, 1894; Three Mile creek, Oswego, July 27, 1894, where the greatest number of individuals was taken. Dr Meek says it is not very common in Cayuga lake, but is easily distinguished from the other minnows by its very long intes- tines. ; The fathead grows to a length of 24 inches. The sexes differ in color, the females being olivaceous, while the males are dusky and in the spring have the head black and the snout covered with numerous large, tubercles. The species has no value as food, but is an interesting one for the aquarium. Its food con- sists of mud and algae, and it seems to prefer a muddy bottom, SSR EEN MATIC em i eI ea 120 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 68 Pimephales notatus (Rafinesque) Blunt-nosed Minnow ; Spotted Minnow Minnilus notatus RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 47, 1820. Hyborhynchus notatus Corr, Trans. Am. Phil. Soe. XIII, 392, pl. 18, fig. 5, 1866 (the separate); GunTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 182, 1868; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 159, 1883. Pimephales notatus JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 22, 1885; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 36, 1898; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 218, 1896. The blunt-nosed minnow has a moderately elongate body and a Slender caudal peduncle. The head is somewhat conical with a short and blunt snout. The greatest depth of the body nearly equals length of head and is two ninths of the total length without caudal. The least depth of the caudal peduncle equals about one half of greatest depth of body. The snout is as long as the eye and one fourth as long as the head. The mouth is very small, inferior, nearly horizontal, the maxilla reaching to below the anterior nostril and provided with a short, thick, somewhat club-shaped barbel. The dorsal origin is slightly be- hind the ventral origin and over the 17th scale of the lateral line. The dorsal base is two thirds as long as the head, and about equal to the longest ray. The ventral origin is under the 16th scale of the lateral line; the fin does not reach to the vent. The anal origin is under the 27th scale of the lateral line; the base of the anal is two fifths as long as the head, and the longest ray is equal to the postorbital part of the head. The caudal is moderately large and forked. The lateral line curves very slightly downward as far as the ventral origin and then follows straight along the median line; it is complete. D. 1, 8; A. i, 7; V.8; P.15. Scales 6-42 to 45-5; teeth 4-4. Length of specimens described, 3 inches. Color in spirits light brown; the fins except the dorsal paler. A black spot about as large as the eye on the front of the dorsal. In life the sides are bluish. Breed- ing males have the black on the dorsal continued backward on the membrane covering the rays and the head black, while the snout has about 14 to 17 large, pointed tubercles. A dusky shade sometimes present at base of caudal. . ia FISHES OF NEW YORK Tt The blunt-nosed minnow is a larger species than the fathead, reaching a length of 4 inches, and its range extends from Quebec to Delaware, west to Kansas and south to Mississippi. B. W. Evermann and B. A. Bean obtained it for the U. 8. Fish Commission in the St Lawrence river, 3 miles below Ogdens- burg, July 17, 1894, in abundance. They found it common also at Scioto creek, Coopersville N. Y. J uly 19, 1894. In the Lake On- tario region the Fish Commission collected the species at Cape Vincent, Grenadier island, Sacketts Harbor, Pointbreeze, Hunt- ingtonville, Charlotte, Stony Island, Pultneyville, Chaumont, Henderson bay, and Salt brook. Livingston Stone obtained the fish at Cape Vincent in the St Lawrence river, and presented it to the state museum at Albany. It is found in large numbers in the southern end of Cayuga lake, and in streams on the flats. Not very abundant at the northern end of the lake and in streams near Ithaca, above the falls, according to the records of Dr Seth E. Meek. ne The blunt-nosed minnow differs from the fathead in its larger size and in having a complete lateral line, but the sexual differences are similar in the two species. The males in spring have the head black and the snout with many large tubercles. The species is extremely variable and changes greatly with age. It frequents small and muddy streams, and its food consists of decaying vegetable matter. Genus sEmMo7vTiLus Rafinesque Body stout, moderately compressed and elongate; mouth ter- minal, wide, the upper jaw protractile; a small barbel just above the end of the maxillary; in most American minnows the barbel is at its tip; the maxillary barbel sometimes absent in young individuals; teeth 2, 5-4, 2, hooked, without grinding surface; scales rather large; lateral line complete; a short intestinal canal; dorsal placed behind ventrals; base of anal short. Vertebrae 22+20—42. Fishes of large size in clear, swift streams from Canada to Virginia, west to Missouri and Wyoming. 22, | NEW YORK STATR MUSEUM ) 69 Semotilus bullaris (Rafinesque) Fatlfish; Wind Fish; Dace; Chivm; Silver Chub Cyprinus bullaris RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 120, Dec. 1817. Cyprinus corporalis Mircentitt, Amer. Month. Mag. IJ, 324, Mar. 1818. Previous notice in same work, vol. I, 289, July, 1817, insufficient to hold name. The Corporaalen of the Dutch, moreover, was the striped species, atromaculatus. Semotilus bullaris JORDAN, Man. Vert. ed. 1, 1876; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 222, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 50, pl. 24, fig. 41, 1893; GoopE, Fish. & Fish. Ind. U. S. pl. 228, upper figure, 1884. Leuciscus nitidus DEKay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 209, pl. 33, fig. 105, 1842, Lake Champlain. Leuciscus chrysopterus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 211, pl. 30, fig. 95 (poor), 1842, harbor of New York. Semotilus corporalis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. 8S. Nat. Mus. 221, 1896. The fallfish has a moderately deep, elongate and compressed body and a stout caudal peduncle. The greatest depth is one fourth of the total length without caudal, and the least depth of the peduncle equals three eighths of length of head. The head is rather large, one fourth of total without caudal, with pointed snout, which is two sevenths of the head’s length. The mouth is oblique; the jaws nearly equal, the maxilla extending to below front of eye. The eye is placed high and is about one fourth as long as the head. The dorsal origin is over the 16th or 17th scale of the lateral line; the base of the fin is one half, and the longest ray two thirds as long as the head. The ventral origin is under the 15th scale of the lateral line; the fin does not reach to the vent, its length one seventh of total without caudal. The anal origin is under the 27th scale of the lateral line; the base of the fin is one third as long as the head, and the longest ray is as long as the ventral. The caudal is large and deeply forked. The lateral line curves downward abruptly over the pectoral, becoming median over the end of that fin. D. ii, 7; A. li, 7; V. 8; P.18. Scales 7—46—5; teeth 2, 5—4, 2 or 2, 4— 4,2, all more or less strongly hooked. In spirits the upper parts are grayish brown, the sides and cheeks silvery, the lower parts whitish, the fins all pale. In life the upper parts are steel blue, the sides and belly silvery; breeding males in spring have the FISHES OF NEW YORK 123 belly and lower fins rosy. The specimens described, no. 9202, U.S. National Museum, are from 54 to 6+ inches long. The fallfish or dace ts one of the largest of the minnow family in New York, reaching a length of 18 inches, and it is one of the most beautiful species as well as game in its qualities. Asa food fish, however, this is not greatly esteemed. It is extremely common in the Delaware river and its tributaries and moder- ately abundant in the Susquehanna. The fallfish is found from Quebec to Virginia. Mitchill had it from the Wallkill river and knew of its occurrence in the Hudson, near Albany. Rafinesque recorded it from the Fishkill and other tributaries of the Hud- son. De Kay knew it from Lake Champlain and from New York harbor. Evermann and Bean collected it in Scioto creek, at Coopersville, and in Saranac river, at Plattsburg, in July 1894; also in Racquette river, at Norfolk, and the St Lawrence river, 3 miles below Ogdensburg, in the same month. In the Lake Ontario basin the U. 8S. Fish Commission parties found it at Sacket Harbor, Centerville, Watertown, Oswego, Webster, Charlotte, Belleville, Henderson bay, Henderson Har- bor, and Salt brook, near Nine Mile point. The fallfish delights in rapid, rocky portions of large streams and in the deep channels. On being hooked, it fights desper- ately for a short time, but its resistance is soon overcome. Thoreau describes it as a soft fish with a taste like brown paper salted, yet the boy fishermen will continue to covet and admire this handsome and ubiquitous representative of the minnow family. A colored plate of the fish, natural size, appears in the 3d Annual Report of the Commissioners of Fisheries, Game and Forest of the State of New York, 1898, facing p. 146. There is also a good account of the fish by A. N. Cheney on p. 244 and 245 of the same report. 70 Semotilus atromaculatus (Mitchill) Horned Dace; Chub Cyprinus atromaculatus Mircuitt, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 324, Mar. 1818; Wallkill river. | Leuciscus atromaculatus DE IAy, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 210, pl. 32, fig. 102, 1842. 124 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Semotilus corporalis Corr, Jour. Am. Phil. Soc. XIII, 362, pl. 10, fig. 2, (the separate), 1866; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 221, 1883; GoopE, Fish. & Fish. Ind. U. S. pl. 228, lower figure, 1884. Leucosomus corporalis GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 269, 1868. Semotilus atromaculatus BICKNELL & DRESSLAR, Proce. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 16, 1885; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 51, 1893; JornpDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 222, 1896; pl. XL, fig. 100, 1900. The chub has a slender and moderately elongate body, its greatest hight immediately in front of the ventrals, about equal to the length of the head without the snout and contained from four to nearly five times in the total length without the caudal. — The greatest thickness of the body is about two thirds of its greatest hight. The head is thicker than the body and rather short with an obtuse and moderately declivous snout, whose length is about two sevenths of that of the head and consider- ably greater than the diameter of the eye. The eye is rather small, placed high, its diameter nearly one fifth of the length of the head and scarcely more than one half of the space between the eyes. The mouth is moderate, very slightly oblique, the jaws subequal or the lower slightly included; the end of the maxilla reaches very slightly past the vertical through the front of the eye. Maxillary barbel not evident in this example, though usually present in large individuals. The lateral line is abruptly bent downward over the first half of the pectoral, straight and nearly median during the rest of its course. The origin of the dorsal is over the 27th scale of the lateral line, and the ventral origin is under the 24th scale. The length of the dorsal base equals the combined length of the eye and snout. The first divided ray is the longest; its length two thirds that of the head. The last ray is one half as long as the longest. The ventral does not reach to the vent; its length scarcely greater than the postorbital part of the head. The anal origin is under the 37th scale of the lateral line; the length of the anal base is a little more than one third that of the head, and the longest anal ray equals the postorbital part of the head. The tail is rather slender, the least depth of the caudal peduncle. equaling one half the greatest depth and the distance of the anal from the origin of the middle caudal rays nearly equal to FISHES OF NEW YORK 125 the length of the head. , The pectoral when extended reaches to below the 16th scale of the lateral line. The caudal is mod- erate in size and not very deeply forked, its middle rays being about two thirds as long as the external rays. D. ii, 7; A. iii, 8; V.8;P.15. Scales 958—6. Teeth of right side 2+5; of left side 244. Those of the left side strongly and those of the right side less strongly hooked. Teeth of the upper row with a well developed grinding surface. The length of the specimen described, no. 21661, U. S. National Museum, from the Susquehanna river at Bainbridge Pa., is 44 inches. The color is bluish brown above; sides with a distinct dusky band, not so wide as the eye and becoming obsolete in the adult. Young specimens have the end of this band more pronounced, forming a black spot at the base of the caudal. A small black spot always present on the front of the base of the dorsal, its Size in the specimen described being about two thirds of that of the eye. In life the belly is whitish. Breeding males have the belly rose tinted and the black dorsal spot bordered with red; they have, also, rather large tubercles on the snout. The common chub, creek chub, smaller fallfish or horned dace has a wider distribution than S. bullaris, but it does not grow quite so large, seldom exceeding 1 foot in length. Its range extends from New England to Missouri, southward to Georgia and Alabama. It is extremely common and ascends the small streams. | The U. 8S. Fish Commission collectors in 1894 took numerous specimens at the following localities: Sacketts Harbor, July 2; Centerville, July 24; Watertown, July 5; Oswego, July 25; Webster, Aug. 9; Charlotte, Aug. 17; Belleville, July 12; Hen- derson bay, July 4; Henderson Harbor, July 3, and Salt brook, 1 miles above Nine Mile point, June 10 and 11, 1893. Dr Meek reported it as abundant throughout the Cayuga lake basin. Large examples are found in Canandaigua lake. One of them measured 14 inches in July 1897. The fish is killed by 126 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM warm water. The food in captivity includes hard clam, earth- worms, and, occasionally, live killifish. : A. N. Cheney refers to this species on page 245 of the 8d Annual Report of the Commissioners of Fisheries, Game and Forest of the State of New York. — In Pennsylvania it is the commonest minnow in the Allegheny and Susquehanna basins and is sufficiently common in the Dela- ware. According to Prof. Cope it reaches 4 pounds in weight and is a fair food fish. ) This species is more characteristic of the small streams and clear- ponds and it takes the hook very freely; but its proper mission is to serve as bait for the larger and choicer fishes. Genus rinca Cuvier Pseudobranchiae minute; mouth anterior; lips thick but desti- tute of any horny covering; barbels two, one at either angle of the mouth; pharyngeal teeth in one row,4 or 5-5 or 4,cuneiform, with a slightly hooked extremity; gill rakers short and lanceo- late; dorsal fin rather short, commencing slightly behind the origin of the ventral; anal short; caudal slightly emarginate; scales small, embedded in a thick Skin and covered with mucus. Lateral line complete. (After Day) 71 Tinea tinca (Linnaeus) Tench (Introduced) Cyprinus tinca LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 321, 1758; LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 491, 533, 1800. Tinca vulgaris CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XVI, 322, pl. 484, 1842; HECKEL & KNER, Stissw. Fische, 75, fig. a 1858; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 264, 1868. Tinca tinca JORDAN & HVERMANN, Check List Fishes N. A. 512 1896. B: 3;_D. 12 to 13 (8 or 9 developed); P. 17; V.9=10; 3A) oie: Scales 30 to 31—90 to 115. Length of head four and one third to four and three fourths; hight of body three and three fourths to four and one fourth in the total length including caudal. Eye six and one half to seven and one half in length of head; two and one fourth in length of snout; two to two and one fourth in distance between eyes. Interorbital space flat. The thickness FISHES OF NEW YORK 127 of the head equals its length exclusive of the snout. Snout obtuse; mouth anterior, jaws anteriorly of the same length, gape wide, cleft rather shallow; the maxilla reaches to beneath the posterior nostril; lips thick. Dorsal origin over the end of the ventral base, and the fin extends almost to above the anal origin; all the fins rounded. In the males the first or even more of the ventral rays are thicker than in the female. - Lateral line gradually descending to about the middle of the length, thence proceeding straight to the base of caudal. Leaden or greenish, lightest beneath; fins blackish. The tench has been introduced into the United States. An individual taken in the Potomae river near Washington D. C. has a grinding surface well developed on the pharyngeal teeth, a character concerning which no mention is made in the current descriptions. ; The tench now extends throughout the fresh waters of Europe into those of Asia Minor. Its northern limit is said to be in Finland. It may or may not be native to England. The species prefers still waters in which aquatic plants abound. It is very tenacious of life and has been observed to live a whole day out of water. Its food consists of insects, larvae, worms, and vege- table substances. Spawning takes place in June and July. The eggs are small and adhesive. The rate of growth is rather rapid under favor- able circumstances, the voung having attained toa weight of 1 pound in their first year. Individuals of the weight of 10 or 11 pounds are recorded, and Salvianus mentioned a tench of 20 pounds. As for the quality of its flesh, opinions differ, some persons considering it unpalatable, while others regard it as delicious and wholesome. Genus Leucriscus Cuvier Body oblong, compressed or robust, covered with moderate or small scales; lateral line decurved, complete, or variously im- perfect; mouth usually large and terminal, the lips normal, with- out barbel; teeth mostly 2, 5-4, 2 (in American species some 128 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM times 1, 5-4, 2, or even by atrophy, 1, 4—4, 1) usually 2, 5-5, 2 in the European type, hooked, with rather narrow grinding sur- face or none; anal basis short or more or less elongate; dorsal fin posterior, usually behind ventrals; intestinal canal short. Size generally large, some species very small. Avery large group, one of the largest current genera in ichthyology, repre- sented by numerous species in the rivers of Europe, Asia, and North America. .. Individual irregularities in dentition are common in this genus. The typical species of the genus, Leuciscus leuciseus, is the common dace or vandoise of Europe, and differs greatly from any of the American forms. The presence of various inter- mediate species, however, makes it impossible to draw any satis- factory line between the dace, Le uciscus, on the one hand, and such extreme forms as the long-mouthed minnows, Clinostomus, on the other. Clinostomus is a peculiar group of small, fine-scaled minnows, with the gape of the mouth larger than in any other Cyprinidae whatever. The relationship of the species to those called Richardsonius is however very close. (After Jordan and Evermann) Subgenus ciinosromus Girard 72 Leuciscus elongatus (Kirtland) Red-sided. Shiner Luxilus elongatus IXIRKLAND, Rep’t Zool. Ohio, 169, 1886; Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist, LIL .339 , pl. IV, fig. 1, 1841. Leuciscus proriger GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 245, 1868. Squalius elongatus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 232, 18883. Phozinus elongatus BEAN, Fishes Penna. 52, 1898. Leuciscus elongatus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 214, 1842; Sng Syn. Fish, N. A. 161, 1846; Guntuer, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 245, 1868; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 240, 1896. The red-sided shiner has an elongate fusiform body, its great- est depth two ninths of the total length without the caudal, its greatest width nearly one half of its depth. The caudal ped- uncle is long and slender, its least depth two fifths of greatest FISHES OF NEW YORK 129 depth of body. ‘The head is large, two sevenths of total length without the caudal, with long pointed snout and wide mouth. The snout is as long as the eye and two sevenths as long as the head. The width of the interorbital space is about equal to the diameter of the eye. The lower jaw projects strongly. The maxilla reaches to below the middle of the eye. The gill open- ings are wide, the membranes separated by a very narrow isthmus. The dorsal origin is over the 25th scale of the lateral line; the base of the fin is two fifths as long as the head; the longest ray is as long as the head without the snout; the last ray is about half as long as the longest. The ventral origin is under the 23d scale of the lateral line; the fin extends to the vent, equaling length of eye and snout combined. The anal origin is under the 37th scale of the lateral line; the anal base is two fifths as long as the head; the longest ray twice as long - as the last ray and one fourth of its distance from the tip of the snout. The caudal is large and deeply forked. The pectoral is two thirds as long as the head, extending to below the 17th scale of the lateral line. The lateral line is abruptly decurved over the anterior half of the pectoral. D. iii, 7; A. iti, 7; V. 8; P.14. Scales 12-63-7 (sometimes 102% 0—5); teeth 2, 5-5, 2, hooked, some of them with a narrow grinding surface. In spirits the color is dark brown; a narrow dark stripe along the middle of the side extending on the head and around the snout; the fins are pale. In life the back is dark bluish, the belly silvery; breed- ing males have the first half of the lateral stripe crimson and the belly and lower fins rosy. The specimen described, number 8467, U. S. National Museum, from Meadville, Pa., is 3 inches long. The red-sided shiner is found from Pennsylvania to Minne- sota; abundant in clear streams of the Great lakes region and the upper Mississippi valley. In the Lake Ontario basin the U. S. Fish Commission collectors obtained it in the following localities in 1894: Spring brook, Pulaski, July 24; Wart creek, July 24; Three Mile creek, Oswego, July 27, 130 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Subgenus pHoxius Rafinesque ma ; - x (3 Leuciscus margarita (Cope) Pearl Minnow Clinostomus margarita CoPpE, Cypr. Penn. 377, pl. 18, fig. 1, 1866. Squalius margaritus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 235, 1883. Phorinus margaritus BEAN, Fishes Penna. 53, 1898." Leuciscus margarita GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. V II, 246, 1868; Jorpan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus, 241, 1896. Muzzle obtuse, mouth oblique, scarcely attaining the line of the anterior margin of the orbit; head four times in body to base of caudal fin, equal to greatest depth; eye three fourths its diameter from end of muzzle, and equal to postero-inferior mar- gin of operculum. Scales less exposed on anterior than on posterior regions: 11-58-8 to 9. The lateral line is discon- tinued 5 to 8 scales anterior to the caudal fin. Pharyngeal teeth slender, 2, 5-4, 2. Dorsal originating behind origin of ven- trals, 1,85 A. 1-8; V.S8, extending three fourths from its origin to the anus; P. 17, reaching two thirds way to ventrals. Lines From origin of caudal’to first dorsal ray 4. 222.) eae Maris = From first dorsal ray to hind margin of orbit............ 9.5 From first dorsaliray ‘to end jor muzale a. 2 2 eee + DSRS Eo Krom trst-analray io caudal bases 2 (20.03. 2 ee eee 8 From end. of muzzle to base ot ventrals.. oa": eee 12 Total length, 2 inches 6 lines. Coloration above light olive, without dorsal line, but darker shade at origin of dorsal fin with a minute slaty dusting and a few lateral speckles of the same. Sides to halfway above the lateral line and opercula plumbeous silvery; below bright crim- son (in midsummer) to lower margins of pectoral and ventral fins; median line below straw-colored. Muzzle blackish; fins un- spotted. (After Cope) | The pearl minnow was supposed to be limited to the Susaue- hanna river and its tributaries, but it is now known southward to the James and the head waters of the Kanawha, and has FISHES OF NEW YORK 131 been reported, somewhat doubtfully, from Cemetery creek, at Watertown N. Y. by Dr Evermann. It is a stout-bodied little species, growing to a length of 3 inches. : Genus 1pus Heckel Pharyngeal teeth in two series, 3, 5-5, 3, four of those in the principal row laterally compressed and hooked at the tips; lat- eral line complete; eyes small. Scales small; dorsal and anal fins short, without thickened anterior rays; mouth small, terminal, oblique. 74 Idus idus (Linnaeus) Golden Ide (Introduced) Cyprinus idus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 324, 1758. Leuciscus idus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XVII, 228, 1844; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 229, 1868. Idus melanotus HECKEL & KNER, Siissw. Fische, 147, figs. 77, 78, 1858. Idus idus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Check List Fishes N. A. 512, 1896. Body moderately elongated and compressed; least hight of caudal peduncle two fifths of greatest depth of body, which is two sevenths of total length without caudal; length of head one fourth of total length without caudal; gye large, four times in head and twice in interorbital distance, about as long as the snout; mouth small; jaws equal in length, the maxillary reach- ing to below the posterior nostril; pharyngeal teeth 5, 3-8, 5, hooked, not serrated; dorsal outline almost regularly arched, similar to ventral outline, top of head slightly flattened; dorsal origin at, or somewhat behind, the middle of the length, directly over the origin of the ventral, its hight nearly equal to length of head; ventrals in advance of dorsal, and extending to the vent; pectorals short, not reaching to ventrals; caudal deeply forked, its lobes equal; lateral line decurved, its second half well below the ‘median line. Vertebrae 26+21 = 47. Reaches a length of 18 or 20 inches and the weight of 6 pounds. D. 11-12; A. 13-14; V. 10. Scales 9 or 10-56 to 59-7, four and one half series between the lateral line and ventral fin. A variety known as the golden ide, orfe, or gold nerfling has been introduced, for ornamental purposes, into American ponds. 1382 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM The back and sides are vermilion or orange red; belly silvery; a broad indistinct band of violet tint runs longitudinally to the tail, and divides the deep red of the back from the pale tint of the lower parts; all fins red at base and pale at tips; iris — golden red, with a black pupil. | | Genus aBrRamis Cuvier Subgenus noremiconus Rafinesque Body subelliptic, strongly compressed, both back and belly curved; back narrowly compressed, almost carinated; belly be- hind ventral fins forming a keel over which the scales do not pass. Head small, conic; mouth small, oblique or horizontal, without barbels; scales rather large; lateral line continuous, strongly decurved; dorsal fin inserted behind the ventrals; anal fin with its base more or less elongate; teeth 5-5, hooked, with erinding surface, the edges more or less crenate or serrate; alimentary canal short, though rather longer than the body; size rather large. Several species, one of them in coastwise fresh waters from Nova Scotia to Maryland, west to Dakota; another in rivers of the South Atlantic states and south to Texas. A peculiar form in Central park, New York city. 75 Abramis crysoleucas (Mitchill) Roach; Golden Shiner Cyprinus crysoleucas MITCHILL, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 23, 1814. Cyprinus hemiplus RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 121, Dee. 1817. Lake George, Lake Saratoga. 2 Abramis versicolor DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 191, pl. 32, fig. 108, 1842. Stilbe chrysoleucas DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 204, pl, 29, fig. 91, 1842. Abramis americanus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 305, 1868. — Notemigonus chrysoleucas JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. — 250, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 53, pl. 24, fig. 42, 1893. | Abramis crysoleucas JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 250, 1896, pl. XLV, fig. 111, 1900. The body of the roach is compressed, the back elevated and the head depressed and very small. The depth of the body is one third of the total length without the caudal; the head is con- tained four and two third times in this length. The eye is FISHES OF NEW YORK 13 contained three and one half times in the length of the head. The mouth is small, oblique, the maxillary not reaching to ver- tical through front of eye. The dorsal fin is much higher than long; its base is equal to the least depth of the caudal peduncle or twice the diameter of the eye, situated on middle of body. opposite the space between the ventral and anal fins. Anal longer than dorsal, its longest ray slightly exceeding the length of the base. Caudal forked. Lateral line much decurved on lower half of body behind pectorals. D. 8; A. 13. Scales 10-53-38. Teeth 5-5, hooked and with grinding surface. The roach, shiner, golden shiner or bream is one of the com- monest fishes of the eastern states. It is found from New England to Minnesota and southward. A variety of the roach replaces the common northern form from North Carolina to Texas. Evermann and Bean obtained it at Rouse Point N. Y. and in Scioto creek, Coopersville N. Y. July 19, 1894. In the Lake Ontario basin, the U. S. Fish Commission has it from: Salt brook, 14 miles above Nine Mile point June 11, 1893 Cape Vincent ; June 21, 1894 Grenadier island June 27, 1894 Black river, Huntingtonville July 5,1894 Guffon creek, Chaumont July 7,1894 Chaumont river July 10, 1894 Black creek, Scriba Corners July 17,1894 Mouth Salmon river, Selkirk July 25,1894 Dr Meek secured it in sluggish water on the flats near Ithaca. The roach is abundant in the lakes of Central park and in the Bronx; it was not found in the large lake of Prospect park, Brooklyn. Eugene Smith records its occurrence in the vicinity of New York associated with the common sunfish, killies, and catfish. The roach grows to a length of 1 foot and a weight of 14 pounds. It frequents sluggish waters, abounding in bayous and weedy ponds, as well as in tidal waters. According to Jordan, 134 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM its favorite shelter is the yellow pond lily. It may be readily distinguished by its shape, which resembles that of the shad,. and by the very long anal fin, which contains from 14 to 17 rays. The colors of this fish are greenish above and the sides silvery with golden reflections. Fins usually yellowish; lower fins scar- let in breeding males. Though the roach is not a good food fish, it is taken by the hook in large numbers and is a very useful species for bait. The roach, writes Eugene Smith, is an active fish and lives. well in the aquarium, becoming very familiar with its keeper. Owing to the small size of its gullet, the smaller individuals: will at length starve unless their food is much comminuted. The fish spawned in captivity in May, and early in December of the same year the young were 14 inches long. The adults do not like earthworms, but feed freely on chopped hard clams. | 76 Abramis chrysoleucas roseus subsp. nov. Irish Roach; Pearl Roach Abramis crysoleucas subspecies, BEAN, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. N. Y. IX, 334, 1897. The “Irish roach” or “pearl roach” of a lake in Central park, New York city, is even more distinct from the typical northern roach than is the subspecies bosci of the rivers of ihe South Atlantic states, and should receive a name. ‘This. form is readily distinguished from A. crysoleucas by its short and deep body, uniform size of scales on all parts of the body, and the permanent vermilion color of the pectoral, ventral, and anal fins. An example studied in the New York aquarium has D. i, 7; A. i, 12; V. i. 8, scales 10-48-4; teeth 5-5, hooked, crenate, and with a grinding surface. The lateral line appar- ently is not so strongly decurved asin A. crysoleuca S. This is a beautiful fish and extremely shy in captivity. Two females and a male were ready to spawn in the aquarium about the end of June 1896. The females cast their eggs, but they were immediately eaten by the fish. Mh Ce ee eee ee ee ee le ee Se FISHES OF NEW YORK | 135 Genus norroris Rafinesque Body oblong or elongate, m~re or less compressed; mouth nor- mal, mostly terminal and oblique, sometimes subinferior; no barbels; teeth in one or two rows, those of the larger row always 4-4, hooked, sharp edged, or with a narrow grinding surface; scales large, often closely imbricated, those before the dorsal rarely very small; lateral line complete or nearly so, usually decurved; dorsal fin inserted above, or more usually behind, the ventrals; anal fin short or moderately long; abdomen rounded, never sharp edged. Coloration more or less silvery, often brilliant, the males in spring usually with red or white pigment and the head with small tubercles. A very large group of small fishes, specially characteristic of the fresh waters of the eastern United States, containing about 100 species, many of them characterized by extensive individual variations. (After Jordan and Evermann) | 77 Notropis bifrenatus (Cope) Bridled Minnow Hybopsis bifrenatus Corr, Cypr. Penna. 384, 1866; GunTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 211, 1868 (as a doubtful species). Hemitrenia bifrenata JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 162, 1888. Notrepis bifrenatus JORDAN, Check List Fishes N. A. 22, 1885; JorpDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 258, 1896. Front convex between the orbits; length of muzzle equals diameter of iris band and pupil, sometimes nearly equals orbit. Iris colored in continuation of the lateral band. The lateral line rarely extends half way to the dorsal fin, while the pores of the same may be observed at the bases of the scales for half the remaining length of the animal. Length of the largest speci- men, 19 lines; breadth of muzzle at nares, 1.5 lines. Radii of the scales strong. Color above straw, the scales delicately brown edged; below impure white, with a narrow black line along base of anal fin to caudal. Along each side from caudal fin around the end of muzzle including the end of the mandible, a shining black band 136 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM one and one half scales in width. This is bordered above on the muzzle, forming an are from orbit to orbit, by an orange band, which is strongly margined above by the brown of the top of the front. Opercular and suborbital regions below the black band, — pure silvery. (Rearranged from Cope) Head four and one fifth; depth four and one fifth; eye three. D. 8; A. 7. Scales 5-86-3; teeth 4-4. Body rather slender, the caudal peduncle somewhat contracted; head moderate, the muzzle very obtuse; mouth oblique, the jaws about equal, upper lip opposite lower part of pupil; eye large, longer than snout; lateral line developed for a very short distance. 13 scales. before dorsal. Length 14 to 2 inches. , | This little minnow has no common name. It is found from Massachusetts to Maryland and is abundant in tributaries of the Delaware river. On account of its conspicuous colors, it is @ useful bait for game fishes, specially the black bass. 78 Notropis anogenus Forbes Notropis anogenus ForBEs, Bull. Ill. Lab. Nat. Hist. 188, 1885; MEEK, Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. IV, 304, 1888, Canal near Montezuma, N. Y.; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 259, 1896. Head four and one fourth; depth four and two fifths; eye three and one fourth. D.8;A.7. Lateral line 34 to 37, 13 before dor- sal. Teeth 4-4. Very similar to N. heterodon, but with the lateral line usually complete; the mouth very small and very oblique, almost wholly anterior; the lower jaw included, the upper lip above level of pupil; snout very short, blunt, shorter than eye. Dusky; a dusky lateral band through eye, ending in ~ a faint black spot at base of caudal; a black speck above each pore of lateral line; chin black. Length 14 inches. Western: New York (Cayuga lake, Meek) to northern Illinois; rather searce. (After Jordan and Evermann) } According to Meek the species is quite common in the canal near Montezuma N. Y. It is the smallest of all the Cayuga lake fishes. | 79 Notropis cayuga Meek Notropis cayuga MEEK, Ann, N. Y. Acad. Sci. IV, 305, 1888, Cayuga Lake, N. Y.; JORDAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. IX, 17,.1891; Jornpan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 260, 1896. Fae FISHES OF NEW YORK 146 Head four and one sixth; depth four and one half; eve three and one half. Scales 36; before dorsal 14. Teeth 4-4. Allied to N. heterodon, from which it may be best known by the absence of black on the chin. Lateral line wanting on some scales; mouth very small, anterior, the maxillary not reaching the eye; jaws subequal; eye large, equal to snout. Scales above dark edged, the outlines very sharply defined; chin not black; a black stripe through snout and eye, a dusky lateral shade and a small caudal spot. Length 24 inches. Cayuga lake and north- ern New York, westward to Assiniboia, South Dakota, Ne- braska, Kansas and Arkansas. Not rare, but hitherto usually confounded with N. heterodon. (After Jordan and Ever- mann) Several examples were taken by Dr Meek near Ithaca. The longest was 22 inches. He also obtained it from the canal near Montezuma N. Y. The U. S. Fish Commission parties secured this minnow in many localities in 1894. Mouth of Little Salmon creek July 25 Chaumont river July 10 Black creek, tributary of Oswego river July 17 Three Mile creek, Oswego July 27 Great Sodus bay | Aug. 6 Guffon creek, Chaumont July 7 Four Mile creek, Nine Mile point, Webster Aug. 9 Cemetery creek, Watertown J uly 5 Mud creek, Cape Vincent June 25 Mill creek, Sacketts Harbor July 2 80 Notropis heterodon (Cope) Alburnops heterodon Corr, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 281, 1864. Hybopsis heterodon Corr, Cypr. Penna. 382, 1866. Leuciscus heterodon GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 261, 1868. Hemitremia heterodon JORDAN, Man. Vert. 303, 1878; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 163, 1883. Notropis heterodon JORDAN, Cat. Fish, N. A. 22, 1885; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 261, 1896. . Head four; depth four; eye three in head. D.8; A. 8. Scales -5-36-3, the lateral line extending about half the length of | \ 138 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM body; teeth 4-4, often crenate. Body moderately stout, the back somewhat elevated; head rather pointed, the muzzle acuminate; mouth oblique, lower jaw projecting, upper lip oppo- site upper rim of pupil; maxillary extending to opposite front of orbit; 18 scales in front of dorsal; lateral line usually more or less imperfect. Color olivaceous; chin black; a blackish rostral band; sides with a leaden or dusky band. Length 24 inches. New York to Michigan and Kansas, common. Va- riable. (After Jordan and Evermann) Common in all the sluggish water on the flats near Ithaca. Not found at the north end of the lake, where it seems to be re- placed by Notropis anogenus. Meek The U.S. Fish Commission collectors have obtained it at Cape Vincent N. Y. June 21, Stony Island, July 2 and 3, and at Guffon creek, Chaumont, July 7, 1894. 81 Notropis blennius (Girard) Straw-colored Minnow Alburnops blennius GIRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 194, 1856. Pacific R. R. Surv. X, 261, pl. 57, figs. 18-16, 1858. Minnilus blennius JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 198, 1883. Notropis blennius JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N, A. 24, 1885; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 261, 1896. Body slender, elongate, its greatest depth one fifth of total length without caudal; head rather large, one fourth of total length without caudal; the eye large, a little longer than snout, one third as long as the head; mouth small, inferior, horizontal, the maxilla reaching to front of orbit; snout very obtuse; dorsal a little nearer to tip of snout than to base of caudal, its origin about over end of pectoral, its longest ray three fourths as long as the head; teeth 4-4; 18 to 15 rows of scales before dorsal. The ventral is under the base of the dorsal, its length equal to length of head without snout. D. 8 to 9; A. 7 to 8. Scales 5 to 6-32 to 38-4. Color pale olivaceous; sides usually pale; usually a darker dorsal band and a small dark blotch before dorsal, sometimes a plumbeous lateral stripe but no caudal spot; fins all plain. Length 2 to 24 inches. FISHES OF NEW YORK 139 This small minnow is found in the Great lakes region, west- ward to Dakota and south to Texas. The U.S. Fish Commission collectors secured a moderate number of specimens in 1894 at the following localities. Cape Vincent June 23 Grenadier island June 27 Little Stony brook, Henderson bay July 4 Big Sandy creek, Belleville . July 12 Mouth Salmon river, Selkirk July 25 Great Sodus bay Aug. 6 Dr B. W. Evermann and Barton A. Bean secured 12 examples in Scioto creek, Coopersville N. Y. July 19, 1894. They also took many specimens July 17 in the St Lawrence river, 3 miles below Ogdensburg N. Y. Dr Evermann observed a diffuse plum- beous band along the side, each scale in the lateral line punctate with black, making the lateral line very conspicuous. In many a very small black spot was present at base of caudal. The dorsal was very low, only five ninths length of head. 82 Notropis procne (Cope) Shiner Hybognathus procne Corr, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 279, 283, 1864. Hybopsis procne COPE, Cypr. Penna. 385, pl. XI, fig. 2, 1866. Leuciscus procne GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 260, 1868. Cliola procne JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 169, 1883. Notropis procne JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 28, 1885; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 37, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 264, 1896. This little minnow has a short, slender and compressed body and a very slender caudal peduncle. The greatest depth, at the dorsal origin equals the length of the head, which is about one fourth of the total without caudal. In some described speci- mens the head is contained four and three fourths times and - the depth of the body five and one fourth times in total length without caudal. The snout is short and obtuse, shorter than the eye, which is two fifths as long as the head. The mouth is terminal and small, the maxilla not reaching to front of eye, and the jaws equal. The lateral line is gently curved down- \ 140 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM ward over the pectoral and, in the specimen examined, becomes interrupted in its posterior half. The dorsal origin is over the 12th scale of the lateral line and nearly over the ventral origin. The dorsal base is a little more than half as long as the head, and the longest ray is as long as the head. The ventral reaches. to the anal origin. The anal base is half as long as the head and the longest anal ray is four fifths as long as the head. The caudal is moderately forked. D. 8; A. 7; V. 8; P. 18. Scales 5-32 to 34-3; teeth 4-4. Length of specimen described, from Hayre de Grace Md., 24 inches. Color in spirits light brown, the belly pale and lower half of head silvery. A narrow dark line along the top of the back and a narrow dark median band continued forward on the nose. Fins all pale. In life the body is olivaceous with a dark lateral stripe. The long tail suggests the name procne, a kind of swallow. : The shiner is found from western New York to Maryland. Prof. Cope found it abundant in the tributaries of the Delaware and Susquehanna, in slow moving streams. It reaches the length of 24 inches. Eugene Smith records it as “very plentiful in the small brooks directly running into tide water. It appears to approach the sea more closely than any other minnow, though it is never found in brackish water. It delights in strong currents, but in captivity lives well in the aquarium, feeding voraciously. It is almost entirely carnivorous. The Palisade ridge is probably the furthest limit of this species towards the east. It is met ° with in company of the suckers and the roach.” It has proved an excellent bait for the game fishes. 83 Notropis hudsonius (DeWitt Clinton) Spawn-eater ; Smelt Clupea hudsonia DE WirTrr CLinton, Ann, Lyc. Nat. Hist. N. Y. I, 49, pl. 2, fig. 2, 1824 (fide Giinther). Leuciscus hudsonius DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 206, pl. 34, fig. 109, 1842. (Hudson river and tributaries) Hybopsis hudsonius Corr, Cypr. Penna. 386, pl. 12, fig. 3, 1866. Cliola hudsonia JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 171, 18838. FISHES OF NEW YORK 141 Notropis hudsonius JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 24, 1885; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 38, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 269, 1896, pl. XLVII, fig. 119. The spawn-eater has a moderately elongate and compressed body, its greatest hight contained four and one half times in the total length without caudal, and about equal to length of head. The head is conical, with short, blunt snout equal to the diameter of the eye, which is contained three and one half times in the length of the head. The space between the eyes equals length of postorbital part of head. Mouth small, nearly hori- zontal, the lower jaw very slightly the shorter, the maxilla reaching the vertical through the posterior nostril. The lateral dine is slightly curved downward over the pectoral, straight and median for the rest of its course. The origin of the dorsal is over, and of the ventral under, the 13th scale of the lateral line. The dorsal base is two thirds as long as the head, and the longest ray as long as the head. The ventral reaches nearly or quite to the vent. The anal origin is under the 24th scale of the lateral line; the anal base is one half and the longest anal ray four fifths as long as the head. The caudal is large and deeply forked, its middle rays half as long as the outer. D. 8; A. 8 or 9; V. 8; P. 14. Scales 7-38-5; teeth 2, 4-4, 1 or 2, with a narrow grinding surface on at least two. Length of Specimens described from Washington D. C. 34 to 44 inches. Color in spirits pale brown, the fins and all of head except upper surface pale; a broad median silvery band, its greatest width about equal to diameter of eye; a dusky spot at the root of the caudal in the young. The spawn-eater is said to occur from Lake Superior to New York and southward. In Pennsylvania begins a form elsewhere described as N. amarus, which differs in the structure of the pharyngeal teeth. This minnow does not much frequent small streams, but is abundant in the Delaware river and also in Lake Erie. De Kay records its occurrence in the Hudson and its tributaries. In the Lake Ontario region the U. S. Fish Commission col- lectors obtained numerous specimens in these localities. opener or oss ater a ceca nian ON ee ee ee « 142 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Salt brook, 13 miles above Nine Mile point June 10-11, 1893 Cape Vincent June 21, 1894 Grenadier island June 27, 1894 Horse island, Sacketts Harbor June 30, 1894 Mouth Salmon river, Selkirk July 25, 1894 Three Mile creek, Oswego July 27, 1894 Great Sodus bay Aug. 6, 1894 Long pond, Charlotte | Aug. 17, 1894 Lake shore, mouth Long pond . | Aug. 17, 1894 Nine Mile point, Webster Aug. 23, 1894 East end Lake Ontario | 1894 Livingston Stone also collected the species at Cape Vincent Aue. 9/1898: In the Lake Champlain basin Evermann and Bean obtained it at Scioto creek, Coopersville, and Rouse Point July 19, 1894. The spawn-eater reaches the length of 10 inches. Its teeth are usually four in the principal row and two in the inner. Its Spawn-eating habits are not verified. 84 Notropis hudsonius amarus (Girard) Gudgeon Hudsonius amarus GIRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 210, 1856. (Chesa- peake Bay; Potomac river at Washington) HAybopsis storerianus CopE, Cypr. Penna. 386, 1866. Leuciscus storerianus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 250, 1868; Kirrt- LAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. V, 30, pl. IX, fig. 2, 1847. Cliola storeriana JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 170, 1883. Notropis amarus BEAN, Fishes Penna. 39, pl. 23, fig. 37, 1893. Notropis hudsonius amarus JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 24, 1885; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull, 47, U. S. Nat. Mus, 270, 1896. The gudgeon has a moderately elongate and compressed body and a slender caudal peduncle. The greatest depth equals one fourth of the total length to base of caudal, and the least depth © of the peduncle equals the length of the postorbital part of head. The head is rather short with an obtuse short snout; the length of the head is nearly one fourth of the total to base of caudal. The snout is one fourth and the eye one third as long as the head. The maxilla extends to the vertical through the front of FISHES OF NEW YORK 143 the eye; the lower jaw is slightly included; the mouth is slightly oblique. The width of the head equals nearly two thirds of its length. The distance between the eyes equals the length of the orbit. The dorsal origin is over, and the ventral origin under, the 10th scale of the lateral line. The length of the dorsal base equals two thirds that of the head, and the longest dorsal ray is four fifths as long as the head. The anal base is as long as the postorbital part of the head and the longest ray is about two thirds as long as the head. The ventral reaches nearly to the vent, and the pectoral to below the 8th scale of the lateral line. The lateral line is very slightly bent downward over the pec- toral. The caudal is moderate in size and deeply forked. D. ii, 7; A. ii, 7; V. 8; P. 15. Scales 6-36 to 39-4; teeth 1, 4-4, 1 or 1 4-4, 0 in the example described, from the Susquehanna river. Length 44 inches. The teeth are slightly hooked, and two or three on each side have a developed grinding surface. The color in spirits is light brown, the sides of body and lower half of head silvery; the young have a narrow dusky median lateral band, which is sometimes continued on the snout, and a more or less distinct small dark blotch at the base of the caudal. The fins are all pale. The gudgeon or smelt of Pennsylvania is a variety of N. hudsonius of Clinton, which ranges from Lake Superior to New York and south in streams east of the Alleghanies to Georgia. The southern form is the variety amarus of Girard, which exhibits some difference in its pharyngeal teeth. The species is an extremely variable one. It grows to a length of about 8 inches. Prof. Cope records it as abundant in the Susquehanna, specially in the lower part of the river. This is a handsome silvery fish, and is as much used for food as its associate, the silvery minnow. 85 Notropis whipplii (Girard) Silverfin — Cyprinella whipplii Grrarp, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci, Phila. 198, 1856. Photogenis spilopterus COPE, Cypr. Penna. 378, 1866. Leuciscus spilopterus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish, Brit. Mus, VII, 254, 1868. 144 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Luvilus kentuckiensis KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour, Nat. Hist, V, 27, pl. VIII, fig. 3, 1847. Hypsilepis kentuckiensis CoprE, Cypr. Penna. 371, 1866. Cliola whipplei JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 178, 1883. Cliola analostana JORDAN & GILBERT, op. cit. 179, 18838. Notropis whipplei BEAN, Fishes Penna. 39, 1893. Notropis whipplit JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 278, 1896, pl. XLVIII, fig. 121, 1900. The silverfin has a moderately elongate body, which is fusi- | form in the adult. The caudal peduncle is short and stout. The depth of the body at the ventral fin equals nearly one fourth of the total length to the caudal base. The head is conical, com- pressed and with a pointed snout a little longer than the eye, which is two ninths as long as the head. The mouth is moder- ate, terminal, slightly oblique, the jaws nearly equal, the max- illa reaching to vertical through front of eye. The head is two ninths of the total length without caudal. The dorsal origin is a little behind the ventral origin and over the 15th scale of the lateral line. The length of the dorsal base equals one seventh of the total without caudal, and the longest ray is as long as the head without the snout. The ventral reaches nearly to the ‘anal. The anal begins under the 2ist scale of the lateral line; its base is as long as the dorsal base, and its longest ray is about two thirds as long as the head. The caudal is large and moderately forked. The lateral line curves downward over the pectoral. D. 8; A. 9; V. 8; P. 14. Scales 6-88 to 41-4; teeth 1, 4-4, 1, with more or less serrate edges. Length of specimen described, from the Susquehanna river, 4 inches. In spirits the back is brown, the sides dull silvery, the scales with a dusky margin, and the lower parts are whitish. A nar- row and long black blotch on the membrane between the 6th and 7th and another between the 7th and 8th dorsal rays. Lower fins pale. Males in spring have the fins partly or wholly charged with white pigment, and in the hight of the breeding season the pigment in the dorsal has a greenish tint, and the top of the head and snout is covered with minute tubercles. This is one of our finest minnows for the aquarium and is- useful as food and bait for larger fishes. FISHES OF NEW YORK 145 The silverfin ranges from western New York to Virginia and west to Minnesota and Arkansas. It is a common and variable species. It reaches a length of 4 inches. In Pennsylvania it occurs in all the rivers and creeks, but according to Prof. Cope is least common in tributaries of the Delaware. According to Dr Meek it is common on flats near Fall creek and in the southern end of Cayuga lake. Evermann and Bean took it in Scioto creek, Coopersville N. Y. in July 1894. In the Lake Ontario region the U. S. Fish Commission secured the following specimens: Grenadier island June 27, 1894 Horse island, Sacketts Harbor June 30, 1894 Cape Vincent June 21, 1894 Mill creek, Sacket Harbor July 2,1894 Cemetery creek and Black river, Watertown July 5, 1894 Chaumont river July 10,1894 Great Sodus bay Aug. 6, 1894 Creek near Pultneyville Aug. 7, 1894 Specimens were obtained also by Livingston Stone at Cape Vincent Aug. 9, 1898, and presented to the State Museum. . Subgenus tuxitus Rafinesque 86 Notropis cornutus (Mitchill) Shiner; Redfin Cyprinus cornutus MITCHILL, Amer. Month. Mag. I, 289, July, 1817. (meager preliminary notice); op. cit. II, 324, Feb. 1818. (Wallkill river, ING4 XY) Cyprinus megalops RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 121, Dee. 1817. (Hudson river, above the falls) . Leuciscus vittatus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 212, pl. 34, fig. 108, 1842. (Chittenonda and other tributaries of the Mchawk; also in Mohawk) Hypsilepis cornutus Copr, Proe., Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 158, 1867. Leuciscus cornutus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 207, pl. 29, fig. 92, 1842; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 249, 1868. Minnilus cornutus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 186, 1883. Minnilus plumbeolus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 192, 1883, Notropis megalops JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 26, 1885; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 40, 1893. — Notropis cornutus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 281, 1896. ae ee i ee <> 146 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM The redfin when young has the body moderately elongate, but it becomes deeper with age and much compressed. The caudal peduncle is short, and its depth equals length of postorbita} part of head. The depth of the body at the ventral is contained three and one third to four times in the total length without the caudal. The head is short, deep and thin, its length one fourth of the total without caudal, its width about one half its length. The eye is as long as the snout and two sevenths as long as the head. Mouth.moderate, terminal, oblique, the max- illa reaching about to vertical through front of eye. The dorsal origin is over, and the ventral origin under, the 12th scale of the lateral line. The length of the dorsal base equals one sey- enth of the total without the caudal, and its longest ray one fifth of the same length. The ventral reaches nearly or quite to vent. The anal origin is under the 23d scale of the lateral line. The anal base is one half, and the longest ray two thirds. as long as the head. The caudal is large and deeply forked. The lateral line descends in a long curve, becoming straight and median over the anal origin. D. 8; A. 9; V. 8; P. 15. Scales 7-40 to 41-4; teeth 2, 4-4, 2, with narrow grinding surface. Length of specimens described, from 4 to 44 inches. The upper parts of this fish are steel blue and the scales are. dusky at the edge and base. The sides are silvery, overlaid with a gilt line; there is another gilt band along the back. The belly is silvery except in spring males, in which it is a bright rosy color. The male in the breeding season has the lower jaw and the top of the head and nape covered with small tubercles. In the breeding condition this is a very handsome species, though the females and young lack the bright colors of the adult male. The redfin is known also as the common shiner, dace, rough- head, and banded dace. It is a very widely distributed species, is extremely variable, and, as a consequence, some geographic races have received distinct names. It extends from Maine to the Rocky mountains, but is absent from the Carolinas and Texas. It grows to a length of 8 inches. In Pennsylvania the species is common everywhere and is best known under the name of redfin. It reaches a very large size in Lake Erie. FISHES OF NEW YORK 147 In New York Mitchill had it from the Wallkill; Rafinesque from the Hudson above the falls. De Kay knew it from the Mohawk and some of its tributaries including the Chittenonda. Dr Meek found it very,common throughout the entire Cayuga lake basin. Evermann and Bean collected it in the Saranac river, Plattsburg, July 28, and in Scioto creek, Coopersville, July 19, 1894. They secured it also in the St Lawrence river, 3 miles below Ogdensburg, July 17,1894. The U.S. Fish Commis- sion field parties found it very common in the Lake Ontario basin 1892 to 1894, specimens having been recorded from: Sacket Harbor, Charlotte, Huntingtonville, Henderson Harbor, Cape Vincent, Pulaski, Oswego, Pultneyville, Pointbreeze, Webster, Belleville, Scriba Corners, Wart creek, North Hamlin and Salt brook. The redfin runs into small brooks and is most abundant in eddies and other quiet parts of the streams. It has no value except as food and bait for larger fishes, specially the black bass and pike perch. The flesh is very soft and decays rapidly after death. 87 Notropis cornutus frontalis (Agassiz) Leuciscus frontalis AGAss1z, Lake Superior, 368, pl. 3, fig. 4, 1850, or Hyp- solepis frontalis fide GUNTHER. Hypsilepis cornutus gibbus Corr, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 158, 1867. Minnilus cornutus var. frontalis JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 187, 1883. Notropis megalops frontalis MEEK, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci. IV, 807, 1888. Notropis cornutus frontalis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 283, 1896. Very close to the typical cornutus, differing in its very heavy head and in the smaller number of scales (18 to 18) in advance of the dorsal. Great lakes ; everywhere common in mouths of brooks. Dr Meek found it scarce near Ithaca and common near Montezuma N. Y. Subgenus norroris 88 Notropis atherinoides Rafinesque Emerald Minnow; Rosy Minnow _ Notropis atherinoides RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 204, Jan. 1818, Alburnus rubellus AGAssiz, Lake Superior, 364, pl. 3, figs. 1-3, 1850. Leuciscus rubellus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 254, 1868, 148 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Minnilus rubellus and dinemus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 202, 1883. Notropis atherinoides JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 27, 1885; MrrxK, Ann. N. Y. Aead. Sci. IV, 308, 1888; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 44, 1898; Jorpan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 293, 1896. The emerald minnow or rosy minnow has a long and thin body and the caudal peduncle moderately short and deep. The great- est depth of the body is contained four and three fourths to five and one half times in the total length to caudal base; the least depth of the caudal peduncle is contained 114 times in the same length. The greatest width of the body is one half its hight. The head is of moderate size, its length two ninths of the total to caudal base. The snout is short and somewhat pointed, its length one fourth that of the head. Eye large, about three and one fourth times in length of head; mouth oblique, moder- ate, the maxilla reaching front of eye. The dorsal origin is midway between the eye and the base of the caudal, over the 17th scale of the lateral line. The base of the fin is two fifths as long as the head, and the longest ray equals the length of the head without the snout. The ventral origin is under the 13th scale of the lateral line, and the fin scarcely reaches to below the end of the dorsal base. The pectoral reaches to below the eighth or ninth scale of the lateral line. The anal origin is under the 24th scale of the lateral line; the base is one half as long as the head, and the longest ray equals the snout and eye combined. The caudal is rather large and deeply forked. The lateral line sweeps downward in a long and shallow curve, becoming: nearly median over the anal base. iD: Li, 0 3, Acoiia ie V. 8; P. 14. Scales 6-39-4; teeth 2, 4-4, 2 or 1, some of them with a slight hook and narrow grinding surface. The specimens described (no. 8735, U. S. National Museum) are 4 to 45 imches long. In spirits the upper parts are light brown, the sides and cheeks silvery, and the belly golden brown; the fins all pale; the width of the silvery stripe equal to diameter of eye. In life the upper parts are greenish; breeding males have the snout rosy. The emerald minnow is found in the Great lakes region, the Ohio valley and south to Tennessee, being abundant in lakes FISHES OF NEW YORK 149 and in rapids of rivers. The variety found in Pennsylvania has a shorter snout and a smaller eye than the typical ather- inoides and has received the specific name dinemus; but the differences are not supposed to be constant. The emerald minnow reaches a length of 6 inches; it is gregarious like other minnows; and its golden lateral stripe on a clear green ground makes it a handsome species. Dr Meek found one example near Ithaca, in Six Mile creek, below the falls. A few specimens were also found in a small stream near Montezuma dry dock, in company with N. ] yt hrurus. Evermann and Bean caught a single example in Scioto creek, Coopersville, July 19, 1894; also three specimens in the St Lawrence river, 3 miles below Ogdensburg July 17, 1894. At Cape Vincent June 21, 1894, the U. S. Fish Commission collectors took 29 specimens, and at Grenadier island, June 27, they obtained 14 individuals. Livingston Stone also collected the species at Cape Vincent Aug. 9, 1898, and presented speci- mens to the State Museum, 89 Notropis rubrifrons (Cope) Rosy-faced Minnow Alburnus rubrifrons CopE, Proce. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 85, 1865. Alburnellus rubrifrons COPE, Cypr. Penna. 388, pl. XIII, fig. 3, 1866. Leuciscus rubrifrons GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 255, 1868. Minnilus rubrifrons and percobromus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull, 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 202; 1883. Notropis dilectus BEAN, Fishes Penna. 44, 1893. Notropis rubrifrons JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 27, 1885; JoRDAN & EVER- MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 295, 1896. The rosy-faced minnow has the body moderately long and thin, with a short and deep caudal peduncle. The greatest depth of the body equals one fourth, and the least depth of the peduncle, one eighth of the total length to base of caudal. The head is moderate in size; its width one half of its length, which is one fourth of the total to base of caudal. The snout is pointed and Shorter than the eye, which is one fourth to two sevenths as long as the head and equal to the distance between the eyes. The mouth is oblique, and the lower jaw projects slightly; the ———— ee sen - 150 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM maxilla reaches nearly to below the front of the pupil. The dorsal origin is over the 15th, and the ventral origin under the 12th scale of the lateral line. The base of the dorsal is half as long as the head, and the longest dorsal ray equals the length of the head without the snout. The ventral reaches to the vent, which is under the 18th scale of the lateral line. The anal base is as long as the snout and eye combined, gnd the longest anal ray is two thirds as long as the head. The caudal is moderate in size and deeply forked. The lateral line curves gently down- ‘ ward over the pectoral. D. ii, 7; A. 1, 8; V. 8; 'B. 13am 6-386-4; teeth 2, 4-4, 2, hooked. The specimens described are 2 inches long. In spirits the body is pale brown; a silvery shade along the median line; the head silvery except above; belly golden; fins all pale. In life the upper parts are olive green and the sides silvery. Males in the breeding condition in spring have prickles on the snout and the forehead; gill covers and dorsal base with a rosy flush. The name dilectus means delightful. The rosy-faced minnow, though reaching a length of only 3 — inches or less, is a very beautiful fish. It is abundant in the . Ohio valley and extends westward to Nebraska. This is the Alburnellus rubrifrons of Cope. The U. S. Fish Commission collections of 1894 contain this minnow from Salt brook, 14 miles above Nine Mile point June 11, Mill creek, Sacket Harbor July 2, Wart creek July 24, Sandy creek, North Hamlin Aug. 20. Evermann and Bean secured it in abundance in Racquette river, Norfolk, July 18, 1894, and they had a few specimens from Scioto creek, Coopersville, July 19, 1894. 90 Notropis amoenus (Abbott) Alburnellus amenus ApBott, Amer. Nat. VIII, 334, 1874. Raritan River, Wd; Notropis amenus JORDAN, Bull. U. S. Fish Com. XIII, 102, 1891; JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 296, 1896. Head four; depth five and one third (four and three fourths to five and one half); eye three and one third. D,8;A.10. Scales ~ FISHES OF NEW YORK 151 6-39-3. Close to Notropis rubrifrons, but the scales before dorsal smaller, as in N. photogenis. Body elon- gate, compressed; eye large, longer than snout; mouth large, oblique, the jaws subequal, the maxillary reaching to below front of eye; 22 to 25 (rarely 18 to 20) scales before dorsal; lateral line much decurved; dorsal high, placed behind ventrals; pectorals moderate. Translucent green, sides silvery, with sometimes a faint plumbeous band ending in an obscure plum- beous spot. Length 32 inches. Clear streams east of the Alleghanies from the Raritan to the Neuse; abundant; formerly — confounded with N. photogenis, of which it may be a variety. (After Jordan and Evermann) Eugene Smith! says it is perhaps a variety of N. photo- genis (Cope). Abbott mentions it from the Raritan river, near New Brunswick N. J. 91 Notropis umbratilis lythrurus Jordan Redfin Notropis lythrurus JORDAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 476, 1884. Hypsilepis diplaemia Corr, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 162, 1867. Minnilus diplaemius JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 197, 1883. Tuailus lucidus GIRARD, Pacific R. R. Surv. Fishes, 282, pl. LX, figs. 9-12, 1858. Notemigonus lucidus JoRDAN & GILBERT, op. cit. 249, 1883. Notropis lythrurus MEEK, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci. IV, 307, 1888. Notropis wmbratilis lythrurus JoRDAN & EVERMANN Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 300, 1896. Head four and one fourth; depth four to four and one half; eye three to four. D. 7; A. 11. Scales 9-40 to 52-3; teeth 2, 44,2. Body compressed, the caudal peduncle long; head long, conical, rather pointed; mouth large, moderately oblique, the premaxillary on level of pupil, the maxillary reaching to below eye; lower jaw somewhat projecting; eye moderate, about equal to muzzle; scales closly imbricated, crowded anteriorly, about 30 before dorsal; dorsal fin high, inserted about midway be- tween ventrals and anal; pectorals not reaching ventrals; 1ZLinn. Soc. N. Y. Proc. 1807. no. 9, p. 18. 152 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM ventrals reaching to vent; caudal fin long. Coloration dark steel blue above; pale or silvery below; a more or less evident black spot at base of dorsal in front; the fins otherwise all plain. Males with the anterior dorsal region and the head profusely covered with small whitish tubercles, the belly and lower fins being of a bright brick red in the spring. Females very pale olive, sometimes almost colorless. Length 34 inches. Minne- - sota to western New York (Cayuga lake), North Carolina, Ala- bama, and Kansas; generally abundant in small, clear streams. (After Jordan and Evermann) | Dr Meek took a single specimen from a small stream near the Montezuma dry dock. ad Genus RHINICHTHYS Agassiz Body moderately elongate and little compressed, with usually stout caudal peduncle and long, conical nose; head rather large, sometimes broad and flat above; eye small; mouth small, sub- inferior, the upper jaw fixed by the union of the upper lip to the skin of the forehead; end of maxillary with a small barbel. Teeth 2. 4-4, 2 (sometimes 2, 4-4, 1) those of the principal row usually hooked, without grinding surface. A short intestinal canal; scales very small; lateral line decurved, continuous; dorsal origin slightly behind ventral; base of anal short. Small fishes inhabiting clear, cold brooks and streams. ) 92 Rhinichthys cataractae (Cuv. & Val.) Long Nosed Dace; Niagara Gudgeon Gobio cataractae CuvIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XVI, 315, pl. 483 (poor), 1842 (specimen 5 inches long, from Niagara Falls, N. ¥Y., Milbert); Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 394; 1842. (After Cuvier and Valenciennes) Leuciscus nasutus AYRES, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. IV, 299, pl. XIII, fig. 3 (very bad), 1844. West Hartford, Conn. Specimen 514 inches long. Rhinichthys marmoratus AGassiz, Lake Superior, 354, pl. 2, figs. 1-2, 1850; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 189, 1868. Rhinichthys nasutus GUNTHER, op. cit. VII, 189. Argyreus nasutus CoprE, Cypr. Penna. 369, pl. XII, fig. 5, 1866. Ceratichthys cataractae GUNTHER, op. cit. VII, 176, 1878. Rhinichthys cataractae JorpAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 207, 1883; Bran, Fishes Penna. 46, 1893; Jonpan & EvERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 306, 1896. FISHES OF NEW YORK 153 The long nosed dace has a moderately elongate body, with short and stout caudal peduncle and a moderate sized head. The greatest depth is contained four and two thirds times in the _total length without caudal; the least depth of the caudal peduncle eight and one half times. The width of the body equals the combined length of snout and eye. The length of the head is one fourth of the total without caudal and three times the length of the snout. The eye is placed high, one fifth _to one quarter as long as the head and about two thirds as long as the interorbital width. The mouth is horizontal, small, placed under the snout, the lower jaw the shorter, the upper lip thick and provided with a small barbel at each end. The maxilla reaches to below the posterior nostril. The dorsal origin is _ above the 23d scale of the lateral line, and the ventral origin is under the 20th. The dorsal base is one half, and the longest ray four fifths as long as the head. The ventral reaches a little beyond the vent and almost to the anal origin. The pectoral reaches nearly or quite to the origin of the ventral, being longer in males. The anal origin is under the 34th scale of the lateral line and a little behind the end of the dorsal. The anal base is one half, the longest ray three fourths as long as the head. The caudal is comparatively large and well forked. The lateral line drops gently downward in a short curve over the pectoral and becomes median over that fin. D. ii, 7; A. ii, 6; V. 8; P. 12. Scales 13-57 to 65-10; teeth 2, 4-4, 2, three of the principal row hooked. Length of the specimen described (no. 8505, U. 8. National Museum) 34 inches. In spirits the color is brown mottled with grayish; the under surface of head sharply defined and pale; the fins all pale. Breeding males in spring have the lips, cheeks and lower fins crimson. The sides are without a black lateral band, which is characteristic of the black nosed species. The general color is olivaceous or dark green with the lower parts paler. The back is nearly black. Some of the scales are mottled with dark and olivaceous. The young have a trace of a dusky lateral band. The fish reaches the length of 54 inches. i ae 154 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM The long nosed dace or Niagara gudgeon is found in New England and the Middle states, and in the Great lakes region in clear, cold water. In Pennsylvania, according to Cope, it is limited to the rapids and swift waters of the eastern part of the state. Evermann and Bean collected 50 specimens in Saranac river, © Plattsburg N. Y. July 28, 1894, but did not find it in the St Lawrence river or in the Lake Ontario tributaries. Though Dr Meek obtained no specimens of this species from Cayuga lake basin, he believes it a member of the fauna, as it is common in’ the streams south of Ithaca near Van Ettenville, Chemung co. N. Y. The long nosed dace frequents rapids and rocky pools, and is associated in mountain regions with the brook trout. Its move- ments are swift and powerful and it is a very shapely little fish. As a bait for the black bass it is scarcely surpassed. 93 Rhinichthys atronasus (Mitchill) Black Nosed Dace; Brook Mimmow Cyprinus atronasus MitTcHILu, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 460, 1815. (Wallkill River; Fresh-water trout brooks of New York); Amer. Month. Mag. I, 289, Aug. 1817. \Mud-fish, from Wallkill Creek. Cyprinus vittatus RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month. Mag: II, 121, Dec. 1817. Hudson River above the falls. Leuciscus atronasus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 205, pl. 28, fig. 69, 1842. Rhinichthys atronasus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 191, 1868; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 208, 1883; MEEK, Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 308, 1888; Bran, Fishes Penna. 47, pl. 23, fig. 39, 1893; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 307, 1896. Argyreus atronasus STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 122, pl. X XI, fig. 4, 1867. The black nosed dace has a moderately long and stout body, with a broad back, and rather small conical head. The greatest depth of the body is contained four and one fourth to four and one half times in the total length without caudal. The least depth of the caudal peduncle equals one half greatest depth of body. The head is one fourth as long as the fish to caudal base; its width is about one half its length and the snout nearly one third to two.sevenths. The eye is as long as the snout and much less than width of interorbital space. The mouth is small, FISHES OF NEW YORK 155 slightly oblique and with nearly equal jaws; the maxillary bar- bel small or wanting; the maxilla reaches to below the front edge of the posterior nostril. The dorsal origin is nearer to root of caudal than to tip of snout, over the 26th scale of the lateral line. The length of the base is contained two and one third times in that of the head, and the longest ray equals length of head without snout. The ventral origin is slightly in advance of the dorsal origin, and the fin extends to the vent. The pectoral reaches to the 16th scale of the lateral line. In breeding males it is greatly thickened. The anal origin is behind the end of the dorsal base, under the 34th scale of the lateral line; the fin is variable in length with sex and age, some- times five sixths as long as the head. The caudal is small and not deeply forked. The lateral line curves downward over the pectoral, soon becoming median. D. ii, 6 or 7; A. ii, 6;'V. 8; P. 11. Scales 10-56 to 63-10; teeth 2, 4-4, 2, three of the prin- cipal row strongly hooked. Length of the specimens described (no. 33984, U. S. National Museum) 22 to 3 inches. In spirits the upper parts are brown and are separated from the silvery lower parts by a dark lateral band, as wide'as the short diame- ter of the eye and continued on the snout. Breeding males in spring have the lateral band and the lower fins crimson, run- ning into orange in summer. In the young the dark median band extends on the tail fin. f The black nosed dace or “rockfish” is represented in our waters by two forms, one of which is found in the eastern part of the Great lakes region and from Maine to Virginia; this is replaced in the upper lake region and in the Ohio valley, south- ward to Georgia and Alabama, by the blunt nosed. variety, Rhinichthys obtusus of Agassiz. The species grows to the length of 3 inches. The collections of the U.S. Fish Commission in the Lake Onta- rio region contained this species from a great many localities: Cape Vincent, Great Sodus bay, Sacketts Harbor, Stony Island, Grenadier island, Oswego, Buena Vista, Belleville, Pulaski, . Wart creek, Huntingtonville, Henderson bay, and Webster. The err 156 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM fish were taken in June, July and August and were rather com- mon in most places. Evermann and Bean took one example in the St Lawrence river, 38 miles below Ogdensburg, July 17, 1894; they secured eight specimens in the Saranac, at Plattsburg, July 28, 1894. According to Dr Meek it is common near Ithaca in all streams above and below the falls; but was not found by him near Mon- tezuma. Mitchill described the fish from fresh-water brooks of New York containing trout, chiefly from'the Wallkill, where Rafinesque also knew of its occurrence. De Kay states its hab- itat to be clear, fresh-water streams and rivulets of New York and adjoining states. Eugene Smith found it associated with darters, blobs and small minnows in the vicinity of New York city. . This fish prefers clear small brooks. Swift and active in its movements and beautiful in colors, it is one of the most inter- esting inhabitants of the waters in which it lives. In the aqua- rium Eugene Smith observed it to eat voraciously of animal food and to be more hardy than any other minnow. Genus HyBOPsiIs Agassiz Body robust, or variously elongate; mouth terminal or in- ferior, with lips thin or somewhat fleshy, a conspicuous barbel always present and terminal on the maxillary; a second barbel sometimes present on each side; premaxillaries protractile. Teeth 4-4, or 1, 4-4, 1, or 0; hooked, the grinding surface narrow or obsolete. Scales usually rather large; lateral line continu- ous. Dorsal inserted over, in front of, or slightly behind ven- trals; anal basis short. Males usually with nuptial tubercles, and sometimes flushed with red. A large and varied group, closely allied to Notropis, from which it differs chiefly in the presence of the small maxillary barbel. (After Jordan and Evermann) aS * FISHES OF NEW YORK 157 Subgenus erimystax Jordan 94 Hybopsis dissimilis (Kirtland) Spotted Shiner Luzilus dissimilis KrrtTLanp, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. III, 341, pl. IV, fig. Pip 1841. ; Ceratichthys dissimilis CopE, Cypr..Penna. 368, pl. 12, fig. 1, 1866; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 177, 1868; Jorpan & GILBERT, Bull, 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 215, 1883. Hybopsis dissimilis JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 29, 1885; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 48, 1893; JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 318, 1896. The spotted shiner has a long and slender body, its greatest depth being nearly one fifth of the total length without the caudal. The caudal peduncle is long and low, its least depth two fifths of greatest depth of body. The width of the body equals two thirds of its depth. The head is moderately large, its length one fourth of the total without the caudal. The snout is long but obtusely rounded at the point, its length one and one half times the diameter of the eye, which is two sevenths of the length of the head. The mouth is small, in- ferior, horizontal, the maxilla reaching to below the anterior nostril and with a small barbel at its hind end. The gill open- ings are separated by a very broad isthmus. The dorsal begins over the 16th scale of the lateral line and slightly in advance of the ventral; the dorsal base is one half as long as the head; the longest ray is as long as the head without the snout; the - last ray is as long as the snout. The ventral reaches to the vent, its length’ one seventh of the total without the caudal. The pectoral reaches to below the 18th scale of the lateral line. The anal origin is under the 27th scale of the jateral -line; the anal base is short, equaling the diameter of the eye; the longest ray is as long as the ventral; the last ray is one third as long as the head. The caudal is moderately large and deeply forked, the middle rays one half as long as the external rays. The lateral line is nearly straight and median. D. ii, 8; A. ii, 6; V.7; P. 15. Scales 6-43-5; teeth 4-4, hooked and with a short grinding surface. In spirits the back is brown, the lower parts are whitish, and the sides are broadly striped with silvery. In 158 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM life the lateral stripe is bluish and overlaid with dusky spots and is continued forward through the eye around the snout. The fins are pale., The specimen described, no. 36746, U. S. National Museum, from White River Ind., is 34 inches long. The spotted shiner occurs in the Great lakes region and Ohio valley southward to Kentucky and west to Iowa. It is abun- dant in creeks of western Pennsylvania. Kirtland had the spe- cies from the Mahoning river and from Lake Erie. The spe- cies is most common in the Great lakes and in the channels of large streams, and does not run into small brooks. It is a ready biter and is caught in large numbers by hook fishing. It is useful as bait, being employed with minnows to bait the hooks on“ set lines.” | The species grows to the length of 6 inches, and derives its name from the bluish band along the sides which is inter- rupted so as to form spots. The sides are bright silvery in color and the fins unspotted. The body is long and slender. | Subgenus HyBopsis Agassiz 95. Hybopsis storerianus (Kirtland) Lake Minnow Rutilus storerianus KIRTLAND, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. I, 71, 1842. (Lake Erie) Leuciscus storerianus KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. V, 30, pl. 9, fig. 2, 1847; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 250, 1868. Ceratichthys lucens JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 2138, 1883. Cliola storeriana JORDAN & GILBERT, op. cit. 171, 1888. Hybopsis storerianus JORDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 28, 1885; JonpAN & EVER- MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 321, 1896. Body elongate, compressed, the dorsal outline ascending grad- ually to origin of dorsal, thence descending to the caudal fin; head short, compressed, its length four and one third in total — without caudal; depth of body one fourth total; eye equal to snout, one third length of head; interorbital space broad, flat, somewhat grooved, its width about equal to eye; preorbital bone large, oblong, conspicuous, silvery; mouth rather small, horizontal, the lower jaw included; edge of premaxillary below level of eye; maxillary not reaching to front of orbit; barbel Pr 7) = eis es Se Ber FISHES OF NEW YORK f 159 conspicuous; snout boldly and abruptly decurved, the tip thick- ened, forming a sort of pad; lateral line somewhat decurved. Rows of scales along back converging behind dorsal, where the upper series run out, as in Notropis cornutus. Fins rather higher and more falcate than in H.kentuckiensis; dorsal fin inserted well forward, over ventrals; pectoral fins pointed, not reaching ventrals; ventrals not reaching vent; caudal long, deeply forked. Teeth usually 1, 4-4, 0, hooked, without grinding surface. Translucent ereenish above; sides and below brilliantly silvery; cheeks and opercles with a bright silvery luster; fins plain; a slight plumbeous lateral shade; no caudal spot; no red. Length 5 to 10 inches. Lake Erie to Nebraska and eastern Wyoming, Tennessee, and Arkansas; abundant in the larger streams, specially in Iowa. (After Jor- dan and Evermann) ; Kirtland found the lake minnow only in Lake Erie, where it was frequently taken with seines in fishing for other species. The U.S. Fish Commission recently added it to the fauna of the Lake Ontario basin, three specimens having been collected in Long pond, Charlotte, Aug. 17, 1894. Subgenus necomis Girard 96 Hybopsis kentuckiensis (Rafinesque) Horned Chub; River Chub Luxilus kentuckiensis RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 48, 1820. Semotilus biguttatus KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. III, 344, pl. V, fig. 1, 1841. Leuciscus biguttatus De Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 214 (extralimital), 1842. Ceratichthys biguttatus Corr, Cypr. Penna. 366, pl. 11, fig. 5, 1866; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 178, 1868; Jorpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16. U. S. Nat. Mus. 212, 1883. : Ceratichthys micropogon, JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 212, 1883. Hybopsis kentuckiensis BEAN, Fishes Penna. 49, pl. 24, fig. 40, 1898; JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 322, 1896. Body stout and rather short, its greatest depth nearly equal to length of head and one fourth of total length without caudal; | . snout long and obtuse, its length rather more than one third 160 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM length of head, and nearly twice diameter of eye; mouth large and placed low, the maxilla reaching to below front of eye, the lower jaw shorter than upper; dorsal origin slightly nearer to root of caudal than to tip of snout, its base one half as long as the head and two thirds as long as its longest ray; ventral under front part of dorsal, its length equal to dorsal base; anal origin under 24th scale of lateral line, longest anal ray about one seventh of total to caudal base, pectoral two thirds as long as head, and reaching to below 15th scale of lateral line; caudal moderately forked. OD. iii, 7; A. iii, 6. Scales 6-40 to 45-5. Color bluish olive, the head darker; green and coppery reflections on the sides. Fins pale orange, pinkish in spring; lower parts white. Breeding males have the top of head swollen into a crest and covered with coarse tubercles, from which arises the name horned chub; they have also some-- times a red spot on each side of head. The young have a broad dark median band and a dusky spot at the base of the tail fin. Rafinesque states that the fish is known as Indian chub, red- tail and shiner. Other names in eastern localities are nigger chub, river chub, jerker, horned dace and horny-head. The species ranges from Pennsylvania westward to Dakota and south to Alabama. In Pennsylvania it is common in the Susquehanna and the Ohio basin, but absent from the Dela- ware. Dr Meek collected a few specimens at Montezuma N. Y. and found none in any of the other localities investigated. Eugene Smith refers to this species two specimens of fish from: the Passaic river. The flesh of his fish appeared to be very soft. The horned chub abounds in large rivers and is rarely seen in “small brooks. This minnow grows to a length of 10 inches and is good for food. Aga bait for the black bass the young horned chub, because of its endurance on a hook, can not be excelled. Genus covresrus Jordan Body elongate; head normal, not depressed, the profile con- vex; mouth terminal, normal, a well developed barbel on the - anterior side of maxillary, just above its tip. Teeth 2, 4-4, 2, ‘Se er. 2 E &: RY - Ph is FISHES OF NEW YORK 161 hooked, without grinding surface. Scales rather small; lateral line continuous. Dorsal fin over or slightly behind ventrals; anal basis short. Size rather large. This genus is closely re- lated to the section Nocomis under Hybopsis, from which it may be separated by the presence of two teeth in the lesser row, by the position of the barbel, and by the smaller scales. Its relations with Semotilus are equally close. The species are not well known. (After Jordan) 97 Couesius plumbeus (Agassiz) Lake Chub; Plumbeous Minnow; Morse Lake Minnow Gobio plumbeus AGAssiz, Lake Superior, 366, 1850. Ceratichthys prosthemius Corr, Cypr. Penna. 365, pl. XI, fig. 4, 1866. Ceratichthys plumbeus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish, Brit. Mus. VII, 176, 1868. Couesius dissimilis JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 218, 1883, -. in part. Couesius prosthemius JORDAN & GILBERT, op. cit. 219, 1883; MATHER, App. 12th Rep. Adirondack Surv. 30, 1886. Couesius plumbeus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 323, 1896. Body moderately elongate and somewhat compressed; great- est depth four and one half to four and two thirds in total length without caudal, and equal to length of head; head rather flat above, not much raised above the level of the eyes; inter- orbital space nearly one and one half times long diameter of eye, which equals snout and is one fourth length of head; head four and one third in total without caudal; maxillary reaching to below front of orbit, a small barbel placed high at its tip, lower jaw well included. Scales small, smaller in advance of dorsal fin. Lateral line beginning high up on the nape, abruptly descending to the median line over the pectoral fin, and thence running nearly straight to the caudal fin. Dorsal origin mid- way between tip of snout and base of caudal fin, over middle of ventral base, longest ray two thirds of head, length of base one half of head; ventral scarcely longer than dorsal base, the fin not reaching vent; longest anal ray equal to ventral, base of anal two fifths of head; pectoral reaching to 18th scale of lateral line; caudal deeply forked, its upper lobe two ninths of total without caudal. D. 8; A.8. Scales 13-65-8; teeth 2, 4-4, / 162 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 2. Brown above; sides somewhat silvery, abruptly separated from the dusky upper parts; snout and top of head back as far as hind border of eye, dusky; fins plain. Length 7 inches. Streams and lakes from Lake Superior east to the Adirondack region and Canada; more common northward. Here described from specimens from Beaver river, Herkimer co. N. Y., and Lake Lomond, near St John N. B. Mather had specimens from Morse lake, in the Adirondacks, and it is reported also from Seventh lake, Fulton Chain. The _species is known from Lake Superior east to the Adirondacks and New Brunswick. Agassiz had it from Lake Huron as well as Lake Superior. _ Genus Exociossum Rafinesque Body rather short and stout, subterete; lower jaw three- lobed, the dentary bones being close together and completely united, not forming a wide arch as in the minnows generally; upper jaw not protractile; pharyngeal bones small, the teeth hooked, and without grinding surface, 1, 4-4, 1. Scales moder- ate; lateral line complete. Dorsal origin is nearly over the be- ginning of the ventral; anal fin short; isthmus broad; gill rakers weak; pseudobranchiae present; air bladder normal; alimentary canal short; peritoneum white. Size large. No marked sexual peculiarities; the males with some black pigment in spring. 98 Exoglossum maxillingua (Le Sueur) Cut-lips; Nigger Chub Cyprinus maxillingua LE SUEUR, Jour, Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 85, 1817, Pipe Creek, Maryland. . Exoglossum annulatum RAFINESQUE, Jour. Ac. Nat: Sci. Phila. I, 421, 1818, Hudson River. Exoglossum nigrescens RAFINESQUE, op. cit. I, 421, 1818. Lake Champlain. Exoglossum vittatum RAFINESQUE, op. cit. I, 421, 1818. Hudson River. Exoglossum maxillingua AcAssiz, Amer. Jour. Sci.Arts, XIX, 215, 1855; Corr, Cypr. Penna. 360, pl. XI, fig. 1, 1866; GunrHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 188, 1868; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 160, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 36, pl. 22, fig. 36, 1893; JorRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 327, 1896, pl. LIV, fig. 140, head below. The cut-lips has a stout, short and thick body, its greatest hight nearly equal to the length of the head, and one fourth of FISHES OF NEW YORK 163 the total without caudal. The caudal peduncle is short and deep, its least depth about one half the head. The snout is short and obtusely conical, its length somewhat greater than the eye and nearly equal to one third of the head. The maxilla reaches to below the nostrils, its length equaling that of the snout. Head four and one fifth in total to base of caudal. The dorsal origin is nearly over the ventral origin and in the vertical through the 23d scale of the lateral line. The dorsal base is about one half as long as the head, and its longest ray equals twice the distance from the dorsal origin to middle of eye. The pectoral is about as long as the longest dorsal ray, and the ventral reaches to the anal origin. The base of the anal is one half as long as the longest anal ray. The caudal is moderately forked. D.8; A. 7. Scales 954-6; teeth 1, 4-4, 1. Length of specimen described, 4? inches; from Takoma Park D. C. Color brown or olivaceous, darker above; a short and narrow dark bar above root of pectoral; young with a dusky bar at the caudal base. Fins dusky, their extremities pale. | The cut-lips may be readily distinguished by the three-lobed _ lower jaw, the dentary bones being closely united and the lower lip represented by a fleshy lobe on each side of the mandible. The cut-lips is known also as chub, butter chub, nigger chub, and day chub. It is a very common species in the Susquehanna and its tributaries. Its range is not extensive, reaching only from western New York to Virginia. In New York it occurs in Lake Ontario, the St Lawrence, Lake Champlain, Cayuga lake, and the Hudson river. The U.S. Fish Commission has it from the following New York localities in the Lake Ontario basin: Mouth Salmon river, Selkirk, Big Sandy creek, Belleville. Wart creek, Buena Vista. Little Stony brook, Henderson bay. Big Stony creek, Henderson npr. Spring brook, Pulaski. Black river, Huntingtonville. All of these were obtained in July, 1894. Evermann and Bean collected it also in the St Lawrence, 3 miles below Ogdensburg, 164 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM July 17, 1894, and in Scioto creek, Coopersville and Saranac river, Plattsburg, July 19, 1894. Dr Meek found it in small numbers in Six Mile creek and Fall creek below the falls. It inhabits clear running water. The fish grows to the length of 6 inches and may be at once distinguished from all of the other minnows by its three-lobed lower jaw. It is believed that this singular structure of the mouth enables the fish to scrape mollusks from their hold on rocks, as its stomach usually contains small shellfish. It takes the hook readily. Genus carassius Nilsson This genus differs from Cy prinus in being without barbels; its pharyngeal teeth are compressed, in a single series, 4-4. Temperate Asia and Europe. Domesticated and degenerated into numerous varieties. (After Ginther) -Pharyngeal teeth spatulate, four in a row on each side; mouth terminal, without barbels; base of the dorsal fin elon- gate; anal fin short; both fins with a spine which is serrated behind. (After Heckel and Kner) Body oblong, compressed and elevated; mouth terminal, with- out barbels; teeth 4-4, molar, but compressed; scales large; lateral line continuous; dorsal fin very long, with the third ray developed into a stout spine, which is serrated behind; anal short with a similar spine; ventrals well forward. (After Nilsson) 99 Carassius auratus (Linnaeus) Goldfish (Introduced) Cyprinus auratus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 322, 1758; CuvirR & VALENCIENNES, Hist, Nat. Poiss. X VI, 101, 1842; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 190, 1842; Storer, Hist. Fish. Mass. 115, pl. XXI, fig. 1, 1867. Carassius auratus BLEEKER, Syst. Cypr. rev. Ned. Tijdschr. Dierk. I, 255, 1863; Atlas Ichth. Cypr. 74, 1863; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 32, 1868; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull, 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 253, 1883; GoopE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, pl. 231, 1884; Bean, Fishes Penna. 54, pl. 25, fig. 48, 1898; Jonpan & EVERMANN, Check List Fish. N. A. 512, 1896. The body of the goldfish is oblong, stout, with the back ele- vated and compressed. Its depth at dorsal origin is contained FISHES OF NEW YORK 165 about two and one half times in the total length without the tail; the head is contained three and one third times in this length. The head is small in front of eye, being depressed on snout, and the dorsal profile from tip of snout to dorsal fin is very steep. The rather small eye equals one fifth or less of length of head. Mouth terminal, oblique, rather small, the maxilla not reaching the vertical from front of eye. No barbels. Teeth compressed, 4-4. The dorsal fin is high and long, com- mencing over the seventh scale of the lateral line and running back to near the caudal; its longest rays, first and second, a little longer than the spine, equal to one half of depth of body, or length of head from pupil to its posterior end. From the third to the last the rays gradually decrease in size, the last being less than half the length of the longest. The first dorsal Spine is minute, one fourth the length of second, which is strong and coarsely serrated. The anal is short, the length of its base being but two thirds the length of its longest rays; first spine small, one third the length of second, which is stout and ser- rated. Pectoral fin broad and rounded, its length three fifths of that of head, or equal to longest anal ray. It reaches to ventral, which is placed well forward. Caudal fin large; scales large, deeper than long; lateral line median, complete, almost - straight. D.II,18; A. Il, 7; V.9. Scales 5-30-6. The specimen described is from the fish ponds, at Washington D. C. Length 8 inches. The common goldfish or silverfish is a native of Asia, whence it was introduced into Europe and from there into America, where it is now one of the commonest aquarium fishes and is extremely abundant in many of our streams. In Pennsylvania it abounds in the Delaware and Schuylkill river. De Kay made the following remarks about the goldfish, or golden carp, as he styles it. The golden carp, or goldfish, as it is more generally called, was introduced from China into Europe in the early part of the 17th century, and probably shortly after found its way to this country. They breed freely in ponds in this and the adjoining states. They are of no use as an article of food, but are kept 166 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM in glass vases as an ornament to the parlor and drawing-room. They are said to display an attachment to their owners, and a limited obedience to their commands. They are introduced into lakes, ponds, fountains and reser- voirs generally. An individual was kept in a fountain at 42d street and 5th avenue, New York, by Patrick Walsh nine years, and was then presented to the aquarium. At the Cold Spring Harbor hatchery, L. 1., several varieties were hatched from the same lot of eggs. These included the normal form, the typical fantail, and one which was so deep- bodied that it could scarcely balance itself in swimming. The goldfish in the New York aquarium were never troubled by fungus or parasites. In many of our streams and ponds, the goldfish has run wild, and hundreds of the olivaceous type will be secured to one of ared color. In the fauna of the moraine ponds and in quarry ‘ holes, the goldfish stands first. It will breed in foul water where only catfish and dogfish [Umbra] can be found. Eugene Smith . The goldfish is extremely variable in color and form. It is usually orange, or mottled with black and orange, yet in some streams, and even in pond culture, silvery individuals are often more common than any of the mottled varieties. The species grows to the length of 12 inches. It spawns early in the spring and is subject to many dangers and is attacked by numerous enemies. The fish, however, is extremely hardy, prolific, and tenacious of life. Genus cyprinus Linnaeus Body robust, compressed, resembling that of the buffalo fish; mouth moderate, anterior, with four long barbels; snout blunt, rounded; teeth molar, broad and truncate, 1,1, 3-3, 1, 1; scales large; lateral line continuous; dorsal fin very long, with a stout spine, serrated behind; anal fin short, also with aspine. Large fishes of the fresh waters of Asia; introduced into Kurope and America as food fishes. It has been generally introduced into private ponds in nearly all parts of the United States; from these it has escaped into the streams and lakes, and is now an FISHES OF NEW YORK 167 abundant fish in most of our larger, warmer rivers and in the ponds and bayous of the Mississippi valley. On the south shore of Lake Erie (and in the Mississippi near Quincy Ill. and the Delaware river) it has become well established and is of con- siderable commercial importance. (After Jordan and Evermann) 100 Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus Carp (Introduced) Cyprinus carpio LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 320, 1758; CuvirR & VAL- ENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XVI, 28, 1842; Dre Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 188, 1842; HEcKEL & KNER, Siissw. Fische, 54, fig. 21, 1858; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 25, 1868; JorpAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 254, 1883; GoopE, Fish. & Fish. U. S. I, pl. 230, Leather carp, 1884; American Fishes, 411, figure, 1888; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 55, pl. 1, colored, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Check- List Fishes N. A. 512, 1896. The carp has a stout and moderately elongate body and a small head. The greatest depth equals one third of the length without the caudal fin. The length of the head is nearly one fourth of the total to the base of the tail. The caudal peduncle is about two fifths as deep as the body, and the caudal fin is strongly forked. The eye diameter is contained six and one half times in the length of the head. The mouth is moderate, the upper jaw not extending to front of eye. The dorsal begins at a distance from tip of snout equal to twice length of head; the length of its base equals twice length of pectoral; the long- est ray equals length of head without the snout; the last ray is two fifths as long as the head. The anal begins under the 15th ray of the dorsal; its longest ray is two thirds as long as the head and more than twice as long as the last ray; the length _ of its base is about two fifths of length of head. The ventral begins under the second ray of the dorsal; its length nearly equals longest dorsal ray. The pectoral is nearly one fifth of total length without the caudal. The long spines of the dorsal and anal are strongly serrate along their hinder edges. A bar- bel on the upper lip and another at the angle of the mouth on each side; the longest barbel about equal to diameter of eye. Three varieties are recognized, the scale, the mirror and the +I 168 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM leather carp, based chiefly on the scaling of the body. The leather carp is nearly naked, and is said to be the best variety; the mirror carp has a few large scales irregularly placed; and the scale variety has the body completely scaled. The color is olivaceous, varying into dusky and blue. In the leather carp the lower parts are more or less suffused with yellowish. D. ITI, 20; Ay TU, 53 Vode; Pet: “Seales 5-38—5. The carp is a native of Asia and has been introduced into Europe and America as a food fish, chiefly for pond culture. It thrives in all warm and temperate parts of the United States and reaches its best condition in open waters. In Texas it has grown to a length of 23 inches in 11 months after planting. The leather variety is most hardy for transportation. Mr Hessel has taken the carp in the Black and Caspian seas; salt water seems not to be objectionable to it, and it will live in stagnant pools, though its flesh will be decidedly inferior in such waters. The carp hibernates in winter except in warm latitudes, takes no food and does not grow; its increase in size in temperate latitudes occurs only from May to August. Reproduction. The spawning season begins in May and con- tinues in some localities till August. A carp weighing 4 to 5 pounds, according to Mr Hessel, yields from 400,000 to 500,000 eggs; the scale carp contains rather more than the other varie- ties. During the spawning the fish frequently rise to the sur- face, the female accompanied by two or three males. The female drops the eggs at intervals during a period of some days or weeks in shallow water on aquatic plants. The eggs adhere in lumps to plants, twigs and stones. The hatching period varies from 12 to 16 days. Size. According to Hessel the average weight of a carp at three years is from 3 to 34 pounds; with abundance of food it will increase more rapidly in weight. The carp continues to add to its circumference till its 35th year, and in the southern parts of Europe Mr Hessel has seen individuals weighing 40 pounds and measuring 34 feet in length and 2% feet in circum- ference. A carp weighing 67 pounds and with scales 23 inches FISHES OF NEW YORK 169 in diameter was killed in the Danube in 1853. There is a record of a giant specimen of 90 pounds from Lake Zug in Switzer- land. Examples weighing 24 pounds have been caught recently in the Potomac river at Washington D. C. - Food. The carp lives principally on vegetable food, prefera- bly the seeds of water plants such as the water lilies, wild rice and water oats. It will eat lettuce, cabbage, soaked barley, wheat, rice, corn, insects and their larvae, worms and meats of various kinds. It can readily be caught with dough, grains of barley or wheat, worms, maggots, wasp larvae, and sometimes with pieces of beef or fish. During the summer of 1897 two female leather carp died in captivity as a result of retention of the eggs. Large individuals are found in Prospect park lake, Brooklyn, where the species was introduced. The food of the fish in cap- tivity includes hard clam, earthworms, wheat, corn, lettuce and cabbage. Its growth is remarkable. A leather carp has fully doubled its weight in one year. Linnaeus says the carp was introduced into England about the year 1600. De Kay places the first introduction into New York waters in the year 1831 and publishes a letter of Henry Robinson, Newburg, Orange co., who brought them from France, reared and bred them successfully in his ponds, and planted from one dozen to two dozen annually in the Hudson dur- ing the four years preceding his letter. Mr Robinson stated that they increased greatly and were frequently taken by fisher- men in their nets. Order APODES Eels Suborder ENCHELYCEPHALI Family ANGUILLIDAE. | True Eels Genus aneurtLa Shaw Body elongate, subterete, compressed posteriorly, covered . with small, linear, embedded scales which are placed obliquely, some of them at right angles to others; lateral line well devel- 170 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM oped; head long, conical, pointed; eye small, well forward, over the angle of the mouth; teeth small, villiform, subequal, in bands. on each jaw and a long patch on the vomer; tongue free at tip;. lips rather full, with a free margin behind, attached by a frenum ein front; lower jaw projecting; gill openings rather small, slit- like, about as wide as base of pectorals and partly below them; nostrils superior, well separated, the anterior with a slight tube;. vent close in front of anal; dorsal inserted at some distance from the head, confluent with the anal around the tail; pectorals. well developed. Species found in most warm seas (the eastern. Pacific excepted) ascending streams, but mostly spawning in the sea. (After Jordan and Evermann) 101 Anguilla chrysypa Rafinesque Eel Anguilla chrisypa RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 120, Dec. 1817. Lake: George; Lake Champlain; Hudson River above the falls. Anguilla vulgaris MITcHILL, Trans. Lit. and Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 360, 18153. GoovDE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, pl. 239, 1884. Muraena bostoniensis LE SuUEuR, Jour, Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 81, 1821. Anguilla tyrannus GIRARD, Ichth. U. S. Mex. Bdy. Surv. 75, pl. 40, 1859. Anguilla blephura RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 120, Dec. 1817. South: shores of Long Island. Muraena rostrata LE SUEUR, Jour. eG Nat. Sci. Phila. 81, 1821. Oayuga Lake. Anguilla tenuirostris DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 310, pl. 538, fig. 178, 1842. Anguilla rostrata DE Kay, op. cit. 312, 1842. Copied from Le Sueur. Lakes Cayuga and Geneva, N. Y.; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 361, 1888; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 95, pl. 30, fig. 58, 1898. Anguilla macrocephala DE Kay, op. cit. 313, 1842. After Le Sueur. Sara- toga Lake, N. Y. Anguilla bostoniensis StoRER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 214, pl. XX XIII, fig. 1, 1867. Anguilla chrysypa JORDAN & Davis, Rey. Apod. Fish. 668, 1892; JonpAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 348, 1896, pl. LV, fig. 148. In the eel the body is elongated, roundish throughout most of its extent, compressed behind. ‘The scales are deeply embedded and very irregularly placed, some at right angles to others. The head is conical, elongated with pointed snout and small eye, except in the male. The lower jaw is longer than the. upper. The jaws with small teeth in bands; a long patch of teeth on the vomer. The gill openings are partly below the FISHES OF NEW YORK CTL / pectoral fins, small and slitlike. The beginning of the dorsal is at a distance of nearly twice the length of the head behind the gill opening. The anal begins still farther back, and the vent is close to its origin. The dorsal and anal fins are con- tinuous around the tail. Hight of body nearly two thirds the length of the head, which is contained about eight and one fourth times in the total. The distance from the gill opening to the vent equals two and one half times the length of the head. The color varies greatly, but is usually dark brown, more or less tinged with yellow; lower parts paler. In the male referred to the upper parts were silvery gray sharply separated from the satiny white of the abdomen. In the eel the lateral line is very distinct. The eel appears to have only one common name. It is one of the best known and most singular of our fishes, yet its breeding habits are even now enveloped in doubt. The species. ascends the rivers of eastern North America from the Gulf of St Law- rence to Mexico, the former being the northern limit of the species on our coast. In the Ohio and Mississippi valleys it is extremely common, and its range has been much extended by the opening of canals and by artificial introduction. It has been transferred to the Pacific coast. The eel has been known to exceed a length of 4 feet. The average length of individuals however is about 2 feet. The female is larger than the male, paler in color, and is different in certain other particulars, which will be mentioned in the description of the species. This is a very important food fish. It is caught chiefly when descending the rivers in the fall. In 1869 about a ton of eels were caught in a single fish basket above Harrisburg. At the present time this method of capture is illegal. Both adults and young eels ascend the streams in spring, the young coming in millions, but in the fall run small eels are seldom seen. Till a comparatively recent date it was not certainly known that the eels have eggs which are developed outside of the body. Even now the breeding | | : | | he NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM habits are unknown, but it is supposed that spawning takes place late in the fall or during the winter near the mouths of rivers on muddy bottoms. Dr Jordan has expressed the belief that the eel sometimes breeds in fresh water, since he has found young eels less than an inch long in the headwaters of the Alabama river, about 500 miles from the sea. It is esti- mated that a large eel contains about 9,000,000 eggs. The eggs are very small, measuring about 80 to the inch, and can scarcely be seen by the naked eye. | The difference of size in the sexes has already been referred to. According to one writer the males are much smaller than the females, rarely exceeding 15 or 16 inches in length. The question whether eels will breed in fresh water has an impor- tant bearing on their introduction into places from which they can not reach the sea. The generally accepted belief is that, while the eels will grow large and fat, they will not reproduce under such circumstances. When the eels meet obstructions in streams, they will leave the water and travel through wet grass or over moist rocks. They have not been able to surmount the falls of Niagara. At the foot of this barrier hundreds of wagon loads of young eels have been seen crawling over the rocks in their efforts to reach the upper waters. Dr Mitchill heard of an eel, which was caught in one of the south bays of Long -~Island, that weighed 164 pounds. He records the use of eelpots and the practice of bobbing, and also the winter fishing by spearing. Dr Mitchill states distinctly that the ovaries of eels may be seen like those of other fish, but they are often mistaken for masses of fat. Dr DeKay states that he had examined the silver eel of the fishermen and was disposed to consider it only a variety of the common eel. He charac- terizes it as “silvery gray above, with a clear, satiny white abdomen, separated from the color above by the lateral line.” We found eels moderately common in Great South bay late in September. At Bellport thousands of eelpots are employed, and these are fastened to stakes which are set in straight lines FISHES OF NEW YORK B We; over a large extent of the bottom. These stakes project from four to six feet above the surface of the water. At Blue Point cove, Great River beach and Fire Island we found five individuals of a kind of eel known to the fishermen as silver eel. ‘These were taken between September 25 and October 7, and they were the only ones of the kind seen byus. They attracted attention at once, both on account of their colors, large eyes, short snouts and long pectoral fins, as compared with the common form, There is still some doubt in my mind as to whether this represents a distinct species or not. It may be the silver eel, Anguilla argentea, of Le Sueur, which is described as silvery gray above, separated from the silvery white abdomen by a distinct lateral line. But, to whatever species they may be referred, the greatest interest attaches to them because they have proved, on examination by Prof. John A. Ryder, to be males with the generative glands so well developed as to leave no doubt con- cerning the sex of the individuals. Prof. Ryder has published a report on these specimens, with figures showing sections of the syrskian organs, and announces the fact that the male eel has now been positively indentified from at least two points along our eastern coast, the other locality being Woods Hole Mass. He felt little doubt that, if the eels had been taken a few weeks later, ripe spermatozoa would have been found in them, and he considers it probable that the eggs are cast some time during the months of December or January. The speci- mens from Woods Hole were taken in November 1881, and they show slightly larger syrskian organs than in the Fire island specimens. In captivity eels live many years. They delight to lie buried in the mud or sand with only their heads out, ready for anything edible to come within reach. Mussels and snails are picked out of the shells by them. (After Eugene Smith’) The eel in captivity is particularly liable to attacks of fungus, which do not always yield to treatment with. salt or brackish Linn. Soc. N. Y. Proc. 1897. no. 9, p. 29. 174 : NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM water; but the parasite can be overcome by placing the eel ina poorly lighted tank. | In Cayuga lake, N. Y., according to Dr Meek, the eel is not common, but is occasionally taken at each end of the lake. W. H. Ballou makes the following remarks about their feed- ing habits: . They are among the most voracious and carnivorous. fishes. They eat most inland fishes except the gar and the chub. .. They are particularly fond of game fishes, and show the delicate taste of a connoisseur in their selections from choice trout, bass, pickerel and shad... On their hunting excursions they overturn huge and small stones alike, working for hours if necessary, beneath which they find species of shrimp: and crayfish, of which they are exceedingly fond. .. ‘They are among the most powerful and rapid of swimmers... They attack the spawn of other fishes open-mouthed, and are even said to suck the eggs from an impaled female. . . They are owl- like in their habits, committing their depredations at night. Family Le PTOCEPHALIDAE Conger Eels Genus LEPTOCEPHALUS (Gronow) Scopoli Body formed as in Anguilla; no scales; head depressed above, anteriorly pointed; lateral line present; mouth wide, its cleft extending at least to below middle of eye; teeth in outer Series in each jaw equal and close set, forming a cutting edge, no canines, band of vomerine teeth short, tongue anteriorly free; vertical fins well developed, confluent around the tail, pectoral fins well developed, dorsal beginning close behind pectorals; gill openings rather large, low; eyes well developed; posterior nostril near eye, anterior near tip of snout, with a short tube; lower jaw not projecting. Skeleton differing in numerous respects from that of Anguilla. Vertebrae about 564100. In most warm seas. This genus contains the well known and widely distributed conger eel and three or four closely related species. (After Jordan and Evermann) Lateral line in a deep, pale furrow, decurved slightly from the head to below dorsal origin, very conspicuous pores in its anterior third. Ol FISHES OF NEW YORK 17 102 Leptocephalus conger (Linnaeus) Conger Eel; Sea Eel Muraena conger LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 245, 1758. Anguilla conger MITCHILL, Trans, Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 360, 1815. Anguilla oceanica MITcHILL, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 407, 1818, off New York. Conger occidentalis DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 314, pl. 53, fig. 172, 1842, very poor. Conger vulgaris GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 38, 1870. Conger niger JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 362, 1883. Leptocephalus conger GoopDE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, pl. 240, 1884; Jor- DAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 354, 1896, pl. LVII, fig. 148, 1900; Suir, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 90, 1898. Dorsal fin begins opposite to or just behind tip of pectoral; eye one and one half in snout, five to six in head; snout three and one fourth to four and one fourth in head; gape extending nearly or quite to below hind margin of eye; head one and four fifths to one and six sevenths in trunk; tail longer than rest of body; pectorals three and one half in head; upper lip full, with conspicuous pores. Length of head one ninth of total length, depth of body two fifths length of head. Pores in lateral line very ‘conspicuous. Color dark olive brown, sometimes nearly black, above; chin, space behind pectorals and lower parts © soiled white. The conger eel occurs on both coasts of the Atlantic, on our coast extending from Cape Cod to Brazil, but not often coming into shallow bays. An exception is noted in Great Egg Harbor bay, where the fish is not rare in summer. It is sometimes caught in Gravesend bay also in summer, and occasional indi- viduals are captured on hand lines off Southampton L. L., by men fishing for sea bass and scup. The fishermen dislike to handle the species on account of its pugnacity and strength; it snaps viciously at everything near it when captured in our waters; yet, strangely enough, the writer has seen a hundred or more, taken on trawl lines off the north coast of France, in a boat at one time, and not one gave evidence of ferocity. In captivity in the aquarium the sea eel suffers severely from fungus attacks, which are not relieved by changing the fish from salt water to fresh. Perhaps the salinity of the water in some 176 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM \ localities is too low, and relief might be obtained by supplying sea water of normal ocean density. The young and larval form of the conger is a curious, elongate, transparent, bandlike creature with a minute head, a very small mouth and with the lateral line, belly, and anal fin dotted with black points. An individual nearly 3 feet long was captured with a hand line by A. P. Latto in the ocean, near Southampton L. I. Aug. 3, 1898, while fishing for sea bass and scup. In the Woods Hole region, according to Dr Smith, “it comes in July and remains until fall; very common for several years, but rather rare formerly. Fishermen as a rule do not dis- tinguish it from the common eel. A few are taken in traps and with lines, but many large ones, weighing from 8 pounds upward, are caught in lobster pots. A specimen in the col- lection weighs 10 pounds. One caught on a line at Falmouth, Aug. 30, 1897, weighed 12 pounds. The smallest observed are 15 to 20 inches long.” : Mitchill declared the flesh to be very dainty eating. DeKay said the flesh has a peculiar unsavory taste. He discovered that it is a vicious animal, snapping when captured at everything near it. In France the conger eel is among the cheapest and least esteemed of the food fishes. The observations of Dr Otto Hermes, director of the Berlin aquarium, on the habits and the reproduction of the conger eel are of very great interest. Reference is made to them by Goode in Fish and Fishery Industries of the United States, § 1, p. 657, and two figures copied from drawings of Dr Hermes are given in the text. The ovary of the conger, says Dr Hermes, is developed in captivity, and this is often the cause of the death of the eel. In a conger which died in the Berlin aquarium the ovaries pro- truded very extensively, and a specimen in the Frankfort aqua- rium burst on account of the extraordinary development of the ovaries. The ovaries of this eel, which weighed 224 pounds, themselves weighed 8 pounds, and the number of eggs was about 5,300,000. The want of a natural opening for the escape of the eggs was evidently in this case, the cause of death. In the fall FISHES OF NEW YORK LG of 1879 Dr Hermes received a number of small sea eels taken in ’ the vicinity of Havre. These eels ate greedily and grew rapidly. Only one was tardy in its development, so that it could easily be distinguished from the rest. This one died June 20, 1880, and was examined the same day. It proved to be a sexually mature male and served to clear up some very doubtful problems in the reproduction of the species, as well as its ally, the common el Order ISOSPONDYLI Isospondylous Fishes Family ELOPIDAE Tarpons Genus Tarpon Jordan & Evermann Body oblong, compressed, covered with very large, thick, silvery, cycloid scales; belly narrow, but not carinated, its edge with ordinary scales; mouth large, oblique, the lower jaw prom- inent, maxillary broad, extending beyond the eye; villiform teeth on jaws, vomer, palatines, tongue, sphenoid, and pterygoid bones; eye very large, with an adipose eyelid; lateral line nearly Straight, its tubes radiating widely over the surface of the scales; branchiostegals 23; pseudobranchiae wanting; gill rakers long and slender; dorsal fin short and high, inserted behind the ventrals (over the ventrals in Megalops), its last ray elon- gate and filamentous as in Megalops, Dorosoma, and Opisthonema; anal fin much longer than dorsal, falcate, its last ray produced; caudal widely forked; pectorals and ventrals rather long; anal with a sheath of scales; dorsal naked; caudal more or less scaly; a collar of large scales at the nape. Vertebrae about 57 (28+29). Size very large, the largest of the herringlike fishes. (After Jordan and Evermann) 103 Tarpon atlanticus (Cuy. & Val.) Tarpum; Tarpon; Grande Ecaille; Silver King Megalops atlanticus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XIX, 398, 1846. Guadaloupe. Megalops elongatus GIRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 224, 1858, Long Island. Megalops thrissoides GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 472, 1868; JorpDAN '& GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 262, 1888; Goopr, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 610, pl. 217 B, 1884; American Fishes, 406, fig. 1888. oe 178 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Tarpon atlanticus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull, 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 409, 1896; pl. LXVII, fig. 177, 1900; SmirH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 90, 1898; EEVERMANN & MARSH, Fishes Porto Rico, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1900; 80, fig. 10, 1900. Body elongate, compressed, not deep, its greatest hight about one fourth of total length without caudal. Length of head nearly equal to greatest hight of body. Mouth large, oblique, the lower jaw very prominent, the maxillary extending beyond the vertical from hind margin of eye; eye moderately large, two thirds length of snout, two elevenths length of head; dorsal origin midway between tip of snout and end of middle caudal rays, dorsal base two fifths as long as head, dorsal filament nearly as long as the head; ventral origin midway between tip of snout and end.of anal fin, the ventral fin two fifths as long as the head; base of anal three fourths as long as the head; pectoral fin as long as the longest ray of dorsal; caudal deeply forked, its longest rays equal to dorsal filament. Size large, weight reaching nearly 200 pounds and length 6 or 7 feet. Color silvery, darker above. DD: III, 12; A: III, 28; P. 135 Vie: Scales 12-47. The tarpon inhabits the western Atlantic from Gane Cod to Brazil and the West Indies, being rather uncommon northward, but abundant toward the south, ascending rivers in pursuit of smaller fishes on which it feeds. The species grows to the length of 7 feet and the weight of 150 pounds, or upward. It is not prized for food, but is now very celebrated as a game fish of great endurance and strength. The scales are an article of com- merce as curiosities. Fishermen dread the tarpon because it leaps through their nets with great violence, and the Pensacola seiners have known of persons being killed or severely injured by its leaping against them from the seine in which it was inclosed. As to the edible qualities of the flesh BL differ, but the fact is that the species is seldom eaten. Girard had a specimen from Long Island which he described in 1858. Since that time it has been seen there occasionally. In the fall of 1898, Capt. H. E. Swezey reported to me that he found one about 4 feet long in Swan river at Patchogue. The fish was FISHES OF NEW YORK 179 recently dead, and he believes it came into the river alive. In the vicinity of Woods Hole Mass. it is now a regular summer visitor. According to Dr Smith, it is “ taken every year in traps at South Dartmouth, also occasionally at Quissett and at Menemsha, in latter part of September. All are about one size, 80 to 100 pounds. Fishermen call them ‘big scale fish.” An effort hag been made to find a market for them in New Bedford, but the people did not like them, owing to the toughness of the flesh.” The tarpon evidently breeds at Porto Rico, as Evermann and Marsh collected a number of individuals measuring from 2; to 34 inches at Fajardo in February 1899, these apparently being the first young of the species so far recorded. Genus ELops Linnaeus Body elongate, subcylindric; scales small, silvery; head moder- ate; conical anteriorly, with very long jaws, the lower slightly . included; branchiostegals 30; eye large and placed high; dorsal fin high in front, the last rays short, origin of fin about midway between tip of snout and end of middle caudal rays, the fin depressible into a scaly sheath; anal fin short, well behind end of dorsal, also depressible into a sheath; pectorals and ventrals each with a long appendage; caudal fin long and deeply forked; opercular bones thin, with expanded, membranaceous borders, a collar of scales on occiput; lateral line continuous, nearly straight, its tubes simple; large pseudobranchiae. Vertebrae 43429—72. Large fishes of the open seas. The young are ribbon- shaped, elongate, and pass through a series of metamorphoses similar to the changes observed in the congers. 104 Elops saurus Linnaeus Big-eyed Herring Elops saurus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, I, 518, 1766; Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 267, pl. 41, fig. 131, 1842; Jornpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16, . U. S. Nat. Mus. 261, 1883; Goopr, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 611, pl. 218, upper figure, 1884; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 410, 1896; pl. LX VII, fig. 178, 1900; Bran, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 334, 1897; Smity, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 90, 1898; Bran, 5241 Ann. Rep’t N. Y. State Mus. 96, 1900; EvERMANN & Marsu, Bull, U. S, F>C. for 1900, 81, fig. 11, 1900. Hlops inermis MiTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 445. 180 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Body elongate, subcylindric, compressed toward the tail, its - greatest depth contained from five to six times in its length — without caudal; caudal peduncle slender, its least depth three eighths of length of head; head moderate, obtusely conical, its length four and one fourth to four and one half in total with- out caudal, flattened above, with a broad, deep furrow between the eyes; eye large, one fifth as long as the head; upper jaw broad, rounded, entire, longer than the lower, which is received into it, the maxillary reaching far behind eye, almost to hind edge of preopercle; the gular plate three or four times as long as broad. D. 20; A.13; V.15; B.30. Scales 12-120-13. Length 3 feet. Tropical and temperate seas; common in America, north to Virginia and the Gulf of California; occasional as far north as Cape Cod. Color bright silvery, with a greenish tinge ‘along the back. Pupils black; iris golden; summit of the head bronzed; opercles with golden metallic tints; all the fins more or less punctate with black; dorsal and caudal light olive brown; lower fins tinged with yellow. Mitchill found some individuals in the New York market in September 1818, under the name of salmon trout. One which he bought was 22 inches long and weighed 42 ounces. The fish — were sold at 75c each, a remarkably good price for a species now generally considered unsalable because the flesh is dry and bony. : An adult was caught in Gravesend bay Oct. 5, 1896. Among the fishermen there it is known as “seering” and “ cisco 7. Several examples, each about 1 foot long, were taken at South- ampton L. I. in October 1898, by A. P. Latto, and presented to the State Museum. At Cape Cod, according to Dr Smith, it is “common in fall, none appearing before October. Taken in traps in Vineyard sound and in herring gill nets at Vineyard Haven. Average length, 18 to 20 inches. No young observed.” The fish does not breed on our coast. The young are known to be ribbon-shaped and elongate and to pass through a remark- able series of changes similar to those observed .in the ladyfish, Alpbula wal pe'si. Re ‘ ¥ me’ FISHES OF NEW YORK 18L- Family AaLBULIDAE Ladyfishes Genus auBpuLta (Gronow) Bloch & Schneider Body rather elongate, little compressed, covered with rather small, brilliantly silvery scales; head naked; snout conical, sub- quadrangular, shaped like the snout of a pig, and overlapping the small, inferior, horizontal mouth; maxillary rather strong, short, with a distinct supplemental bone, slipping under the membranous edge of the very broad preorbital; premaxillaries short, not protractile; lateral margin of upper jaw formed by the maxillaries; both jaws, vomer, and palatines with bands of villiform teeth; broad patches of coarse, blunt, paved teeth on the tongue behind and on the sphenoid and pterygoid bones; eye large, median in head, with a bony ridge above it, and almost covered with an annular adipose eyelid; opercle mod- erate, firm, preopercle with a broad, fiat, membranaceous edge, which extends backward over the base of the opercle; pseudo- branchiae present; gill rakers short, tuberclelike; gill mem- branes entirely separate, free from the isthmus; branchiostegals about 14; a fold of skin across gill membranes anteriorly, its posterior free edge crenate; no gular plate; lateral line present; belly not carinate, flattish, covered with ordinary scales; dorsal _ fin moderate, in front of ventrals, its membranes scaly; no adipose fin; anal very small; caudal widely forked; pyloric caeca numerous; parietal bones meeting along top of head. Verte- brae numerous, 42+28—70. A single species known, found in all warm seas. In this, and probably in related families, the young pass through a metamorphosis, analogous to that seen in the conger eels. They are for a time elongate, band-shaped, with very small head and loose transparent tissues. From this condition they become gradually shorter and more compact, shrinking from 3 or 34 inches in length to 2 inches. According to Dr Gilbert, this process, like that seen in various eels, is a normal one, through which all individuals pass: In the Gulf of California, where these fishes abound, these band-shaped young. are often thrown by the waves on the beach in great masses. (After Jordan and Evermann) 4 182 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 105 Albula vulpes (Linnaeus) Ladyfish; Bone Fish; Banana Fish Esox vulpes LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 313, 1758. Butirinus vulpes DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 268, 1842, name only. Albula Parraeé CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XIX, 339, 1846: Albula erythrocheilos CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, op, cit. 352, pl. 574, 1846. Albula conorhynchus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish, Brit. Mus. VII, 468, 1868. Albula vulpes JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 258, 1883; GOODE,, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 612, pl. 218, lower fig. 1884; Bran, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. Separate, 42, pl. XXIII, fig. 31, 1890; Jorpan & EXVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 411, 1896, pl. LXVIII, fig, 179, 1900; SmitH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 91, 1898; Evermann & Marsn.. Bull. U. S. F. C. for 1900, 82, fig. 12, 1900. Body fusiform, elongate, rounded, its greatest depth, at dorsal’ | origin, contained four and two thirds times in total length to: base of caudal fin and equal to distance from posterior nostril | to end of head; caudal peduncle rather slender, its least depth: about one third of greatest depth of body; head long, conical, the snout rather acutely pointed, length of head about three: and two thirds in total; eye moderate, one half of snout, one fifth of head, placed high; mouth inferior, small, the maxilla. not reaching to below front of eye; collar of enlarged scales on. the nape extending down to the base of the pectoral; dorsal origin about midway between tip of snout and base of caudal, the base of the fin a little more than one half the length of head, the longest ray as long as the head without the snout, the last ray one third as long as the longest. The pectoral reaches. to below the 15th scale of the lateral line. The ventral origin. is under the 32d scale of the lateral line; the fin three eighths. as long as the head. Anal origin equally distant from base of caudal fin and end of ventral base, the longest ray one third. as long as head, the last ray less than one half as long as the longest; caudal fin long, deeply forked, the outer rays equal in length to hight of body. D.III, 14; A.1,8; V.1,10. Scales 8— 75-8. Bright silvery; upper parts olivaceous; fins pale; axils of pectorals and ventrals dusky. Size large, length reaching 3: feet. Tropical seas, on sandy coasts, on our coasts ranging north- ward to Cape Cod and San Diego. A valuable food fish, but FISHES OF NEW YORK 183 ~not esteemed in northern waters. Highly prized at Key West and the Bermudas; not much in favor at Porto Rico. The ladyfish is found on our coast from Cape Cod to the Gulf of Mexico. It also occurs in the Bermudas and West Indies. The Bermuda names are bony fish and grubber. It is considered an excellent food fish on these islands, and Dr Goode testifies from personal experience to its value as an edible species. At ‘Cozumel, off the coast of Yucatan, it is highly esteemed. On our coast it is occasionally found as far north as Cape Cod. The ladyfish is not described by either Mitchil] or DeKay as -one of the fishes of New York; and I did not see it in Great South bay, but it was taken later in the fall by Capt. Lewis B. Thurber, of Patchogue, who forwarded it to me. Dr Smith says it is very rare at Woods Hole Mass. where it was reported by Prof. Baird in 1871. Since 1871 it has been observed only once or twice, and none has been taken for many years. Family HIODONTIDAE Mooneyes Genus uiopon Le Sueur In the mooneyes the body is oblong, compressed, covered with cycloid silvery scales of moderate size. Head short, naked, with obtuse snout and no barbels. The mouth is terminal, of mod- erate size; jaws subequal. The margin of the jaw is formed by | the nonprotractile intermaxillaries and the slender maxillaries, which are articulated to the end of the intermaxillaries. The opercular apparatus is complete. Intermaxillary and mandible with small cardiform teeth, wide set; feeble teeth on the maxil- laries; a row of marginal teeth on the tongue, those in front very strong canines; a band of short close set teeth on middle of tongue; vomerine teeth small, close set, in a long double series; teeth on the palatine, sphenoid and pterygoid bones. The lower jaw is received within the upper so that the mandi- bulary teeth are opposite to those on the palatine bone. The very large eye has a little developed adipose eyelid. Nostrils large, close together, with a flap between them; gill membranes ai . - 184 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM deeply cleft, free from isthmus, their base covered by a fold of skin; branchiostegals 8 to 10; no pseudobranchiae; gill rakers short, thick and few in numbers; a straight and well developed lateral line; belly without scutes; no adipose fin; dorsal fin over the caudal part of the vertebral column; anal long and low; ventrals large; caudal deeply forked; stomach horseshoe-shaped,, with blind sac; intestine short; one pyloric appendage; air bladder large and simple. The eggs fall into the abdominal cavity before exclusion. 106 Hiodox tergisus (Le Sueur) Mooneye; Toothed Herrumg Hiodon tergisus Le SuEuR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 366, Sept. 1818, Ohio River and Lake Hrie. Hiodon clodalus LE SUEuR, op. cit. 367, Sept. 1818, Pittsburg. Glossodon harengoides RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month, Mag. III, 354, Sept. 1818, Ohio River. : ’ | Cyprinus (Abramis ?) Smithii RicHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. III, 110, fig- 1836. Hyodon tergisus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 265, pl. 41, fig. 130; Cuvimr: & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XIX, pl. 572, 1846; Gunrumr, Cat.. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 375, 1868; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 260, 1888; Goon, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 618, pl. 219, 1884. Hyodon clodalis DE Kay, op. cit. 266, 1842, but fig. 164, pl. 51, represents: alosoides. Hyodon claudalus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XIX, 313. Hyodon tergisus BEAN, Fishes Penna. 57, pl. 25, fig. 44 (named alosoides), 1888; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 4138, 1896, pl. LX VIII, fig. 180, 1900. ; The shape of the body is similar to that of the northern moon- eye. The belly has a slight but obtuse keel in front of the ven-. trals and is compressed to a rather sharp edge hehind the, ventrals. Head short, its length two ninths of total without caudal; the eye much longer, about one third the length of head. The greatest depth of the body is neariy one third of total length. The pectoral is as long as the head without the snout; the ventral not much more than two thirds the length of head, its origin under the 18th scale of the lateral line. The anal origin is under the 7th developed ray of the dorsal. The longest anal ray is less than one half the head. The anal base is as long as the head; its last ray is less than one half the longest FISHES OF NEW YORK 185 ray. Theanalhasadeepnotch. The longest dorsal ray is little more than length of dorsal base. The last ray is not much more than one half the longest. The caudal is deeply forked. D.12; A. 28 to 32. Scales 6-58-8. Upper parts greenish in life. the sides and abdomen brilliant silvery. This species is called mooneye, toothed herring and silver bass. It is found in Canada, the Great lakes region and the upper part of the Mississippi valley, being very common in large streams and lakes. It abounds in Lake Erie and the Ohio and is seined in large numbers. DekKay observed the fish in the Allegheny river, N. Y. He records it also from Buffalo and Barcelona, on Lake Erie, at which places it is known as mooneye, shiner, and lake herring. He says it is very indifferent food. This species grows to a length of 1 foot and, like the other, though a beautiful fish and possessed of excellent game quali- ties, its flesh is full of small bones. It is a good fish for the aquarium; it will take a minnow or the artificial fly very readily, and the utmost skill is required in its capture. Its food con- sists of insects, small fishes and crustaceans. Dr Richardson describes this fish as a member of the minnow family, which he says is known to the Canadians under the name la quesche. The fish is described as having the back bril- hant green, sides and abdomen with a silvery luster. The specimens which were taken in the Richelieu, where it fal!s into the St Lawrence, were about 9 or 10 inches long. 107 Hiodon alosoides (Rafinesque) Northern M ooneye ; La Quesche Amphiodon alosoides RAFINESQUE, Jour. Phys. Paris, 421, 1819. Ohio River. Hyodon amphiodon RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 42, 1820. Hiodon chrysopsis RICHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. III, 232, 1836. Hyodon alosoides JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 259, 1883; GooDE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 612, 1884. Hiodon alosoides BEAN, Fishes Penna. 57, 1893 (not figured); JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 413, 1896. Hyodon clodalis DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, pl. 51, fig. 164, not descrip- tion, 1842. Body deep, much compressed, its greatest depth equaling two sevenths of the total without caudal. The head is short, con- 186 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM taining the length of the eye about three and one half times and equaling a little more than one fifth of the total without caudal. The snout is very blunt, the mouth large and oblique, the maxilla reaching beyond the middle of the eye. There is a well developed keel along the entire length of the belly. D. 9; A. 32. Scales 6—56-7. The general color is bluish silvery on the sides with golden refiections. The northern mooneye is found from the Ohio river through- out the Great lakes region to the Saskatchewan. It is very com- mon in Manitoba and other parts of British America. In Penn- sylvania it is limited to the western region. De Kay must have had the northern mooneye for study, though his description seems to apply to another species. The figure of his Hyodon clodalis represents a fish with a short dorsal fin, quite unlike his account in the text. The northern mooneye is very readily distinguished from the other species of the genus by its short dorsal fin, which con- tains only nine rays, and by its carinated belly. It grows to the length of 1 foot. The flesh is not greatly esteemed as a rule, but the fish is beautiful and has excellent game qualities. Richardson says the fish inhabits lakes which communicate with the Saskatchewan, in the 53d and 54th parallels of lati- tude, but does not approach nearer to Hudson bay than Lake Winnipeg. This we know to be a mistake. He says further that it is taken during the summer months only, and in small numbers, in gill nets set for other fish. It bites eagerly at an artificial fly or worm. Its flesh is white, resembling that of.the perch in flavor, and excelling it in richness. Family DOROSOMIDAE Gizzard Shads Genus Dporosoma Rafinesque The genus Dorosoma has a herringlike body, with a short and obtuse snout. The body is much compressed and is covered with moderately large, thin, cycloid scales. The head is scaleless, short and small; the eye large and provided with TT rete y ele? ee Dee ye Sa ae £3 hoes 05. TR Ls ee Fin: a) ey Kk ESE Yan CF es ta) Meee) ee 6 he by FISHES OF NEW YORK 187 an adipose eyelid. The belly is compressed to an edge, which is armed with sharp serratures. Mouth small, transverse; the | lower jaw the shorter, jaws toothless. The maxilla does not extend to the middle of the eye. Gill rakers numerous, mod- erately long and slender; gill membranes deeply cleft and free from the isthmus; pseudobranchiae well developed; lateral line wanting. The dorsal fin is placed nearly over the middle of the body, slightly behind the origin of the ventral. Its last ray is produced into a long filament. The pectorals and ventrals are rather long and each is provided with an appendage formed of several elongate, overlapping accessory scales. The caudal is deeply forked. Anal very long, its last rays low. The stomach is stout and short, resembling the gizzard of a hen. 108 Dorosoma cepedianum (Le Sueur) Gizzard Shad Megalops cepediana LE SuEurR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 361, Sept. 1818. (Baltimore and Philadelphia markets). Clupea heterurus RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month. Mag. III, 355, Sept. 1818. Ohio River. | Dorosoma notata RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 40, 1820. Ohio River. Chatoéssus cepedianus and ellipticus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 265, 1842, as extra-limital. Chatoéssus ellipticus K1IRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. IV, 235, pl. X, fig. 1, 1844. Chatoéssus cepedianus CUVIER & YALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. X XI, 99, pl. 612,” 1848. New York, Philadelphia, New Orleans; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus, VII, 409, 1868. Dorosoma cepedianum JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 271, 1883; GoopE, Fish. & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 610, pl. 217 A, 1884; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 63, 1898; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus... 416, 1896, pl. LXTIX, fig. 183, 1900. The depth of the body is contained two and two thirds times in the total without caudal, the length of the head four and one third times. Eye longer than snout, one fourth length of head. The third ray of the dorsal is two thirds as long as the head, and the filamentous ray nearly equals the head in length. Length of dorsal base about one half that of head; anal base two sevenths of total length of body without caudal, its longest ray two thirds of length of ventral or one third of that of head. Pectoral three fourths as long as head. Lower caudal lobe 188 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM longer than upper, its length equal to that of the head. D. iii, 10; A. ii, 31. Scales 56 to 64, about 20 in a transverse series. Scutes in front of ventrals 17, and from ventral to vent 12. Upper parts bluish; sides silvery, sometimes with golden reflec- tions. In young individuals there is a large dark blotch on. each side not far behind the head. This disappears with age. The mud shad, also known as gizzard shad, winter shad, stink. shad, white-eyed shad, hickory shad, hairy back, and thread herring, is found in brackish waters along the coast from New York southward to Mexico, ascending streams and frequently becoming landlocked in ponds. A variety of this fish is alsv common in the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, whence it has- spread through canals into Lakes Erie and Michigan. Cuvier and Valenciennes had the species from New York,. - whence it was sent by Milbert. De Kay mentions it only as an extralimital fish; but in his time the fish fauna of Lake Erie was very little known. This fish grows to a length of 15 inches and a weight of 2 pounds. It spawns in Summer, and its food consists of algae, confervae, desmids and diatoms. With its food it takes large guantities of mud, from which it separates the organic sub- stances after swallowing. This is a beautiful species, some- what resembling the shad in general appearance and has been. ; very successfully kept in the aquarium, where its bright colors. and graceful movements make it attractive, but its flesh is soft, tasteless and seldom eaten when any better can be obtained. In most regions fishermen consider it a great nuisance and throw away their entire catch. Negroes eat the mud shad from tributaries of the Chesapeake, and in Florida the fish has been utilized to some extent in making guano. The name gizzard shad alludes to the form of the stomach, which is very much like that of a hen. Family cLUPEIDAE Herrings Body oblong or elongate, more or less compressed, covered with cycloid or pectinated scales; belly sometimes rounded- 7 sometimes compressed, in which case it is often armed with FISHES OF NEW YORK 189 bony serratures; head naked, usually compressed; mouth rather . large, terminal, the jaws about equal, maxillaries forming the lateral margins of the upper jaw, each composed of about three pieces; premaxillaries not protractile; teeth mostly small, often feeble or wanting, variously arranged; adipose eyelid present or absent; gill rakers long and slender, gill membranes not con- nected, free from the isthmus; no gular plate; gills four, a slit behind the fourth; branchiostegals usually few (6 to 15); posterior lower part of opercular region often with an angular emargination, the tips of the larger branchiostegals being abruptly truncate; pseudobranchiae present; no lateral line. Dorsal fin median or somewhat posterior, rarely wanting; no adipose fin; ventrals moderate or small (wanting in Pristi- gaster); anal usually rather long; caudal fin forked. Verte- brae 40 to 56. Genera about 30; species 150; inhabiting all seas, and usually swimming in immense schools; many species ascend fresh waters, and some remain there permanently. The northern and fresh-water species, as in many other families, differ from the tropical forms in having a larger number of vertebral segments. Genus mnrrumEvs Bleeker Body rather elongate, somewhat compressed; the abdomen rounded and without serratures; mouth terminal, of moderate width, formed asin Clupea, but the maxillary more slender; teeth moderate, in patches on jaws, palatines, pterygoids, and tongue; scales cycloid, entire, very deciduous; branchiostegals. numerous, very slender. Ventrals inserted posteriorly, entirely behind dorsal; the dorsal fin rather long, of 18 to 20 rays; anal low, of moderate length. Pseudobranchiae well developed; pyloric caeca numerous. No silvery lateral stripe. Few spec‘es. Asiatic and American. (After Jordan and Evermann) 109 Etrumeus teres (De Kay) Round Herrwmg Alosa teres DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 262, pl. 40, fig. 128, 1842. New York harbor. Etrumeus teres GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 467, 1868; Jorpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 2638, 1883; Bran, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 148, 1888; 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. separate, 44, 1890. Etrumeus sadina JORDAN & HVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 420, 1896, not Clupea sadina MitTcHILL; Situ, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 91, 1898. 190 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Body slender, rounded, elongate, its greatest depth one sixth © of total length without caudal; head rather long, one fourth of total without caudal; mouth small, the jaws subequal in front, the maxilla extending to or slightly beyond the front of the eye; the mandible not at all projecting when the mouth is closed, but rather included; thickness of body more than two thirds of its depth; vomerine teeth present, lingual teeth well developed, teeth in the jaws weak; eye large, equal to snout, three and one third in length of head; dorsal origin midway between tip of snout and origin of anal, the longest dorsal ray more than one half length of head; ventrals well behind dorsal, the length little more than one third length of head; anal basis short, about one third length of head; axillary scales above pectorals and ventrals very long, those over the pectoral more than one half as long as the fin. D. 18; A. 18. Color, bright silvery; darker above, with a tinge of blue and yellow on the sides. Head metallic silvery with coppery reflections; iris golden; dorsal and caudal tinged with yellow, the remaining fins translucent, with minute dark specks. Cape Cod to the Gulf of Mexico, not rare southward; a favorite food of bluefish. The “ New York shadine ” of Mitchill can not be identified with this species; it was evidently a species of Pomolobus bearing a close resemblance to the shad. Mitchill’s shadine had a spot behind the gill cover, a wide and toothless mouth, a projecting lower jaw and 15 anal rays. These characters are in opposition to the known characters of the round herring, and there is no probability that this little fish was before him for description. De Kay saw only a single specimen of the round herring from the harbor of New York. A copy of Mitchill’s! description is here given for comparison. 13 New York Shadine, Clupea sadina An elegant species with a small smutty spot behind the gill cover; but with neither spots nor stripes on its back or sides. Mouth wide and toothless. Tongue small. Back delicately variegated with green and blue. Lateral line straight. Sides silvery white, considerably above that line; and *Mitehill. Lit. and Phil Soc..N.-Y.. Trans, 1805. 12457. ss FISHES OF NEW YORK 191 below it quite to the belly. The white reflects vividly green, red, and other splendid hues. Head rather elongated. Lower jaw projecting. Scales very easily deciduous. Form neat, taper, and slender. Gills rise into the throat on each side of the root of the tongue. Eyes pale and large. Tail deeply forked. On account of the even connection of the false ribs, the belly is not at all serrated, but quite smooth. A semitransparent space in front of the eyes from side to side. | iranis) tees 6532. 165. V Os Ws 18: Ay 15: 0. 19. This species was not taken in Great South bay, but on the ocean beach adjacent to the Blue Point lifesaving station. It is the slender herring described by Dr DeKay from a single specimen taken with a seine in New York harbor in the latter part of October. He found it associated with numerous speci- mens of the big-eyed herring, Elops saurus. Dekay states that the Elops appeared to be known to the fishermen as the round herring, but the name is more applicable to the little. species now under consideration. Several specimens were seined on the ocean beach at Blue Point Lifesaving station, Octo- ber 7. None were obtained in the bay. September 24, 51 exam- ples of this fish were found lying on the beach, in the vicinity of the same station, having been driven ashore by bluefish. In August 1890 great schools of round herring were stranded in this way. Prof. Baird found a number of specimens along the beach of Great Egg Harbor bay in 1854, and a single specimen was seined by Capt. Thomas Steelman in the same locality in October 1887. Young individuals, from 44 to 4? inches long, were taken in Gravesend bay July 30,1896. They were associated with young mackerel, of slightly larger size, in bunches and schools. John B. DeNyse saw some schools that he estimated to contain 25,000 fish. Dr Smith says it is apparently rare at Woods Hole; known to have been found on only a few occasions. In October, some years ago, several were taken in traps at Menemsha bight, Marthas Vineyard. die and 4 eae ae eee seaeer F% 192 NEW YORK STATD MUSEUM Genus ciupEA (Artedi) Linnaeus True herrings with the body elongate, numerous vertebrae, the ventral serratures weak, and an ovate patch of small but persistent teeth on the vomer. The few species belong to the northern seas, where the number of individuals is inordinately great, exceeding perhaps those of any other genus of fishes. — Not anadromous, spawning in the sea. The genus Clupea, which includes the shad, river alewife or herring and the Ohio golden shad or skipjack, admits of division into several subgenera, one of which includes the common sea herring and other marine species, another the shad and still another the river alewives. The last have the suborbital bone longer than deep and are supplied with teeth on the tongue and in some species in the jaws. ; 110 Clupea harengus Linnaeus Sea Herring Clupea harengus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 317, 1758; MITCHILL, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 3238, Mar. 1818; CuvIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XX, 30, pl. 591, 1847; Gunruer, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 415, 1868; Jorpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 265, 1883; GoopE, Fish & Fish, Ind. U. S. I, 549, pl. 204, 1884; Bran, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. separate, 42, pl. X XIV, fig. 32, 1890; JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 421, 1896, pl. LX'X, fig. 185, - 1900; SmiTH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 91, 1898. Clupea halec MitrcHiILu, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 451, 1815. Clupea pusilla MITCHILL, op. cit. 452, 1815. Clupea coerulea MITCHILL, op. cit. 457, 1815. . Clupea elongata DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 250, 1842; Srormr, Hist. Fish. Mass. 152, pl. X XVI, fig. 1, 1867. Body elongate, slender, fusiform, compressed, its greatest depth one fourth of total length without caudal; caudal pedun- cle slender, its least depth one third of length of head; head moderate, two ninths of total length without caudal; eye large, three and one half to four in head, and with a well developed adipose eyelid; lower jaw strongly projecting; maxilla reaching to below middle of pupil, its length three sevenths of length of head; cheeks longer than high; an ovate patch of small teeth on vomer, palatine teeth minute or wanting, small teeth on the tongue, small teeth in the jaws in young examples, usually dis- FISHES OF NEW YORK 193 appearing with age; gill rakers very long and slender, about 40 on the lower part of the first arch; dorsal origin midway. between tip of snout and end of scales, dorsal base one eighth of total length without caudal, longest dorsal ray equal to pos- torbital part of head, last dorsal ray one half tne length of longest; ventral under about middle of dorsal, its length three -eighths of head; anal base a little shorter than dorsal base, its longest ray one fifth, and its shortest ray one tenth of greatest depth of body; caudal fin well forked, its longest rays three fourths of head; pectoral fin about two thirds as long as the “head. Scales very deciduous. Abdomen with weak serratures, before and behind the ventrals, 28 scutes in front of and 13 behind the venirals. D. 18; A: 17. Scales 14-57. Vertebrae 56. Peritoneum dusky; back and head deep blue, tinged with yellow; opercles yellowish, tinged with violet; iris silvery; sides | silvery with bright reflections. Length 12 to 17 inches. North Atlantic ocean, on our east coast south to Cape Hatteras, Spawning in the sea. The sea herring is the most important food fish of the world and it is undoubtedly the most abundant of all the fishes. Its food consists of small invertebrates, chiefly copepods and the Jarvae of worms and mollusks. It forms the most important food of many of our valuable food fishes includ'ng the cod, had- dock, halibut, bluefish, and a great many others. Herring Spawn at two seasons, spring and fall, the fi st spawning con- tinuing from April to June and the second season between July and December. The eggs are adhesive and are deposited on the bottom, where they adhere to seaweeds and other objects of support. The egg is about »% inch in diameter. The hatch- ing period lasts from 12 days to 40 days, according to the tem- perature of the water. Sea herrings were artificially hatched as early as 1878, both in Germany and in the United States. It has been estimated that the annual yield of sea herring is 3,000,000,000 fish, principally taken in Norway. The herring occurs on our east coast from Labrador to New York. When found as far south as New York, it usually occurs 194 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM in midwinter. Capt. Thurber obtained it in Great South bay in the fall. The young of the sea herring is well known as the whitebait of England and the United States, though in the latter country the young of other species are sometimes mingled with those of the sea herring. Many young, translucent fish of the genus Clupea, a little under 2 inches long, are seen in spring in the shad fykes and pounds of Gravesend bay. They are called “ shad bait,” because they are said to be taken frequently from shad stomachs. John B. De Nyse brought some of them to me for examination Ap. 30,. 1896. They showed the following characters. D.18; A. 17. Muscular impressions along sides of body about 60. The ventral is very slightly in advance of the origin of the dorsal. Intestinal tract full of minute orange-colored sub-. stances resembling entomostraca. A row of black dots on sides,. low down, extending from pectoral to anal. Iris silvery; top of eye very dark. Large sea herring, according to W. I. De Nyse, are rare in. Gravesend bay. Only about 100 or 200 are obtained there dur-. ing fall and winter. Young examples, from 4# to 6 inches long, were obtained in that bay Nov. 23, 1897. In the vicinity of Woods Hole Mass., according to Dr Smith,. schools of large herring, in a spawning condition, appear about October 15 and remain till very cold weather sets in, their depar-- ture corresponding with that of the cod. By January young her-- ring + inch long are taken in surface tow nets; by May 1 they are 1 to 1} inches long, and by August 1, 24 to 3 inches. Fish 3 to 5. inches long, called “sperling,” are found from September 1 to end of season and are used for mackerel bait. About June 1 there is a large run of herring, smaller than those in the fall run. This. lasts two weeks, during which the traps are full of them. No use is made of the early run, but in fall they are caught in gill! nets for food and bait. Ms ee FISHES OF NEW YORK 195 Genus Ppomo.toswus Rafinesque Body oblong, more or less compressed; mouth moderate, terminal, the jaws about equal, or the lowér projecting, the upper scarcely notched at tip; teeth feeble, variously placed, probably never wholly absent, mandibles very deep at base, shutting within the maxillaries; gill rakers more or less long and slender, numerous; adipose eyelid present; scales thin, cycloid, deciduous, entire, rounded posteriorly; cheeks with the free part longer than deep; dorsal fin rather short, nearly median, beginning in advance of ventrals, its posterior ray not prolonged in a filament; ventral present; anal moderate; belly compressed, strongly serrated before and behind ventrals. Flesh rather dry and poor, less oily than in Clupanodon. Vertebrae 46 to 55 in number, usually 50. Species numerous, mostly anadromous. 111 Pomolobus chrysochloris Rafinesque Skipjack; Blue Herring; Gold Shad Pomolobus chrysochloris RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 39, 1820. Ohio River; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 425, 1896, pl. LXX, fig. 187, 1900. Meletta suoerit CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XX, 375, 1847. Alosa chrysochloris KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. IV, 307, pl. XV, fig. 3, 1844. Clupea chrysochloris JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat.. Mus. 266, 1883; GoopE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 594, pl. 211, 1884; Bran, Fishes Penna. 59, 1893. This species has a few strong and distinct teeth in the jaws, the lower jaw strongly projecting, the caudal peduncle stout and the belly strongly serrated. In shape the body resembles that of the sea herring; it is compressed, rather low, its depth slightly more than one fourth of the total length without caudal and about equal to the length of the head. The eye is large, nearly one fourth the length of head; the maxilla extends nearly to the hind margin of the eye; the length of the upper jaw is more than one half the length of head. The origin of the dorsal is over the ninth series of scales, and the length of its base corresponds with 10 rows of scales. The ventral origin is under 196 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM the middle of the dorsal; the fin is one half as long as the head. The pectoral reaches the 14th series of scales of the lateral line; its length is two thirds of that of the head. The anal is moderately long and low; its longest ray about twice the length of eye and one half the length of its base. The longest dorsal ray equals postorbital part of head. The caudal is deeply — forked. There are 23 gill rakers below the angle of the first arch. D. iii, 15; A. iii, 16. Scales 15-52 to 58. Scutes 20+13 to 14. The body is blue with reflections of green and gold; the lower parts silvery. The golden shad or skipjack is a common inhabitant of the Ohio and Mississippi valleys and the Gulf of Mexico. In Penn- sylvania this fish is confined to the Ohio and its tributaries. It prefers large streams. It has made its way into the Great lakes through canals. The presence of the golden shad in the salt — water of the Gulf of Mexico was discovered by Silas Stearns near Pensacola Fla. This species grows to a length of 18 inches. Unlike most other species of herring, this one, according to observations of Prof. S. A. Forbes of Illinois, is predaceous, — feeding on other fishes. Two examples examined by him had eaten gizzard shad, Dorosoma, and another one, individuals of some unidentified fish. The young of the golden shad, 24 inches long, had consumed nothing but terrestrial insects, including flies, small spiders, ete. : As far as I can learn it never ascends small streams. In the lower part of the Mississippi valley it migrates into salt water. In the upper portion of this region its permanent residence is in fresh water. The name skipjack is given in allusion to its habit of skipping along the surface of the water. The fish is full of small bones, and its flesh is reputed to be tasteless and without value as food; yet Kirtland says it is esteemed in Ohio as a good pan fish. In the water its move- ments are graceful and active, and its peculiarity of leaping above the surface when in pursuit of its prey is interesting and unusual in this family. FISHES OF NEW YORK : 197 112 Pomolobus mediocris (Mitchill) Hickory Shad; Fall Herring; Shad Herring Clupea mediocris MircHILy, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 450, 1815. New York; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 266, 1883; Mc- DONALD, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 607, pls. 216A, 216B, 1884; BEAN, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. separate, 438, pl. X XV, fig. 34, 1890. Clupea mattowaca MiTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 451, 1815. Long Island. Clupea virescens DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 252, pl. 18, fig. 37, 1842. Alosa mattowaca Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 260, pl. 40, fig. 127, 1842. Alosa lineata STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 162, pl. X XVII, fig. 2, 1867. Clupea mattowaca GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 438, 1868. Pomolobus mediocris JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 425, 1896, pl. LX XI, fig. 108, 1900; SmirH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 91, 1898; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 96, 1900. Head comparatively long, its length being contained four times in that of the body; the profile straight, and not very steep, form more elliptic than in others, and less heavy forward; lower jaw considerably projecting, upper jaw emarginate. The depth of the body is contained three and three eighths times iu the length. Opercles rather less emarginate below and behind hdmi) Py pseudoharengus. Fins low; dorsal ‘fin inserted nearer snout than base of caudal. Bluish silvery; sides with rather faint longitudinal stripes. Peritoneum pale. Length 24 inches. Cape Cod to Florida; rather common; not highly valued as a food fish; not ascending streams to spawn. D. 15; A. 21. Lateral line 50; abdominal scutes 20+16. This species is referred to by Dr Mitchill as the Staten Island herring, Clupea mediocris, which he says grows very large for a herring, being frequently 18 inches long and almost as big as a small shad. It has “ six or eight brown spots, longi- tudinally, below the lateral line, as reported by an inhabitant of that part of the bay of New York which borders on Staten Island.” Mitchill, also, has the same species under the name of Long Island herring, Clupea mattowaca. This, he says, is also called the autumnal or fall herring, as well as shad herring and fall shad. Mitchill recognized it as probably the full-grown fish of the C. mediocris. He was not able to distinguish it from that species. The length of the greenback, 198 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM according to this writer, frequently reaches’ 2 feet with a depth of from 43 to 6 inches. At the time of his writing the fish was taken in October and November in seines on the surf side of the beaches fronting Long Island. Dr DeKay mentions examples in the market early in July, which are brought from the Con- necticut river, where they are called weesick. He states that the specific name bestowed on it by Mitchill was derived from the aboriginal name of the island, Mattowaca or Mattowax. In Great South bay the name greenback is well established for the species. A single example was seined September 29 at Fire island. Oct. 1, 1890, considerable numbers of large greenbacks- were caught in a trap at Islip. The hickory shad is caught in Gravesend bay during September, October and November, but is less plentiful than it was formerly. Large hickoryshad, weighing from 4 pound to 24 pounds, were shipped from waters near New York city to Fulton market Oct. 30, 1896. Each of them had in its stomach from 15 to 20 sand lance from 34 to 5 inches long. A few specimens were seined at Blue Point cove, Great South bay, and at Howell’s point, in the same bay, Aug. 31, 1898. - At Woods Hole Mass. it comes in the spring, but is most numerous fate in September and till trap fishing ends. In Octo- ber 1895 a trap near Tarpaulin cove caught 3500 at one lift. These brought 10c each in New York. In spring and summer the fish has no market value, but it sells in the fall. The name hickory shad is applied to this species from the Chesapeake bay region southward, and in some Georgia rivers this is abbreviated to hicks. In the Potomac, and some other rivers tributary to the Chesapeake, the name tailor shad is ap- plied to this fish. The hickory shad occurs from Maine to Florida, entering rivers except in New England. The species is much less valuable than the shad, for which it is often sold by dealers. Nothing definite is known about its habits, but Marshall McDonald was of the opinion that it spawns in the rivers at a little earlier period than the shad, which it always precedes in the ascent of the streams in spring, FISHES OF NEW YORK 199 113 Pomolobus pseudoharengus (Wilson) Branch Herring ; Alewtfe Clupea pseudoharengus WILSON, Rees’s Encycl. 1X, about 1811. Clupea vernalis MITcHILL, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 22, 1814; Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 454, 1815; Jorpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 26 i- 1883; BEAN, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 588, 1884; Fishes Penna. 58, pl. 25, fig. 45, 1893; Goopr, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, pls. 207, 208, 1884. Alosa tyrannus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 258, pl. 13, fig. 38, 1842. Pomolobus vernalis GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. 24, 1879. Pomolobus pseudoharengus GILL, Rep. U. S. F. C. I, 811, 1878; Jorpan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 426, 1896, pl. LX XI, fig. 189, 1900; Smitu, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 91, 1898; Bean, 52d Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 96, 1900. Body deep and heavy forward, much compressed. Its greatest depth, at dorsal origin equals one third of total length to base ot eaudal. The least depth of caudal peduncle equals but one half of length of head. The head is short, being almost as deep as long, about one fifth of the standard length. The eye is large, deeper than long, its length slightly greater than its distance from tip of snout—about three and one half in head. Maxillary broad, extending to the vertical through pupil; upper jaw emarginate, lower jaw slightly projecting. Length of dorsal base almost equal to that of head; its highest ray about two thirds as long as the base, or equal to anal base. The anal is low, ‘its longest ray being equal to length of eye. Caudal deeply forked, partially scaled near base. Length of pectoral less than that of dorsal base. D.16; A.17to19. Scales 15-50 to 54. In the male the dorsal is higher, its longest ray about equal to length of dorsal base, or two thirds the length of head. Color on black blue silvery and paler on sides and underneath; a black spot behind head; dusky lines on body, which are only visible on large examples. : Described from no. 27197 U. S. National Museum from Poto- mac river. Length 11 inches. 3 The branch herring, river herring or alewife has a variety of additional names. It is the ellwife or ellwhop of Connecticut. river, the spring herring of New York, the big-eyed and wall--. 200°. NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM eyed herring of the Albemarle, the sawbelly of Maine, the gray- back of Massachusetts, the gaspereau of Canada, little shad of certain localities, and the Cayuga lake shad of New York. The © recorded range of the branch herring is from the Neuse river, N. C., to the Miramichi river, in New Brunswick, ascending streams to their head waters for the purpose of spawning. The fish is found abundant in Cayuga and Seneca lakes, N. Y., where it has probably made its way naturally. In Lake Ontario, since the introduction there of the shad, the alewife has become so plentiful as to cause great difficulty to fishermen, and its periodi- cal mortality is a serious menace to the health of peopte living in the vicinity. The belief is that the fish were unintentionally introduced with the shad. In Pennsylvania the branch alewife occurs in the Delaware and the Susquehanna in great numbers in early spring. The U.S. Fish Commission, in 1894, obtained specimens at the following localities of the Lake Ontario region. | Cape Vincent } June 21 Grenadier island June 27 Mouth Salem river, Selkirk July 25 Long pond, Charlotte, N. Y. 7 Aug. 17 Lake Shore, mouth Long pond | Aug. 17 Sandy creek, North Hamlin Aug. 20 Not a native of Cayuga lake but often found there in large numbers. Known to the fishermen as sawbelly. It is thought to have been introduced into the lakes of central New York by the state fish commission. Large numbers are often found dead on the shores of Seneca and Cayuga lakes. (After Meek)’ De Kay says it appears in New York waters with the shad about the first of April, but never in sufficient numbers to form a separate fishery. The branch herring, or alewife, is the first of the alewives to appear in Gravesend bay; it comes with the shad. It endures captivity well. Nov. 30, 1897, individuals above 7 inches in length were caught in Gravesend bay, which were probably the young of the year. . / \ FISHES OF NEW YORK 201 This alewife seldom exceeds 1 foot in length, the average mar- ket examples being about 10 inches. The weight of the largest is about 4 pound, and the average weight is about 5 or 6 ounces. | The fish enter the rivers earlier than the shad and return to the sea, or to estuaries adjacent to the river mouths, at some undetermined date in the fall. During the summer months enormous schools of full grown, but sexually immature alewives migrate along the coast, feeding on small crustaceans and them- selves furnishing food for bluefish, sharks, porpoises and other predaceous animals; but none of them are known to enter fresh waters. In the rivers the alewives appear to eat nothing, but they can be captured with small artificial flies of various colors. Their eggs are somewhat adhesive and number from 60,000 to 100,000 to the individual. They are deposited in shoal water; spawning begins when the river water is at 55° to 60° F. The period of hatching is not definitely known, but is believed to exceed four days. | During the spring and summer the young grow to a length of 2 or 3 inches; after their departure from the streams nothing is known of their progress, but it is believed that they reach maturity in four years. We have no means of learning the age of the immature fish seen in great schools off shore, and thus far the rate of growth is unsettled. The branch alewife, though full of small bones, is a very valuable food fish and is consumed in the fresh condition as well as dry salted, pickled and smoked. The fry can be reared in ponds by placing adults in the waters to be stocked a little before their spawning season; and they furnish excellent food for bass, rockfish, trout, salmon, and other choice fishes. The proper utilization of the immense oversupply of these fish in Lake Ontario has become a serious economic problem. Alewives are caught in Seines, gill nets, traps and pounds and they are often taken by anglers with artificial flies. 202 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 114 Pomolobus cyanonoton (Storer) Glut Herring ; Blueback Alosa cyanonoton STORER, Proc, Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. II, 242, 1848, Hist. Fish. Mass. 161, pl. X XVII, fig. 1, 1867. Pomolobus aestivalis GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. 24, 1879; JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 426, 1896, pl. LX XI, fig. 190, 1900; SMITH, Bull. U. S. F. C: XVII, 91, 1898. Clupea aestivalis JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 267, 1883; McDonaLpD, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 579, pls. 209, 210, 1884, not Clupea aestivalis MiTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 456, pl. V, fig. 6, 1815. Body moderately deep and compressed, its greatest depth two sevenths of the length without caudal; least depth of caudal peduncle two sevenths of greatest depth of body; head short, one fifth of total length without caudal, the maxilla extending to below the middle of the eye, its width about one third of its length, lower jaw somewhat projecting, upper jaw notched; eve smaller than in P. ps eudoharen gus, equal to snout and one fourth of length of head, chiefly covered by an adipose mem- brane; gill rakers about 44 below and 21 above the angle of the ~ first arch, the longest about equal to iris; lower caudal lobe the longer, about equal to length of head. Dorsal fin begins in advance of ventral origin, over the 13th row of scales; the longest ray is about three fourths as long as the base of the fin and twice as long as the last ray. Anal base two and one half times as long as the longest ray and as long as the head with- out the snout. Ventral under the 6th developed ray of dorsal, ; the fin one half as long as the head; its axillary scale about one half as long as the ventral fin. A small black spot behind the opercle on the level of the top of the eye. Narrow dark streaks on about five rows of scales above the median line. Peritoneum very dark, D. ii, 15; A. ii, 18; V.1, 83° P.i, 15... Scaliecaia aan scutes 21+14. Above bluish, sides and gill covers with coppery reflections, lower parts silvery. Irish golden. Here described from a male specimen taken in the Potomac river and now in the U. S. National Museum. Mitchill’s name, aestivalis, can not be applied with any certainty to the “ glut herring”; it appears to be a synonym of FISHES OF NEW YORK 203 mediocris and mattowaca of the same author. Its relation to mattowaca was long since pointed out by Dr Gill. The description! herewith appended appears to make this conclusion inevitable. Summer herring of New York (Clupea aestivalis). Has a row of spots to the number of seven or eight, extending in the direction of the lateral line. Tail forked. Belly serrate; and, in most respects, resembling the C. halec, herein already edescribed: “Rays: Br..65 Pi d52V. 9; D.16; A. 19; C. 19. The figure shows a row of eight dark spots on the side extend- ing as far back as the end of the dorsal fin on the level of tte eye. This resembles the hickory shad, Pomolobus medio- eris, more than anything else, and it probably was that species. The glut herring arrives later than the branch herring and does not ascend streams far above salt water. It appears to Spawn only in the larger streams or their tidal tributaries and at a temperature of 70° to 75°; while the branch herring spawns in water as low as 55° to 60° and ascends far up the streams and their small fresh-water branches. In Gravesend bay the glut herring is called shad herring. Noy. 30, 1897, two young fish of the year, measuring about 7 inches in length, were obtained from that bay. In Great South bay the species is called herring. A single example was secured there on Sep. 29, 1890. In 1898 it was not collected either in Great South bay or Mecox, in both of which the branch herring was abundant. At Provincetown the species is known as the blueback and kiouk. According to Storer, it appears there in small numbers in May, but is not abundant before June 10, and it remains on the coast for a short time only. The alewife, or branch herring, arrives on the coast of Massachusetts about the end of March, and is taken till the middle or last of May. ' Genus aLosa Cuvier Body deep, compressed, deeper than in related American genera, the head also deep, the free portion of the cheeks deeper — - -—__ —_. ’Mitehilk: Dat. and Phil. Soc. Nv Y.- Trans. 1815.. p. 456, pl. 5, fig. 6. 204 NEW YORK STATE .MUSEUM than long; jaws wholly toothless (except in young); upper jaw with a sharp, deep notch at tip, the premaxillaries meeting at a very acute angle. Vertebrae 56 (in Alosa alosa), other- wise as in Pomolobus, to which genus Alosa_ ig very closely allied. Species three, of the north Atlantic, ascending rivers; highly valued as food fishes. Though very full of small bones, the flesh is white and rich, but not oily. 115 Alosa sapidissima (Wilson) | Shad Clupea sapidissima WILSON, Rees’s New Cyclopedia, IX, about 1811, no pagination, no date; RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month, Mag. II, 205, Jan. 1818, says Wilson first distinguished and named the Shad; McDonaLp in Wish & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 594, pls. 212, 213, 1884; Bran, Fishes Penna. 60, pl. 2, 1893; CHENEY, 4th Ann. Rep. N. Y. Comm. Fish. colored plate facing p. 8, 1899. Clupea alosa MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 449, 1815. Alosa praestabilis DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 255, pl. 15, fig. 41, 1842; STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 154, pl. X XVI, fig. 2, 1867. Alosa sapidissima LINSLEY, Am, Jour. Sci. Arts, XLVII, 70, 1844; StorEr, Syn. Fish. N. A. 206, 1846; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 427, 1896, pl. LX XII, fig. 191, 1900; Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 91, 1898. The American Shad. GoopE, American Fishes, 400, fig. 1888. The shad was formerly referred to the genus Clupea, but differs from the typical sea herring in the shape of the cheek bone, which is somewhat deeper than long. The adult is tooth- less, but the young has well developed, though small, teeth in the jaws, which sometimes persist till the fish has reached a length of i5 inches. To this subgenus the name Alosa was given by Cuvier. , 3 The shad has a deep body and a large mouth, with the jaws about equal. The gill rakers are very long and slender, varying with age from 40 to 60 below the angle of the first arch. In the female the dorsal originates a little in front of the middle of the length; in the male somewhat farther in front. The dor- sal of the male is rather higher than that of the female, while the body is not so deep. In the female the greatest depth is one third of the total without caudal and the length of the head two ninths. In the male the length of the head is one FISHES OF NEW YORK 205 ' fourth of the total without caudal. The dorsal has 13 divided rays and 4 simple ones; anal 19 divided and 3 simple. Scales 16—60 to 65. Scutes 22416. The color is bluish or greenish with much silvery; a dusky blotch close behind the head, two thirds as large as the eye, and frequently from several to many, in one or two rows, behind this. The lining of the belly walls is pale. The shad is known also as the white shad, and in the colonial days it was known to the negroes on the lower Potomac river ‘as the whitefish. It is found naturally along the Atlantic coast of the United: States from the Gulf of St Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico, ascending streams at various dates from January in its extreme southern limit to June in far northern waters. In the Delaware and Susquehanna it makes its appearance in April and departs after spawning; but remains sometimes as late as July 18, and many die. The original distribution of the shad has been widely extended by artificial introduction. In certain rivers flowing into the 7 Gulf of Mexico the fish has been established by planting. In the Ohio river a fishery has been created by the same method; and in the Sacramento river, Cal., the shad was successfully introduced, and it has colonized not only this river but all suit- able rivers from San Francisco to southern Alaska. It is now one of the common market species in San Francisco and other west coast cities. ; In the Susquehanna the shad was formerly one of the most important native food fishes, but its range is now very limited on account of obstruction by dams. 20 years ago the fish commissioners reported that a few shad are taken yearly above the Clark’s Ferry dam, none or at most a few dozen above the Shamokin dam, none above the Nanticoke dam and none above Williamsport. The largest run of shad that has been known to pass the Columbia dam was that of 1867. “In 1871 the finest Columbia shad were hawked in the market at Harrisburg, 30 miles from the fisheries, at considerably less than a dollar a pair. The catch at Columbia exceeded 100,000.” 206 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM The obstructions in the Delaware have been almost entirely overcome. In 1891 shad were caught higher up the Delaware than for many years, and spawned in the upper reaches of the river beyond the New York state line. In 1891 the Delaware, for the first time since 1823, was restored to its normal condi- tion by means of the fishway at Lackawaxen; and, according to Col. Gay, it is at present the best shad river in the country. The number of eggs obtained for artificial propagationin the lower — river was unusually small, but the number naturally deposited in the upper waters was greater than for many years. Col. Gay observed a large number of big female shad at Gloucester City, but a great scarcity of males. This necessitated a long run up the river before spawning. The cause is believed to be the low temperature of the water during May,, the lack of rain cutting off the usual supply of warm surface water and the tributaries of the upper river bringing down nothing but cold spring water, keeping the temperature of the river below the normal for spawning purposes. Consequently, the shad as: cended more than 300 miles. Mr Ford noticed that every pool in the upper river was full of shad, and he saw them playing in the water by hundreds. Mr Van Gordon saw them above Port Jervis, and they were observed as far up.as Deposit N. Y. The shad reaches a length of 2 feet. It is asserted that 50 years ago shad weighing from 8 to 15 pounds were not uncom: mon in the Susquehanna. It is said that even larger individuals were taken. In California the shad reaches a larger size than it does in the east, specimens weighing from 13 to 14 pounds being often seen in the markets. The average weight of females is 4 or 5 pounds. The male is much smaller. | The young shad remain in the rivers till the approach of cold weather, when they descend to the sea, and they are usually seen no more till they return as mature fish ready for repro- duction. They are known to feed on small flies, crustaceans and insect larvae. They have been fed with fresh-water cope- pods and kept alive in this way till they had obtained a length of more than 1 inch. In the carp ponds, at Washington, Dr FISHES OF NEW YORK 207 Hessel succeeded in rearing shad on the Daphnia and Cyclops to a length of 3 or 4 inches, and one time, when they had access surreptitiously to an abundant supply of young carp, well fed individuals reached a length of 6 inches by the first of November. Shad have been kept at the central station of the U. S. Fish Commission over the winter, but at the age of one year, doubtless for lack of sufficient food, the largest was less than 4 inches long. At this age they were seen to capture smaller shad of the season of 1891, which were an inch or more in length. The commissioner of fisheries detected voung shad also in the act of eating young California salmon; and on one occasion found an undigested minnow, 2 or 3 inches long, in the stomach of a large shad; and they have been caught with minnows for bait. The principal growth of the shad takes place at sea, and, when the species enters the fresh waters for the purpose of spawning, it ceases to feed, but will some- times take the artificial fly and live minnows. The migratory habit of the shad has already been referred to. The spawning habits have been thus described by Marshall McDonald. The favorite spawning grounds are on sandy flats bordering streams and on sand bars. The fish appear to associate in pairs, usually between sundown and 11 p.m. When in the act of spawning they swim close together near the surface, their dorsal fins projecting above the water and their movements producing a sound which the fishermen call ‘“‘ washing.” The eges are expressed by the female while in rapid motion; the male following close and ejecting his milt at the same time. Such of the eggs as come in contact with the milt are impreg- nated, but the greater portion of them are carried away by the current or destroyed by spawn-eating fishes. After impregna- tion the egg sinks to the bottom, and under favorable conditions develops in from three to eight days. According to Seth Green, the embryo shad swim as soon as they break the shell, and make their way to the middle of the stream, where they are comparatively safe from predaceous fishes. A mature female shad of 4 or 5 pounds contains about 25,000 eggs on the average, but as many as 60,000 haye been obtained from a 6 pound fish, and 208 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 100,000 were obtained from a single female on the Potomac. There is great mortality among the shad after spawning. Dead fish of both sexes are frequently seen floating in the water in the late months of summer. Mitchill states that the shad visits New York annually about the end of March or beginning of April; that is, ascends toward the sources of the Hudson; that it usually weighs 4 or 5 pounds, but sometimes as much as 12 pounds. De Kay says a large variety, supposed to be an old fish, and weighing from 10 to 12 pounds, were frequently taken in the Hudson, under the name. of yellow backs. The shad, in his time, ascended the river 150 miles, to spawn, and descended in the latter part of May. The introduction of gill nets, he writes, has caused a scarcity of the fish and will drive them from the river before many years. Nets set off shore in Gravesend bay in the fall frequently inclose large quantities of young shad, sometimes a ton and a half at one time, during their migration seaward, but they are at once liberated. The fish are usually about 6 to & inches. long. | Oct. 17,1895, 60 or .70 were caugine in John B. De Nyse’s pound, among them a male 1it inches long and 22 inches deep, and a female 12 inches long and 3 inches deep. Oct. 31, 1895, a male 134 inches long and 34 inches deep, and a female 134 inches long and 3% inches deep were obtained in the same pound. Apparently the shad do not all remain at sea after their first migration till they are sexually — mature. In the Potomac river young shad 8 to 9 inches long occasionally enter in the spring with the adults in large num- bers. Mr De Nyse informs me that in the first spring run of small shad in Gravesend bay fully 90% are males. | Genus SARDINELLA Cuvier and Valenciennes Small herrings of the tropical seas, with the vertebrae in re- duced numbers, about 40 to 44, and with the scales large, usually firm and adherent, often crossed by vertical striae. Ventral scutes strong, 25 to 35 in number; adipose eyelid obsolete; lower jaw projecting, upper jaw somewhat emarginate, teeth weak; ventrals inserted behind front of dorsal; body compressed; FISHES OF NEW YORK 209 cheeks not deep; gill rakers long and numerous; otherwise essentially asin Pomolobus. The genus Sardinella,as here understood, covers a wide diversity of forms and may be divisible into several genera when the anatomy of the species is better known. (After Jordan and Evermann) 116 Sardinella species Scaled Sardime An individual about 9 inches long was obtained by W. I. De Nyse in Gravesend bay in 1895. This was the only one observed in that locality, and it is the only record known of the occur- rence of a fish of this genus north of Florida. The specimen was seen and identified asa Sardinella by the writer, but, before he had opportunity to make a detailed study, it disap- peared from the tank in which it was placed and could not be found. Genus CPISTHONEMA Gill Characters essentially those of Sardinella, except that the last ray of the dorsal is produced in a long filament as in Dorosoma, Megalops and Tarpon. Species few, American. 117 Opisthonema oglinum (Le Sueur) Thread Herring; Shad Herring; Sprat Herring Megalops oglina LE SurEurR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 359, Sept. 1818, Newport, R. I. Megalops notata LE SuEuR, op. cit. 361, Sept. 1818. Guadeloupe. Chatoessus signifer DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 264, pl. 41, fig. 132, 1842. Opisthonema oglina GOODE & BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. VIII, 206, June 8, 1885. Opisthonema oglinum JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 482, 1896; BEAN, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 336, 1897; Smiru, Bull. WS Os SOV ET, 91, 1898: Body oblong, deep, compressed, its greatest depth one third of the total length without caudal; caudal peduncle short, stout, its least depth one half the length of head; head short, deep. its length one fourth of total length without caudal; eye large, two sevenths to one third of length of head, slightly longer than snout; maxilla reaching to below front of pupil, its width more 210 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM than one half its length, the bone almost covering the mandible, which is scarcely projecting; gill rakers very long and slender; pseudobranchiae well developed; dorsal origin much nearer to tip of snout than to base of caudal, equidistant from snout and origin of anal, base of dorsal as long as the longest ray and two thirds as long as the head, filament reaching to base of caudal, much longer than the head in examples measuring from 7 to 9 inches; anal base as long as the head without the snout, its longest ray three fourths of diameter of eye; ventral origin under 8th or 9th developed ray of dorsal, the fin half as long as the head; pectoral four fifths as long as the head. Seales smooth, firm, but easily detached. Bluish above; lower parts ‘silvery; an indistinct bluish spot behind the operculum; each scale on the back having a dark spot at its base, these forming streaks as in the glut herring. Length 12 inches. D.19; A. 24. Scales 15-50; scutes 17+14. (West Indies, northward to Cape Cod in summer.) | The thread herring appears in July and August in Gravesend bay, and is sometimes so abundant as to fill the nets (fykes) of the fishermen. The great run begins toward the end of July and lasts two weeks. The fish is known there as the sprat herring. De Kay, in New York Fauna, Fishes, p. 264, pl. 41, fig. 132, de- scribes the species under the name Chatoéssus signifer. The colors, according to that author, are as follows: “ Bluish above, with a series of dark points along the sides of the back, forming four or five longitudinal lines. A round black spot behind the upper part of the branchial aperture. Pectorals, ventrals and anal white. Dorsal and caudal yellow; the mem- brane finely punctate with black, and bordered with dusky. Irides white varied with yellowish.” He further says: “It appears in our waters about the beginning of September, where it is often called the shad herring. It has also the names of thread herring and threadfish, in allusion to its last filamentous dorsal ray.” FISHES OF NEW YORK Jit In the Woods Hole region of Cape Cod it is very rare, accord- ing to Dr Smith. A number were taken in the fall of 1871. | In 1885 it-was common in Buzzards bay and Vineyard sound in July. It remained about a month, and specimens were taken in traps at almost every lift. During the next four years the fish was also noticed, but none has been seen since 1890. Genus BREVooRTIA Gill Body elliptic, compressed, deepest anteriorly, tapering be- hind; head very large; cheeks deeper than long; mouth large, the lower jaw included; no teeth; gill rakers very long and slender, densely set, appearing to fill the mouth when it is opened; gill arches angularly bent. Scales deeper than long, closely imbricated, their exposed edges vertical and fluted or pectinated. Dorsal fin low, rather posterior; anal fin small. Intestinal canal elongate. Vertebrae 48. Peritoneum dusky. Species few; inhabiting the Atlantic; spawning probably in brackish water in the spring. Coarse, herbivorous fishes, not valued as food, but the young of the greatest value as food to other fishes. (After Jordan and Evermann) 118 Erevoortia tyrannus (Latrobe) Menhaden ; Mossbunker Clupea tyrannus LATROBE, Trans. Am, Phil. Soc. Phila. V, 77, pl. 1, 1802, (Chesapeake bay) Clupea menhaden MiTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 453, pl. V, fig. 7, 1815, New York; GuNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 436, 1868. Alosa menhaden DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 259, pl. 21, fig. 60, 1842; STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 158, pl. X XVI, fig. 4, 1867. Brevoortia tyrannus GoopE, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. I, 531, 1878; Fish & Fish. Ind. U. 8. I, 569, pl. 205, 1884; JornpANn & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U.S. Nat. Mus. 269, 1883; Bean, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. separate, 44, pl. XXV, fig. 35, 1890; Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 336, 1897; 52a Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 96, 1900; JonDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U.S. Nat. Mus. 438, 1896, pl. L-XXITI, fig. 195, 1900; Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 91, 1898. The menhaden has the exposed surfaces of its scales very narrow and deep. The body is similar in shape to that of the shad, the depth being one third of the length without caudal, and somewhat greater than the length of the head. Mouth large; jaws toothless. The maxilla extends to below the hind 212 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM margin of the eye.. The eye is about as long as the snout, one fifth of length of head. The fins are small, the pectoral not much more than half the length of the head and twice as long as the ventral. The dorsal base is equal in length to the pec- toral; longest dorsal ray more than twice as long as the last ray and about two fifths of length of head. The anal rays are shorter than those of the dorsal; length of anal base little more than one half the length of head. The origin of the dorsal is about midway between tip of snout and end of middle caudal rays. The sides and fins are silvery, yellowish, the upper parts bluish. Behind the head there is a large dark spot, larger than the pupil, and behind it numerous smaller dark spots. The menhaden has received more than 30 common names, among which the one here employed is the best known and most suitable. In New Jersey it is frequently called bunker or moss- bunker, and in some other localities it is the bony fish. It is also called bugfish, because of a crustacean parasite which is found in the mouth. Be The menhaden reaches a length of 15 inches or more; its aver- — age size is about 1 foot. It is found along our east coast from Maine to Florida, swimming in immense schools and fluctuating greatly in abundance. In certain localities its movements are affected chiefly by temperature. The use of the menhaden as a source of oil and a material for fertilizers is so well known as scarcely to need mention here. As an edible fish it is not generally esteemed; in most localities it is seldom eaten, though in some places it is considered a good food fish. Since the mackerel is becoming scarce, menhaden are often salted in barrels as a substitute for that fish. The menhaden appears in Dr Mitchill’s Fishes of New York as the bony fish, hardhead or marshbanker. The aboriginal name menhaden, and the one most suitable for the species, is men- tioned by this writer. Dr De Kay, in his New York Fauna, intro- duced the name mossbunker as well as the Indian names pan- hagen and menhaden. He notes also the names skippang and bunker as in use at the east end of Long Island. For a survey FISHES OF NEW YORK JAS of the 30 or more additional appellations of this well known fish, the reader is referred to the complete history of the Ameri- can menhaden by Dr G. Brown Goode. ‘The menhaden comes into Gravesend bay in May and through the summer. Occasional individuals are seen there in the fall as late as November. The fish can be kept alive in the winter in captivity, provided the water temperature does not fall below 50° F. It makes its appearance on the shores of Long Island about the beginning of June, sometimes in May, and remains till the cold season sets in. A few specimens were taken September 22 in Blue Point cove in 1884, and Oct. 1, 1890, many thousands were caught in a trap at Islip; these were large and very fat fish. The use of the menhaden as a bait fish is too well known to need special mention. In “chumming” for bluefish near Fire island inlet this is the favorite bait. In 1898 the young were obtained at Duncan’s creek, Howell’s point and Nichols’s point August 29. Adults were sent from Islip by W. F. Clark August 18. In the vicinity of Woods Hole Mass., according to Dr Smith, menhaden arrive in schools about May 20, but scattered fish are taken in March with alewives; they remain till December 1, some- times till December 20,but are most abundant in June. When the schools first arrive, the reproductive organs of many of the fish are in an advanced stage of development, but after July 1 none with large ovaries are found. Late in fall the fish again have well developed roes. The smallest fish are about an inch long; these are found in little schools about the shores and wharves as early as July 15. The young are abundant throughout sum- mer and fall. The average length of adults is 18 or 14 inches; one fish 18 inches long was caught at Woods Hole in 1876. Family ENGRAULIDIDAE Anchovies Genus sTOLEPHORUS Lacépéde Body oblong, compressed, covered with rather large, thin, deciduous scales; belly rounded, or weakly compressed; snout conical, compressed, projecting beyond the very large mouth; 214 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM maxillary narrow, little movable, usually formed of three pieces, extending backward far behind the eye, to the base of the mandible, or beyond, not beyond gill opening; premaxillaries very small; teeth small, subequal, present at all ages, usually on the jaws, vomer, palatines, and pterygoids. Anal fin moder- ate, free from caudal (its rays 12 to 40); no pectoral filaments;. dorsal inserted about midway of body, posterior to ventrals;. pectorals and ventrals each with a large axillary scale. Adi- pose eyelid obsolete. Vertebrae about 40 (40 to 42) in species. examined. Flesh rather pale and dry, more or less translucent, the bones firm. Pseudobranchiae present; branchiostegals nine to 14; gill rakers long and slender; gill membranes separate, free from the narrow isthmus. | 119 Stolephorus brownii (Gmelin) Striped Anchovy Atherina brownii GMELIN, Syst. Nat. I, 1897, 1788. Clupea vittata MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 456, 1815; Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes; 254, 1842. Engraulis vittata BARD, 9th Ann. Rep. Smith. Inst. 347, 1855. Engraulis brownii GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 389, 1868. Stolephorus browni JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 273, 18833; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 149, 1888; 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 279, 1890. Stolephorus brownii JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 448,,. 1896; SmirH, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 92, 1898; Bran, 52d Ann. Rep’t N. Y. State Mus. 97, 1900. Body moderately elongate, compressed, but thicker than im S. mitchilli, its greatest depth two ninths of the total length without caudal, and equal to length of head without the snout, the thickness one half length of head; head moderate, its: length rather more than one fourth of total without caudal, the snout short and obtusely pointed, one fifth of length of head, two thirds of length of eye; eye equal to width of interorbital space, about two sevenths as long as the head. The maxilla reaches as far back as the mandible, but not to hind edge of opercle. The mandible is partly covered by the maxilla, its tip in advance of the front of eye and overhung by the snout. Teeth moderately strong, those on the posterior part of the maxilla FISHES OF NEW YORK 215 raking forward. Gill rakers rather long and slender, numer- ous, the longest on first arch three fourths as long as the eye. Origin of dorsal fin midway between base of caudal and front of eye, its length of base four sevenths of length of head, its longest ray one half as long as the head, a sheath of scales at base; anal with a strong sheath of scales, its base as long as the head without the snout; ventrals small, originating in advance of dorsal origin, the length equal to eye; axillary scale of pec- toral one half as long as the head. Width of silvery band one fourth the length of head. D.14 to 15; A. 20. Scales 40 to 42. Upper parts light brown; sides silvery; a broad, bright silvery lateral stripe. Length sometimes above 6 inches. Here de- scribed from an example taken at Lifesaving station no. 22, Long Island, and now in the U. S. National Museum. The species occurs from Cape Cod southward to Brazil and the West Indies. This is the satin striped herring of Mitchill’s Fishes of New York, p. 456. By some of the fishermen in Great South bay it is supposed to be the whitebait and is so called. The anchovy was extremely abundant in the bay in September 1884. I found it at the mouth of Swan creek, in Blue Point cove, near the Life- Saving station, at Oak island and at Fire island. Specimens ‘were seen as late as October 7. This anchovy forms a very important part of the food of the young weakfish and bluefish in Great South bay. It is present in very large numbers and could be utilized as a food species. The largest examples of this fish which we have seen were taken in Great Egg Harbor bay in August; individuals measuring 54 inches in length were taken in the surf by hundreds, and weak- fish were feeding on them ravenously. In two hauls of a 20 fathom seine we took here 54 weakfish. This species was not common in Great South bay during the “summer of 1898. It was found at Blue Point cove August 18, and young were obtained at Nichols’s point September 1. Dr Smith records it as usually abundant at Woods Hole, occa- sionally rather uncommon. Found from August to late in fall. More numerous than any other anchovy. 216 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 120 Stolephorus argyrophanus (Cuy. & Val.) Silvery Anchovy Engraulis argyrophanus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. X XI, 49, 1848. Stolephorus perfasciatus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U.S. Nat. Mus. 273, 1883, not Hngraulis perfasciatus Poey, Mem. Cuba, II, 312, 1858. Stolephorus eurystole Swain & MEEK, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 34, 1884; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 150, pl. III, fig. 19, 1888. Stolephorus argyrophanus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 444, 1896; BEAN, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 337, 1897; Surry, Bull. U.S. F. C. XVII, 92, 1898. Body elongate, much more slender than in S. brownii,. and not so much compressed; head not so deep as in S. brownii, more pointed, the. snout rather sharp; eye rather small, four and one half in head, not larger than snout; maxil-. lary teeth well developed, mandibulary teeth very slender; gill rakers very long, as long as the eye; maxillary shorter than in S. browni, not reaching quite to the base of the mandible;. belly shightly compressed, not serrated. Scales very deciduous... Ventrals short, very slightly in front of dorsal; caudal peduncle: long and slender; dorsal inserted scarcely nearer caudal than snout. Silvery stripe broad, half wider than the eye, bordered above by a dusky streak. Head three and four fifths; depth 6. D. 12; A. 20. Length 4 inches. West Indies; occasional northward. A specimen in our collection from Woods Hole Mass. (After Jordan and Gilbert) The types of this species were obtained by Kuhl and Van: Hasselt in the equatorial Atlantic. Cuvier and Valenciennes, in their original description! of the fish, contrast it with S. browni and others, from which it is distinguished by its form: and by other characters. It has the body longer and slenderer; the cleft of the mouth more oblique; the pectoral and anal much shorter; the teeth excessively small. B.11; D.15; A.17. The color is blue, more pronounced on the back than on the belly.. A silvery band run- ning along the sides. Cwwer and Valenciennes Young individuals were seined at Ocean City N. J. Aug. 1, 1887; again at Longport N. J. numerous young were taken Aug- ——— 1Hist. Nat.. Poiss. 1848. 21:49. FISHES OF NEW YORK paw 29, 1887; no adults were seen. A figure of the young is pub- lished by Dr Bean in bulletin for 1889 of the U. S. Fish Commis- sion, vol. 7, pl. 3, fig. 19. The example figured was nearly 13 inches long. It has the following characters: The hight of the body is one sixth of the total length without caudal; least hight of caudal peduncle one third of length of head. Head rather large, two sevenths of total length without caudal, with ob- tusely pointed snout which is about equal to the eye and one fourth as long as the head. The maxilla does not reach to the hind edge of the preopercle. Dorsal origin nearer to caudal base than to tip of snout; the base of the fin ‘as long as the long- est ray and one half as long as the head. Pectoral short, three sevenths as long as the head; ventrals in advance of dorsal, under the 16th row of scales, the length two fifths of length of head; anal origin under the end of the dorsal, anal base about two thirds as long as the head and one fifth of total length with- out caudal; longest anal ray one half as long as the head; cau- dal fin large and deeply forked. D.u,10; A.i1,18. Scales 8-38. Many individuals were collected at Fire island near the end -Of September. None were seen in other parts of the bay. The species is known there as whitebait, like the other anchovies. In Gravesend bay the species is not common, but it occurs more frequently in bays communicating directly with the Atlantic. 121 Stolephorus perfasciatus (Poey) Banded Anchovy . Engraulis “perfasciatus PorEy, Mem. Cuba, II, 312, 1858; GunTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 391, 1868. Stolephorus perfasciatus SwAIn & MEER, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila, 34, 1884; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 441, 1896. Body elongate and not much compressed, its greatest hight about one sixth of total length without caudal and two thirds of length of head, its greatest thickness more than one third of length of head; least hight of caudal peduncle equal to thick- ness of body behind the head; head long, with pointed snout, one fourth of total without caudal, snout equal to eye and two ninths of length of head. The maxilla extends backward to 218 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM front edge of preopercle and not to joint of mandible. Inter- orbital space equal to eye; gill rakers numerous, about as. long as the eye; teeth minute and weak, nearly uniform in size. Dor- sal origin about midway between tip of snout and base of caudal, dorsal base short, scarcely more than one half as long. as head, and about equal to longest dorsal ray; ventrals little in advance of dorsal origin, very short, only two fifths of length of head; pectoral moderate, equal to postorbital part of head. Axillary scale very slender, less than one half as long as the head. Width of silvery band about equal to length of eye. D. ii, 12; A. i, 15 to 16. Scales 44 to 45. Here described from Specimens obtained at Noank Ct. and in Gravesend bay, L. I., the largest about 3 inches long. Upper parts light brown, sides silvery; dark punctulations on base of caudal and sometimes on anal; belly even in alcoholic specimens with iridescent colors. The example obtained in Gravesend bay was collected by W. I. De Nyse. It has D. 12; A. 15 or 16; scales 45. The close resemblance of this species toS.argyrophanus Cuv. & Val. makes a farther comparison of the two necessary. Perhaps, as long ago suggested by Dr Gtinther,! the two are identical. S.argyrophanus was collected in the equator- ial Atlantic, and Poey’s species, perfasciatus, is from Cuba and Porto Rico. There seems to be little to distinguish them except the slightly greater number of anal rays in S. argyrophanus, and these have been counted differently by different students; the authors, for example, discovered 17, while Dr Jordan found 19 in the same type. 122 Stolephorus mitchilli (Cuv. & Val.) Anchovy ; Whitebait Engraulis mitchili CuvieR & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XXI, 50, 1848. New York; Carolina; New Orleans. Stolephorus mitchili JorpDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 248, 1883; JorDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 38, 1885 (name only); BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 149, 1888; 52d Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 97, 1900; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 446, 1896; Smuru, Bull. U. S. F. C. XVII, 92, 1898. 41Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. 1868. 7:391. FISHES OF NEW YORK 219 Fngraulis vittatus STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. pl. X XVII, fig. 3, not descrip- tion on page 163. Body compressed; short and deep, its greatest depth one fourth of the total length without caudal, caudal peduncle short and deep, its least depth one half the length of head. ‘Thickness of body equals three sevenths of length of head. Head rather short, its length two ninths of total without caudal. Snout shorter than eye, which is two sevenths as long as the head. The maxilla extends slightly beyond the hind end of mandible, and nearly to the edge of operculum. Interorbital distance not quite equal to eye. Gill rakers nearly as long as the eye. Origin of dorsal fin much nearer to base of caudal than to tip of snout. Length of dorsal base equals two thirds of length of head; longest dorsal ray one half as long as head. Anal origin under the middle of dorsal; length of anal base equals two sevenths of total length without caudal; longest anal ray about two thirds as long as the head. Ventral short, in advance of dorsal, its length one third of length of head. Pectoral one eighth of total length without caudal. Width of silvery band about two thirds of eye. Dorsal and anal scaly Sheaths very strong. D.ii, 10; A. 28; V.i,6. Scales 37. Length of specimens examined, 4 inches. Taken at Fire island. | Cape Cod to Texas, on sandy shores; the most abundant of the New York species. It enters Gravesend bay in May and re- ‘mains till October. Locally known as anchovy and whitebait. An excellent food fish and very important as the food of larger fishes. : It is very generally distributed in bays along the south shore of Long Island, having been found abundant in Scallop pond, Peconic bay, in Mecox bay, and almost everywhere in Great South bay from July to September 1898. A specimen taken at Fire island had a lernaean parasite attached to it. At Woods Hole Mass. Dr Smith reports it abundant, associated with 8S. WTO WW. ; Family SALMONIDAE Salmons The whitefishes of New York belong to seven species, repre- senting the four divisions of the genus Coregonus. Intwo 220 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM of the species the lower jaw is included within the upper, the mouth is small, and the intermaxillary bone broad and more or less vertical in position. These two may be readily distin- guished by the structure of the gill rakers, and the size of the mouth. The remaining five whitefishes have the lower jaw as long as, or longer than, the upper, the mouth large, and the intermaxillary narrow and not vertical in position. They are easily separated from one another by the shape of the body, and the size and contour of the scales. The relations of the groups are shown in the following key. 1 Lower jaw shorter than upper. 1a Mouth very small, upper jaw not reaching to eye; gill rakers: short and stout, 13 to 16 below angle of first arch (Proso- pium) QUADRILATERALIS 1b Mouth moderate, upper jaw reaching beyond front of eye; gill rakers long. and slender, 20 or more below angle of first arch (Coregonus) CLUPEIFORMIS 2 Lower jaw equal to or longer than upper. 2a Body slender, elongate; scales small, and convex on their free. margin; lower jaw longer than upper (Argyrosomus) OSMERIFORMIS ARTE DI, Hower PROGNATHUS 26 Body deep, short; scales large, deep, the free margin scarcely convex; jaws equal (Alloso mus) TULLIBEE Genus corEGonus (Artedi) Linnaeus Body oblong or elongate, compressed; head more or less coni- cal, compressed, the snout more or less projecting beyond the lower jaw; mouth small, the maxillary short, not extending beyond the orbit, with a well developed supplemental bone; teeth extremely minute, if present; scales moderate, thin, cycloid, rather firm. Dorsal fin moderate; caudal fin deeply forked; anal fin somewhat elongate; ventrals well developed. Pseudobranchiae large; gill rakers varying from short and thickish to long and slender; air bladder very large; vertebrae 56 to 60; stomach horseshoe-shaped, with many (about 100) pyloric caeca; ova small. Species about 15, inhabiting the clear lakes of northern Europe, Asia, and America, in arctic regions descending to the sea. Most of them spawn in late fall or FISHES OF NEW YORK Zou winter near the shore, at other seasons often frequenting con- siderable depths. 123 Coregonus quadrilateralis Richardson Round Whitefish; Frostfish Coregonus quadrilateralis RicHAaRDsoN, Franklin’s Journ. 714, 1823. Fort Enterprise, British America; Agassiz, Lake Superior, 351, 1850; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 176, 1866; JorpaNn & GILBERT,. Bull,.16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 298, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 66, pl. 26, fig. 47, 1893; Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 337, 1897; JoRDAN & EVER- MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 465, 1896. Salmo (Coregonus) quadrilateralis RICHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer, III, 204,. pl. 89, fig. 1, 1836. Great Bear Lake. Coregonus novae angliae PREScoTT, Amer. Jour. Sci. Arts, XI, 342, 1851. Lake Winipiseogee, N. H. Coregonus novae angliae GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 186, 1866. This is a small species and very readily distinguished from all other American species except Williamson’s whitefish by its. diminutive mouth. The body is slender, elongate, subterete, its. greatest depth slightly exceeding one fifth of total length to base of caudal. The head is long, its length one fifth of total without caudal, and the snout is thin and obtuse at tip. The broad maxilla does not reach to below the front of the eve) its. length less than one fifth of length of head. D. 11; A. 10. Scales in lateral line, 80 to 90. Upper parts dark bluish; sides silvery. This species is called frostfish in the Adirondacks; other names are Menominee whitefish, roundfish, shad-waiter, pilot- fish and chivey, the last term applied to the fish in Maine. The roundfish is found in lakes of New England, sometimes. running into streams, the Adirondack region of New York, the Great lakes and northward into British America and Alaska. Its distribution has been extended by transplanting on account of its great value as food for the Jake trout and other large fish ‘of the salmon family. It seldom exceeds a length of 12 inches. and a weight of 1 pound. Like some other species of whitefish, it spawns in shallow parts of lakes or ascends their small tribu- tary streams for that purpose. The food consists of small! 222 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM shells and crustaceans. The species frequents deep waters, where it falls an easy prey to the voracious lake trout. The roundfish is excellent for the table. Its capture with hook and line is difficult because of its very small mouth and its habit of retiring into deep water. In the Great lakes it does not constitute an important element of the fishery, but in northern regions it is one of the most useful and highly prized of the food fishes. This small whitefish is one of the characteristic species of the Adirondack lakes. James Annin jr sent specimens for identifi- cation from Hoel pond and Big Clear lake, in Franklin county, N. Y., and from the third lake of the Fulton Chain. He states that the fish spawns in the little inlets or on the sand beaches. It never appears till about the time the water begins to chill and freeze about the edges. On the Fulton Chain of lakes the spawning season of 1895 was practically closed about Novem- ber 20. The frostfish, according to Mr Annin, is “a delicious morsel.” The following notes were made on fresh examples received from the third lake of the Fulton Chain Nov. 26, 1895. A male 112 inches long to end of caudal fin had the middle caudal rays, from end of scales, ? inches long; upper caudal lobe, measured. giana 1Z inches; head, 14% inches; maxilla, % inch; eye, % inch; gill rakers, 5+10; the longest + as long as Bie eae: vane 8-84-8. A female 11% inches to tip of caudal has upper caudal lobe 2 inches, measured horizontally; middle caudal rays from end of scales, -°s inch; depth of body, 24 inches; head, 1% inches; maxilla and eye, each 2 inch; gill rakers, 5 + 10, the longest } as long as the eye; scales, 8—79-8. Three males received Dec. 11, 1895, showed the follosrite colors. In the male, 132 inches long, from Hoel pond, the back and sides were dark steel gray; the belly white; pectoral, ventral and anal orange; dorsal and caudal chiefly yellow. A male 12 inches long, from Big Clear lake, had the back and sides silvery gray, darker between the lines of scales; the lower fins orange; the dorsal and caudal with traces of yellow. A male 114 inches FISHES OF NEW YORK Diy long, from Big Clear lake, showed the same colors as the last. The following measurements in inches and notes were taken. Big Clear Big Clear Hoel pond lake lake }5 6) a) Hemel oe). 2s eS rete ee ble ts 13% £2 11% Caudal lobe, horizontally............ 2is 1% 1% MAME (CAUd Al TAY Ss. crc ciee sate ee se 34 5B is WEPehior “DOC ys. LF i Se eee oe ts 2% 238 2is Least depth of caudal peduncle..... 1B 34. 1s ENC cata ES eo uc Siete ae EE 2 1% 154 RIEL UD sore cose) iis! eos e eso tee eeles omnes ae as iy, “i ate ee BOWS ee eee Sia ais 5 buen Nee oe 16 16 38 EDU Oe eae me Rees ge ie i macirae te: pre is 3% 3B In all, the gill rakers are minute, and number: 5+10, 5410 and5+9. The scales are: 10—-86-9, 10—76-9, and 9-86-8. An example sent by the New York Commission of Fisheries, Game and Forest, from Saranac Lake, Nov. 23, 1897, showed the following characters. MEASUREMENTS = Inches ahaa UY PT LD Lice. ca 5 faln no, oes, Sich shat) sin vei pep aiepa seus! te AS EMCO“ OM Gi SCVESe 5 6 Eas an acere okdle wu suuaerenh e tavene 11% Length of middle caudal rays (from end of scales)...... tk Length of upper caudal lobe (obliquely)................ Ze Depth of pouy-at.dorsal. os 5.0osi.06 dens eed Wee wees ese 23% Least depit of caudal pegunele.s s.55 50% ae shes a eae ches té8 ASTUTE. Oi AUC er ae ec PALS Sc WORDS Gps Baws el even cha aeee Siew om Brae 216 DVIAINELCT Oh! CN Clee aoe cas ts «lara le cies Oko: oaane Ss PITS ale Sa oe coe 16 Length of maxilla (does not reach orbit)............... 16 AGN Es Ole TATE CLIC oo scien tites aay gare cdatial ate peta race Mister wey Sabena tens 34 Distance from snout to-dorSal origin... b.cel ee 516 menoph: of dorsal; Pase ri. 6.2 2).72 es ears Sele oes aoe ee oes lis Revcih, of, JONeeSt. GOTSAl TAVcis eos wits coo ere swiss = 2 Pere oe 1% iseneth- of last dorsal: ray os 40. © yen cuae Ss PRG Sree ki 18 Distance from snout to ventral origin. ............6.... 5% Hee LY Ol VEMirall os so Kote ere ees era a ek: elas ete Ii ene thio ventral: append Ages are ei ateia cis bases 3 hcrsa a rans.c eles % Distance from snout to anal origin...... PA AD he AanaN a Mae 834 PeeaOsOL wah WAGES 2155 Sewer aide Ss et ovess does jase igeta . 8 17s iremethot lonsest anal ray cis ee ees seo Sct ease arenes 16 Length of last analray............ Se IN RO eR NE RN Vy heidi, Ob PECuOrAl.’ «is tc aay Sue. CR Aes Oke oe es 2 Distance trom: snout. to adiposevsn 2. has Oe ONG Length of base of adipose Epis 22S ON? Stee SoG ae ts Nea Ot AMT OSE Tilt: eae eee are eos Ca enone ese os 3% PCIE OR AUIVOSE) MIN see an es awe ee emi sles oe 3% Deewana IONP ES Lion EAIGeV ee cars © 5, ico oa sacs aie. ofekei ace % 224 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM D. 11; A. 11; V. i, 10; P. i, 14. Scales, 10-84-8. Gill rakers, 6 + 10, the longest 4 inch. Purplish gray; lower parts whitish; pectorals, ventrals and anal vermilion; eye pale golden; head, specially behind the eyes, with iridescent gold and purple tints; caudal, chiefly vermilion in life. The fish is a male with ripe milt. There are numerous small tubercles on the scales of the sides above and below the lateral line. 124 Coregonus clupeiformis (Mitchill)’ Common Whitefish; Labrador Whitefish; Shadwaiter Salmo clupeiformis MitTcuitLt, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 321, March, 1818. Lake Huron; Cayuga Lake. Coregonus albus LE SuEuR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 232, May, 1818. Lake Erie; THompson, Nat. Hist. Vermont, I, 1438, figure, 1842; Krrt- LAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. III, 477, pl. XXVIII, fig. 3, 1841; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 247, pl. 76, fig. 240, 1842; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 184, 1866. | Salmo (Coregonus) labradoricus RicHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. III, 206, 1836. Coregonus sapidissimus AGASSIZ, Lake Superior, 344, 1850. Coregonus latior AGASSIZ, op. cit. 348, 1850. Coregonus clupeiformis JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 299, 1883; GoopE, Amer. Fishes, 489, figure, 1888; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 67, color pl. 3, 18938; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 465, 1896, pl. LXXVI, fig. 202, 1900; CHENEY, Third Ann. Rept. N. Y. Comm, Fish. color pl. facing p. 190, 1898. Coregonus labradoricus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 176, 1866, and of authors generally. The common whitefish of the Great lakes is so well known that it scarcely needs an elaborate description. The body is stout and deep, its depth at the nape greatly increased in adults. The greatest depth is two sevenths of the total length to caudal base. Caudal peduncle short, its depth one half the length of head, which is about one fifth of total without caudal. The snout is sharp, conical, two sevenths as long as the head and about twice as long as the eye. The maxilla reaches to below front of eye. The dorsal origin is above the 23d scale of the lateral line, and the ventral begins under the middle of the dorsal. The longest dorsal ray equals length of head without snout, adipose fin stout and low. The dorsal and anal bases FISHES OF NEW YORK 225 are equal to each other and two thirds of length of head. D. 10 divided rays; A. 11 divided rays; V. 11; P. 15. Scales in lateral line 74 to 80. The upper parts are grayish or light olive in color; the sides white and lustrous in life. Names. The name whitefish is thoroughly identified with this species and is seldom varied except by means of the prefix “common ” or “lake.” A well marked variety in Otsego lake, N. Y., has long been known as the Otsego bass. Distribution. The common whitefish occurs in the Great lakes and northward into British America; its northern limit is not definitely known. In Alaska, where the species was formerly supposed to exist, it is replaced by a similar, but well marked form, the Coregonus richardsoni of Gtnther. The variety known as Otsego bass is found in Otsego lake. If we may judge from the yield of the fisheries, Lake Michigan has more whitefish than any of the other lakes; Superior ranks sec- ond; Erie third; Huron fourth; and Ontario is sadly in the rear. Size. The largest individual on record was taken at White- fish Point, Lake Superior; it weighed 23 pounds. A 17 pound specimen was caught at Vermilion, in Lake Erie in 1876. The Size varies greatly with locality, ranging in general all the way from 1? pounds to 14 pounds. In Lake Erie in 1885 the average weight was between 2 and 3 pounds. The length of adults will average 20 inches. Habits. There is a movement of the whitefish in many lakes from the deep water early in the summer into the shoal water near the shore. In the midsummer, however, the usual retreat of this species is the deep and cold parts of the lakes which they inhabit. Again, as the spawning season approaches in October, the whitefish come toward the shore to deposit their eggs. It is said that they do not spawn till the water has reached a tem- perature of about 40°. After spawning they again retire to ~ deep water, where they remain during the winter. Mr Milner observed that the shoreward migration varies with locality, and is influenced also by depth of water and temperature. In Lake Erie, for example, which has a high summer temperature, there 226 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM is no shoreward migration in summer. It is to be noted also: that the whitefish moves along the shore, and in some cases it ascends rivers for the purpose of spawning. It is believed also that when the feeding grounds of the whitefish are polluted by mud, the fish temporarily seek other localities. There appears. to be a spring and summer migration likewise from lake to lake. Spawning takes place during October, November and December, on shoals or occasionally in rivers. The female is larger than the male. According to the observations of George Clark, the two sexes, in the act of spawning, frequently throw themselves: together above the surface, emitting the spawn or milt with the vents close together. Spawning operations are most active » in the evening, are continued at night, and the eggs are_de- posited in lots of several hundred at a time. The number of eggs in a fish of 74 pounds was 66,606; the average number being nearly 10,000 for each pound of the female’s weight. The period of incubation depends on the temperature. The usual time of distribution of the young is in March and April. The very young are described aS swimming near the surface and not in schools. They are very active and soon seek deep water to escape from their enemies. Their food consists chiefly of small crustaceans. The adults subsist on the same food with the addition of small mollusks. Growth. The only means of determining the rate of growth of the whitefish is by artificial rearing. Samuel Wilmot had young fish which were 5 inches long at the age of four months. The growth under natural conditions must be even greater than this. Mr Wilmot, himself, has seen whitefish measuring 7 inches in December in his ponds. Enemies and diseases.’ The eggs of the whitefish are destroyed in immense numbers by the lake herring, Coregonus artedi. The water lizard, Menobranchus, also con- sumes vast numbers of the eggs. The young whitefish are eaten ~ extensively by the pike perch, black bass, pike, pickerel and fresh- water ling. The lake trout also feed on the whitefish. A leach parasitic on the whitefish proves very troublesome to that spe- FISHES OF NEW YORK Ck cies, and the scales are liable to a peculiar roughness which has been observed late in November or during the spawning season. There is also a lernean which fastens itself to the gills and other parts of the whitefish. Uses and capture. The excellence of the flesh of the whitefish is so well known as scarcely to require mention. Its commer- cial value is great. In Lake Erie in 1885, according to statistics collected by the U.S. Fish Commission, 3,500,000 pounds of white- fish were caught, more than 2,000,000 of this amount by fisher- men from Erie alone. In this year Erie county had 310 persons employed in the fisheries. The capital invested in the business was nearly $250,000. The wholesale value of the fish products was upward of $400,000. The whitefish was the third species in relative importance, blue pike ranking first and the lake herring second. In Erie county whitefish are caught chiefly in July, August and November, and the bulk of them are taken in gill nets. Pound nets are also employed in the capture of whitefish. Artificial propagation. Carl Miiller of New York and Henry Brown of New Haven are credited with the first attempt to pro- pagate the whitefish artificially. Their experiments were made in Lake Saltonstall, near the city of New Haven. ‘The result of the experiments, which were repeated in 1858, is not known. In 1868 Seth Green and Samuel Wilmot began a series of ex- periments in the same direction, and in 1869 N. W. Clark, of Clarkson Mich. took up the same work. In 1870 a half million eggs were placed in hatching boxes by Mr Clark. In 1872, through the aid of the U. 8S. Fish Commission, Mr. Clark’s hatch- ing house was doubled in capacity, and a million eggs were taken from Lake Michigan. Since that time both the national and state governments have made the whitefish the object of their most extensive operations. Dr Meek saw no specimens of whitefish from Cayuga lake, but _he thinks it is an inhabitant. The U. S. Fish Commission ob- tained a specimen at Cape Vincent N. Y. Nov. 17, 1891. A young individual was received from Wilson, Niagara co. N. Y.; caught in a gill net in Lake Ontario and sent by James Annin jr. 228 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM A male and a female were received through James Annin jr from Upper Saranac lake Noy. 16, 1895. Both fish were nearly spent. They were believed to be the common whitefish. A male from Chazy lake arrived through the same source Nov. 22, | 1895. It was doubtfully called “ blackfin whitefish.” At that time the fish had left the spawning beds and were in deep water. June 17, 1896, a female 192 inches long was shipped by Mr Annin from Canandaigua lake. Its stomach is pear-shaped with walls more than + inch thick; it contained numerous small shells of several genera, not yet identified. | The species is reported by fishermen to be very abundant in that lake, and to be destructive of eggs of other fish. They say it comes in great numbers into shallow water near the shore in early summer when the water is roily; and can be caught on set lines. Mr Annin saw men baiting their set lines with small minnows on Canandaigua lake, and, when the lines were taken up in the morning, the whitefish was found on the hooks. It is said that one so taken weighed 6 pounds. Sup’t O. H. Daniels, of the New Hampshire fish commission, forwarded a specimen from Lake Winnesquam, at Laconia, 19¢ inches long, weighing 46 ounces, and he wrote that individuals weighing 74 pounds had recently been taken. The species was called “ blue- fin’? and whitefish. The fish-eating habit of the whitefish was fully verified in the aquarium on examples obtained in Canandaigua lake in November | 1896, by Mr Annin. Knowing that the species usually subsists on small mollusks and crustaceans, efforts were made to provide the fish with Physa and Gammarus; but this became difficult in winter, and an experiment was made with small killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus and majalis), which proved satisfactory during the cold months. In summer, however, it was found necessary to return to the use of Gam- marus. The whitefish at first took the killifish without any eagerness, but they soon learned to chase their prey and take it much as trout do. | A female received from Canandaigua lake June 17, 1896, in a fresh state, showed the following colors: membrane of pectoral : ; 4 * FISHES OF NEW YORK 229 fins dusky; that of the pectorals tinged with lemon yellow; ven- trals dusky at the tip; anal pale; caudal pale except a narrow dusky portion of the middle rays; eyes pearly with golden iri- descence. - The maxilla reaches about to front of eye. The adipose dorsal extends straight backward, and its base is cov- ered with a sheath of small scales #4; of an inch wide. The gill rakers are 9+17, the longest 2 of aninch. Very small teeth are present on the tongue. The egos are minute. In a male example, 174+ inches long, received Noy. 16, 1895, from Upper Saranac lake and nearly spent, no tubercles could be seen on the scales; but several of the males from Canan- daigua lake had them well developed. There is a great differ- ence in the development of the lingual teeth, some of our indi- viduals showing only a trace of them, and it seems as if there mmay be some relation between their condition and the sexual maturity of the fish. For example, in a male 14 inches long, sent from the fourth lake of the Fulton Chain Nov. 9, 1897, the lingual teeth were present in a large patch; in three males, only a little smaller but sexually immature, from Saranac lake Nov. 11, 1897, the teeth on the tongue could be perceived by the touch only. The following measurements, in inches, and addi- tional notes, were made from the fresh fish. MEASUREMENTS Canandai- Upper Chazy gua lake, Saranac, lake, June 17, Nov. 16, Nov. 22, 1896 1895 1895 g 6) 35 Bensihineludine’ Catdals sy 0 ewe 6 eek 195% 17% 154% Length of middle caudal rays (from end Sinite SPIN ES FSS ee re a a alt is %;% Length of upper caudal lobe (horizon- HELV STO Scat she ik PRA Re Np a emg sec 3 3% Length of longest caudal ray........... 34 Dae Dept, orabody at, dorsal : ) os. saree 4% 3% pee: Least depth of caudal peduncle......... 1% BRIN 1% ju SUTTEs A TRaG) Biel 1/22 V3 eg RRS, LA toe C= a 3% 23% 2% UDA PSE Es EK). 0 Peace vin wth ad a okeh eeele e etsine 58 8 % PFOA Ok WANING. . 6:23.05. SR ese epeeeaeeee els 1 34 oa Distance from snout to dorsal origin.... 8 ene Of, GOUSAL DASe Obits tes eek. 21% Length of longest dorsal ray............ 2% 230 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM MEASUREMENTS Canandai- Upper Chazy gualake, Saranac, lake, Junel7, Novy. 16, Nov. 22, 1896 1895 1895 2 ) fe) Length of Jast dorsalimtay.. ce 6.6. cae cn 34, Distance from snout to ventral origin... 9 Length of Wventrales sees sae eee sc tonaek 234 . Length of ventral appendage........... ® Distance from snout to anal origin...... 13 3 Lenvth OF analebase.nc si. ae. ee eels 2 Length of longest anal ray......:...... 1% ‘ Length of last anal ray..... Lake hie ei saae 5 ihenetheor pectoral: ..\ cesc..seeease miei a 3 f Distance from snout to adipose fin...... 14 Length of base of adipose fin........... Hk Hensth of adipose: fini. 7); cetintiok eek as 34, (Width of base of adipose fin............ % ae peak Length of longest gill raker............. 36 38 16 Taking the fish in the order above given, the gill rakers are: 9+17,10+16,and 9+17. The scales are: 10—76-8, 10-87-9; and 11-81-10. The branchiostegals in various specimens examined are 9 to 10; divided dorsal rays, 10 to 11; anal rays, 10 to 11. Genus ARGYROSOMUS AgaSSiZ This genus is very close to Coregonus, from which it differs in the larger mouth and more produced jaws, the pre- maxillaries being placed nearly horizontally, and the lower jaw decidedly projecting beyond them. Gill rakers very long and slender, about 30 on lower limb; vertebrae 55. These characters are associated with the greater voracity and, in general, greater activity of the species of Argyrosomus. The species are numerous in the northern parts of Europe, Asia and North America, and all are valued as food. 125 Argyrosomus osmeriformis (H. M. Smith) Smelt of New York lakes Coregonus hoyi BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. V, 658, 1883; GoopE, Fish & Fish. Ind. U. S. pl. 197 B, 1884; not Coregonus hoyi Gill. Horegonus osmeriformis Smitu, Bull. U. 8. F. C. XIV, 2, pl. 1, fig. 2, 1895. Lakes Seneca and Skaneateles, New York. Argyrosomus osmeriformis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 468, 1896. ‘ ‘ d : 4 “4 . : 1 : a 1 - Body elongate, moderately compressed, slender; head less com- FISHES OF NEW YORK VA = ‘pressed than body, its greatest width equaling one half the dis- tance from tip of lower jaw to nape, the lower jaw projecting considerably even when the mouth is closed; mouth large, the maxillary reaching to the vertical through the anterior margin of the pupil; preorbital bone long and slender, more than one third as long as the head; supraorbital as long as the eye, four times as long as broad. The greatest hight of the body is considerably less than the length of the head, and is contained five times in the total length without caudal. The greatest width of the body is less than one half its greatest hight. The least hight of caudal peduncle equals the length of the orbit and about one third of the great- est hight of the body. Scales small, nine in an oblique series from the dorsal origin to the lateral line, 82 tube-bearing scales, and eight in an oblique series from the ventral origin to the lat- eral line. The length of the head is one fourth of the total length to the end of the lateral line. The distance of the nape from the tip of the snout is nearly one third of the distance from the tip of the snout to the origin of the first dorsal. The length of the maxilla is one third of the length of the head. The mandible is one half as long as the head. Lingual teeth present. The eye is as long as the snout and one fourth as long as the head. Gill rakers long and slender, the longest five sixths as long as the eye; there are 55 on the first arch, 35 of which are below the angle. The insertion of the dorsal is nearer the tip of the snout than the end of the middle caudal rays. The longest ray of the dorsal equals the greatest length of the ventral and is contained seven times in the total length to the end of the middle caudal rays (six and two thirds times in length to end of lateral line). The length of the pectoral is one sixth of the standard body length. | The insertion of the ventral is midway between the tip of the snout and the end of.the middle caudal rays. _When the ventral is extended, the distance of its tip from the vent is only one 252, NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM fourth of the length of the fin. In this respect this species differs widely from C. artedi. Colors. Back grayish silvery; sides silvery; dorsal and caudal with darker tips. Radial formula. D. iii, 9;\A. ii, 13; V..i, 123 P. a) ai6) Seales 9-82-8. : MEASUREMENTS Current number of specimen............ “oI wo kira Wasdrag Leb x eselure Sa claate Ae ie aan is ROU ee ce 32,162 Milli- Hundredths meters of length PEEPS TTI MIS Sib se My Fe ere ede needs ac tote Renee. ene be eee 253 une ae Derethito: Cm OhiSGHles.. he Sess eee Oe CR ce toe 2s ee 100 Body: ; Serevent fii ints gski nf ohare ee aie he res c ean eRe Aare 41 19 CRE RETEST AVV-TORUELY Ah "sy okie bre ak Peete lie e feayore eeae 18 8 ace at Vien tras oy ts cote iene ee tboicesices 40 18% IseSc, Tatler iia if hey ore Siig eek Ak Be oe gel et eee 15 ¢ Head: GVEALCSE CIS lely wAe RT cee oko ae ste cit aioe edi eee eee as) 2416 Distancé iron snout: to nape Ge 1 fv. e sees 36 16% CGPEAESS T/L By eg ae re aa ae ot ee ae eae eet ye 20. 9 Wath of, aterorbital area al morte ce ee ae cee 12 5%, TOM, Ol SOUSA, tie nia eee rete eee eneeee cee eee 14 64% Leneih (oft Opere wii: ieee oes eo ees ct ke ee 13 6 Deo thy. O iy Waa: Sic ious teehee coe ise: dahon amae tency aoe 18 8 ene thy ol. mameDkes ict gos sce ae eee ee ee eke Ol deen 12 DiaiMever GE (yes Re koe on ers cee Rector tertic bik isc es ' 6 Dorsal (first): . Dastanceytrom, SaOwbs ys eo oe aa aeee tee Ti, 3 511% TERS On, GUAGE hs cul tee tehake ais Se edo did cl oe Cee 20 S henstit of JOMeests Maly Mik Sie ete wer ete See 30 15 en sth Ol ASL GAY jul. Kaw eee wa ee eran See Abo 3D Anal: DiIStaNCe “Eom: SOUC es Re ak cek cane eked eae Rywad OFA 1d Lengeh, Of i base ances. LR a A es Pe 24 att Length of Tongest Tay aio poss. ale sete eels eae ae : 20 9 Length (OF ASl Pay, 2% poeta te div care gine ope ee ee Bee 4 Caudal: Length of middle rays from end of scales...... 12 514 Length of external rays..... ti hes a a 44 20 Pectoral: Distance from. sHoutis. (fs... 04. ae eee ay 244% DANI sos 6 ssc ad. 5 Sa wee seh & onde ae ee 36 16%, Ventral: Diseamce: from: SHOUB A. iii: etl. - 20g oc ae ee 118 55 DOM SENS 6 ib. oo eh Antes Las Ae ee ee ee ie a2 15 Originsirom. ana) Ori gig os \.:..5.'. ae hoes eee eae 48 22. End of extended ventral to anal origin......... 15 + Se FISHES OF NEW YORK MEASUREMENTS Milli- Hundredths meters of length LECCTESISY 00 Ae SUPRA Eee gn nh a ee Tey OS SY 2 he PRE AND ee ec 9 55, 2, vas Sih i aR APL pane tein emp oie, ole! wd RS eae Aa “PE GURDIRSL| SRA PR Tao a 2 IE oo ea a ee a Ae Rue eS ah OT STIRS gO lS ar eae Ta = 8 Ns eo fag ORO ai ae [ell Sen A manmiper of. Seales. in lateral dime sae bs seas ew ee Be SA Number of transverse rows above lateral line...... 9 Number of transverse rows below lateral line...... 8 The attention of the writer was called to this graceful little whitefish by the Rey. W. M. Beauchamp and J. C. Willetts. Mr Willetts forwarded numerous specimens from Skaneateles. Individuals were obtained also from Prof. H. L. Smith, which he received from Seneca lake. One of these specimens, 10 inches long, is described above. . The fish was then somewhat douptraliy Supposed by me to be identical with Hoy’s whitefish, but it is now known to be distinct. 126 Argyrosomus artedi (LeSueur) Lake Herring ; Cisco Coregonus artedi LE SuEurR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 231, May, 1818. Lake Erie & Lewistown, Upper Canada; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 301, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 69, pl. 26, fig. 48, 1893. Salmo (Coregonus) harengus RICHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. III, 210, pl. 90, fig. 2, 1836. Coregonus clupeiformis DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 248, pl. 60, fig. 198, 1842; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 198, 1866. Coregonus harengus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 199, 1866. Argyrosomus artedi JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 468, 1896. The body of the lake herring is moderately elongated, com- pressed, and the head pointed. The greatest hight of the body at the origin of the dorsal is one fourth of the total length without caudal. The caudal peduncle is short and stout; its ‘Jeast depth is somewhat more than one third of its greatest depth. The eye is contained four to four and one half times in length of head; the snout three and one half times. The max- illary reaches nearly to below the middle of the eye. The lower jaw projects strongly. The dorsal begins midway between tip of snout and base of tail. Its longest ray equals length of 234 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM head without snout. The ventral begins under the middle of the dorsal, its longest ray two thirds of length of head. The pectoral is slightly longer than the ventral. The anal base. equals the length of its longest ray, which is nearly one half the length of head. The adipose dorsal is slender, its width one half its hight, and about one half the length of eye; 25 to 30 gill rakers below the angle of the first arch. D. 11; A. 10 (counting only divided rays in dorsal and anal); V. 10. Seales 9-80-8. The upper parts are greenish or bluish black; the sides silvery and with narrow pale streaks along the rows of scales, specially above the lateral line. This species is known as the lake herring or cisco. The name cisco is applied more particularly in the small lakes of Wiscon- sin, Indiana and New York. The lake herring is most abun- dant in the Great lakes, extending northward into British America; eastward it has been obtained from Labrador. It becomes variable in certain parts of its habitat, notably in Labrador and in the lakes in which it is known as cisco. In 1885 more individuals of this species were taken in Lake Erie than in all the other Great lakes put together, more than 19,000,000 pounds having been caught there out of a total of less than 26,000,000. The average length of this species is about 1 foot, and the weight 9 to 12 ounces, but examples measuring 19 inches in length and weighing 2 pounds have been recorded. The lake herring frequents shoal waters moderately, and occurs in enormous schools, as one may judge from the quan- tity captured in Lake Erie. Its food consists of insects and crustaceans. During the spawning season of the whitefish, how- ever, it feeds exclusively on the eggs of this species and proves very destructive. The lake herring will take the hook, and has been caught with live minnows. Spawning takes place about the end of November in shoal waters. As a food fish this species is inferior to the whitefish, but it is in great demand over an extensive area of the country, and is shipped in the fresh condition many hundreds of miles east and west. I have elsewhere referred to the enormous number f FISHES OF NEW YORK 235 taken in 1885 in Lake Erie. These are caught chiefly in pound and gill nets. The catch in 1885 amounted to more than one third of the entire quantity of fishes taken in this lake. There is no apparent diminution in the number of these fishes, and their artificial propagation has not been practised. A male and a female were forwarded by Mr Annin from Three- mile bay, Lake Ontario, Nov. 22 and 25, 1895. MEASUREMENTS MALE FEMALE Inches Inches Pepe tasela,- 111 Chat): (CATO A ssa cle yee eerste Grenier iets sil bg) wee Sie 13% 13 Length of middle caudal rays........... Bias atone dkectehs) « Dr ES eet abe Seibensi deptihijoL eaudal;pedumelesset Lat o. nes ee. UR AEG Ca ae De DUNT ROCs lt GOUSAL 5h cuss ueawere tohee la stehere\eveve cokes « 3 214 HE ae Lo ae CLsaicains ch ote ope eu Aouebate eae) aah aliavale cusad ae atictsal Oe wet. he 24, 2, Momence: Mix la. oe etait Ch acne ate Macy a cs 34 7 MEME Hei Oly /OVCL oodles. Se niehalers Me eNarec eee Deak ple «RISE oe Wy 1% Meer Ol LOMSEST) Sill, PAIGET 100s) a ove cesu tes clsrere od arose sila e.0: ears Be oa Ene ei ae The male has 17431 gill rakers; the female, 47. Scales of the male, 8-74—-8; of the female, 76. In the female the maxilla reaches to the front of the pupil; the lower jaw projects a little; the dorsal and anal each have 10 divided rays; the dorsal has a black tip; the pectoral is dusky above; the ventral and anal are pale; the caudal is dusky towards its margin. The cisco, according to Mr Annin, lives in deep waters and Spawns in brooks in December. Dr Meek saw a few specimens of the species from Cayuga lake. The U.S. Fish Commission obtained four specimens at Cape . Vincent N. Y. Nov. 11 and 17, 1891. The U.S. National Museum has a number of examples from Lake Champlain, some of them from Vergennes Vt., and others from Ticonderoga N. Y. Dekay Says the shad salmon occurs in the smaller lakes in the interior of the state, which still communicate with our inland seas. 127 Argyrosomus hoyi Gill Mooneye Cisco; Shiner Argyrosomus hoyi GILL, Mss. JoRDAN, Amer. Naturalist, 135, March, 1875, Lake Michigan, near Racine, Wis.; EVERMANN & SMITH, Rept. U. S. F.C. XX, 310, pl. 22, 1896; BEAN, ‘Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 342, 1897, Canandaigua Lake; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 469, 1896. 236 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Coregonus hoyi JORDAN, Man. Vert. ed. 2, 275, 1878; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 299, 1883; Smirns, Bull. U. S.oF..'C. XW eae pet) he. 1, 189. Head, four; depth, four and four sevenths; eye, five (nearly) ; snout, three and one half; maxillary, nearly three in head, reach- ing to vertical through front of pupil. D. 10; A. 11. Scales, 870-9. Gill rakers, 14+28, left side, 40 on right side, longest about 4 inch, about two in eye. Branchiostegals, 8. Body rather elongate, compressed, the back little elevated; mouth rather -large, terminal, the lower jaw slightly longer than upper when the mouth is closed; tip of muzzle conical as in A. artedi; mandible nearly reaching vertical through posterior edge of eye, nearly two in head; head rather long and slender, with pointed snout; interorbital width equal to eye; supraorbital and preorbital long and narrow; distance from tip of snout to occiput two in distance’ from occiput to origin of dorsal fin; dorsal rays much longer anteriorly than posteriorly, the longest ray nearly equal to distance from front of pupil to end of head, the last ray only one third as long; longest anal ray two and one half in head, last.anal ray two fifths as long-as the longest; pseudobranchiae well developed; tongue with evident teeth. Color in spirits silvery, with purplish iridescence on back; scales without punctulations; belly whitish; dorsal and caudal fins dark on terminal] half, pale at base; other fins all pale. Length, without caudal, 8 inches; total length, 94 inches; depth 1% inches; head, 24 inches; eye, + inch; maxilla, +; inch; interorbital width equal to diameter of eye. Mr Annin wrote me that the people at Canandaigua lake told” him that there were large quantities of small lake shiners, as they are called, in the lake. A fisherman said that they are seen in immense schools at the top of the water occasionally, and, by firing a gun loaded with shot into them, men can stun them so as to pick up quite anumber. They are eagerly sought after for trolling bait for the salmon trout found in that lake. This species is recorded with certainty from Lake Michigan only. It is taken in gill nets in deep water and, notwithstand- ing its small size, has become commercially important. It is ? FISHES OF NEW YORK DRY here for the first time announced as a member of the New York fauna, and the description leaves no doubt of the correctness of the identification. The fish examined, a female with ripe eggs, was taken in Canandaigua lake, Dec. 19, 1896, by Mr Annin’s men. It was the only one caught, and was captured by becom- ing gilled in the funnel of the net. Mr Annin is satisfied that this is the lake shiner of the fishermen, which they sometimes see in immense schools at the surface, and kill for trolling bait by shooting them. a 128 Argyrosomus prognathus (H. M. Smith)’ Long Jaw; Bloater Coregonus prognathus HucH M. SmirnH, Bull. U. 8. F. C. XIV, 4, pl. 1, fig. 3, 1895, Lake Ontario, at Wilson N. Y. Argyrosomus hoyi MILNER, Rept. U. S. F. C. II, 86, 1874, Outer Island, Lake: Superior, not of GILL. Argyrosomus prognathus EVERMANN & SMITH, Rept. U. 8. F. e. DO, Gaede i pl. 26, 1896; JornpAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 471, 1886. Body oblong, much compressed, back elevated, tapering rather abruptly toward the narrow caudal peduncle, the adult tish hay- ing a Slight nuchal hump asin C. clupeiformis; oreatest depth three and one half to four in body length; head rather Short and deep, pointed, four to four and one third in length; greatest width half the length, cranial ridges prominent; snout straight, its tip on level with lower edge of pupil; top of head two in distance from occiput to front of dorsal; mouth large and strong, maxillary reaching to opposite middle of pupil, two and one half in head, length three times its width, mandible long, projecting beyond upper jaw when mouth is closed, reach- ing to or beyond posterior edge of eye, one and three fourths to one and seven eighths in head; eye small, five in head, one and. one half in snout, one and one third in interorbital Space, one and one half in suborbital space; gill rakers slender, about length of eye, 13 above and 25 below angle. Adipose fin the length of eye, its width half its length. Narrowest part of cau- dal peduncle contained nearly four times in greatest body depth. Dorsal rather high, with nine or ten developed rays, the longest. one half longer than base of fin and contained one and three 238 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM fourths times in greatest body depth, three and one fourth times in distance between dorsal and snout, and one and one half times in head; free margin slightly concave; origin midway between end of snout and base of caudal; dorsal base opposite nine scales. Anal with 10 to 12 developed rays, the longest ray equal to base of fin and two thirds of hight of dorsal. WVentrals as long as dorsal is high, their origin midway between anterior edge of orbit and base of caudal. Ventral appendage short, covering about three scales. Pectorals as long as ventrals. Scales rather large, about 7 5 in lateral line, seven or eight above the lateral line, seven or eight below the lateral line. Lateral line straight except at origin, where it presents a rather marked curve. Sides of body uniformly bright silvery, with pronounced bluish reflection in life; the back dusky, the under parts pure white without silvery color. Above lateral line, light longitudi- nal stripes involving central part of scales extend whole length of body. Fins fiesh color or pinkish in life, the dorsal and cau- dal usually showing dusky edges; postorbital area with a bright golden reflection; iris golden, pupil black. Branchiostegals, eight. Average length, 15 inches. . Habitat: Lake Ontario, Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, and doubtless the entire Great lake basin, in deep water. This fish is called long-jaw in Lakes Michigan and Ontario. Specimens were obtained from John 8S. Wilson of Wilson N. Y. and from George M. Schwartz of Rochester N. Y. Dr R. R. Gurley also secured examples at Nine Mile Point N. Y. in June 1893. This species is quite different from any other whitefish inhab- iting the Great lake basin. It may be at once distinguished from all the whitefishes known to occur in the United States by the general form of body combined with the very long lower jaw, which is contained less than twice in the length of the head and extends backward to or beyond the posterior edge of orbit. | 129 Argyrosomus tullibee (Richardson) Tullibee; Mongrel Whitefish Salmo (Coregonus) tullibee RicHarpDson, Fauna Bor.-Amer, III, 201, 1836, Cumberland House, Pine Island Lake. ~y ee ee ey ee ee” Pe ee ns ee) ea oi eee oe a FISHES OF NEW YORK 239 Coregonus tullibee GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 199, 1866; Jonpan & ‘GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 301, 1883; JorpDAN, Cat. Fish. N. A. 43, 1885; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 70, pl: 27, fig. 49, 1893. Argyrosomus tullibee JoRDAN, Man. Vert. ed. 2, 361, 1878; EVERMANN & SmitH, Rept. U. S. F. C. XX, 320, pl. 28, 1896; JornpAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 478, 1896; Bean, Bull. Amer, Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 348, 1897. The body of the tullibee is very short, deep and compressed; its greatest hight about one third of the length without caudal. The head is pointed, as in the blackfin, the mouth large, with the lower jaw scarcely longer than the upper. The maxilla extends to below the middle of the eye. The eye equals the snout in length and is two ninths of length of the head. Scales much larger on front part of body than on the caudal peduncle. The gill rakers are long, slender and numerous, about 30 below the angle on the first arch. D.11; A.11. Scales in lateral line 7A, eight rows above and seven below lateral line; pyloric caeca, 120. The upper parts are bluish; sides white and minutely dotted. The spermary, according to Richardson, is wood brown. This species is usually called the tullibee, but in Lakes Erie and Michigan it is sometimes styled the mongrel whitefish on ‘the supposition that it is a cross between the common white- fish and the lake herring. The tullibee has been taken recently in Lake Michigan; and Dr E. Sterling had a specimen from Lake Erie. It is found occa- sionally in others of the Great lakes and extends northward into British America; but is comparatively little known to the fisher- men and is very rare in collections. This fish grows to a length of 18 inches. The late F. C. Gilchrist was the first to describe the habits of the tullibee, and this he did in Forest and Stream in the following language. In September they will again be found gradually nearing the shoal water, feeding heavily, and plump with fat and the now swelling ovaries. Later on they appear to eat little or nothing and devote all their time to playing until about the 25th of October, when they have settled down to the business of propa- gation, which they have finished by November 10. They prefer shallow water close to shore with clean sand to spawn on, and 240 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM during the day they may be seen in pairs and small schools, pok- ing along the shores, but at night they come in thousands and keep up a constant loud splashing and fluttering, very strange and weird on a calm night. Two years ago I carefuly counted the ova from a ripe fish 24 pounds in weight, and found there were 235,700, closely resembling whitefish eggs in appearance, but somewhat smaller. After spawning the fish are very thin, lank, dull in color, and quite unfit for human food. James Annin jr furnished me the following notes on the spawning of the tullibee in Onondaga lake, N. Y. They generally commence running up onto the shoals about November 15, and the season extends into December. They come up to the banks or gravelly shoals and spawn in from 3 to 6 and 7 feet of water. They have never been caught with the hook in this lake; and an old fisherman told me that he had tried almost every kind of bait, and had used the very finest gut and the smallest hooks baited with Gammarus (fresh-water shrimp) and other kinds of natural food—that is, he supposed the food was natural to them. At the same time, he claims he could see them in large schools lying in the water 8 or 10 feet from the surface. A female tullibee was sent from Onondaga lake by Mr Annin Noy. 18, 1895, and another of the same sex Nov. 25, 1896. , The following notes relate to the female obtained Novy. 18, 1895. Inches bheneth tovend-iok “Caudal sy sa nis mice meter yite cee cae See MeN eRES 2G Lk eee tie lh oles te 91% DLS ON Epa aan eed Bice psy Ohya” oy VGN a eed 234 Longest dorsal ray..... SAE 5 io 3 SR ORR ea are ee ere 23% W225 DULG es | Ro ce oie Spence fo Ee aU a 8 Bc a 1% 250 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Inches Snout to vembrad see eee Sect nies oe eal one SOR entre tee 11y, Length of “vertmal oc oo wc Sietecncscange Claes. oop w/e -e.0ce tele aie Renee 24, Snout to amaleos ech < Atria is ide e .. 163% ANA) PASC ere be Ckale sapiens EA eee RN Sidi 5 5: 1% Longest amal aly Soli Gace. eo eco leis rho oy a GO lege eI ee 1% Last * ata) Pye). eS 7s see fae atv ioys ote Shea lane eteks cle ete etna AEN 1% Snout to-adipose dorsal eee os iw «blew sos ora dove oye. os Rhaueere tee ae eee 17% Width of. adipose dorsale tn)... k eke. iee ce ‘ais i ovaileyn: aah shee ene Y% Length of adipose dorsal............ Looe jal Ona eS 3), Length; Of speeroreah mies Sai hei s le Sei hic eae Bee eels « Sa eee 3%, UP POT AW Boneh oie ie els eos i % Sispleherieic cakeuteha nee ie Renate aye couecie aaa a eas Mba Rae scra eee itaie e010 edie soe lev ateione ie ele gets) Aug um ie eile isl sts e en eee ne 2. The head has about 28 dark spots, the largest on the gill cover, oblong, 2 inch long. Body with many large and small black spots, a few with a pale ring around them, and some as large as the largest on the gill cover; one on the caudal peduncle of one side distinctly X-shaped. General color dark bluish gray; belly and lower parts iridescent silvery; fins all dusky; the dorsal with many black spots; eye pale lemon, the upper part dusky. Gill rakers, 9+11, the longest -3;inch. B. 11; D. 10. Scales, 21-123-20. 133 Salmo henshawi Gill & Jordan Lake Tahoe Trout; Red-throat Trout (Introduced) Salmo henshawi GILL & JORDAN, Man. Vert. ed. 2, 358, 1878, Lake Tahoe; Rept. Chief Eng. Part 3, 1878, App. NN, 1619, pl. IV; JorpAn, Proce. U. S. Nat. Mus. I, 75, 1878. Salmo purpuratus var. henshawi JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus, 316, 1888. : Salmo mykiss CHENEY, Third Ann. Rept. N. Y. Comm. Fish. 239, color pl. facing p. 238, 1898. Salmo mykiss henshawi JORDAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. IX, 14, pl. Il, fig. 5, 1891; JORDAN & HVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 493, 1896. Salmo clarkii henshawi JORDAN & EVERMANN, op. cit. 2819, pl. LX XIX, fig. 208, 1900. Body elongate, not much compressed, its greatest depth one fourth of the total length without caudal; caudal peduncle rather long; its least depth equaling two fifths of the length of the head; head long, conical, slender, its length contained about four times in the total to caudal base; a slight keel on the top of the head; snout obtusely pointed; maxilla not extending far behind the eye, about equal to pectoral, which is three fifths of FISHES OF NEW YORK 251 length of head; gill rakers short and stout, about 18 on the first | arch, of which 13 are below the angle; vomerine teeth in two long, alternating series; hyoid teeth rather weak, in a small patch; dorsal fin small, its last rays two thirds as long as the highest; anal fin rather high; caudal short and distinctly forked. D. 9 to 11; A. 12; B. 10. Scales 27 to 37-160 to 200-27 to 40; pyloric caeca 50 to 60. © Color dark green in life, varying to pale green; the sides sil- very with a broad coppery shade which extends also on the cheeks and opercles; a yellowish tinge on the sides of the lower | jaw and red or orange dashes between its rami; back every- | where covered with large, roundish black spots; dorsal, adipose fin and caudal fin with similar spots, and a few on the anal; belly with black spots. The Tahoe trout is a large species inhabiting Tahoe lake, | Pyramid lake, Webber lake, Donner lake, Independence lake, Truckee river, Humboldt river, Carson river, and most streams | of the east slope of the Sierra Nevada; it occurs also in the head waters of Feather river, west of the Sierra Nevada, prob- ably by introduction from Nevada. The usual weight is 5 or 6 pounds, but individuals weighing 20 to 29 pounds are recorded. Eggs of the Lake Tahoe (Cal.) trout were obtained by James Annin jr at Caledonia N. Y., and young fish reared at his establishment were sent to the aquarium in November 1896. They throve till the latter part of June 1897, when they were overcome by the warm water. They could not endure a transfer to the cooler salt water, like most of the other fish of the salmon family. At Caledonia station, according to Mr Cheney, this fish begins to spawn before the middle of March and continues for two months. The impregnation of eggs is from 90% to 954, but just before the hatching period a large number of the eggs burst and the embryos are lost. There is loss too between the hatching and feeding times, and the fry do not feed as readily as the brook trout. Altogether, Mr Annin, the superintendent of 252 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM / hatcheries, estimates the total loss between impregnation of the eggs and feeding of the fry as about 40%. After the fry begin to feed, they are not more difficult to rear than brook trout. 184 Salmo gairdneri Richardson Steelhead; Gardner's Trout; Salmon Trout (Introduced) Salmo gairdnerii RICHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer., III, 221, 1836, Columbia Paid eit ti GIRARD, Pac. R. R. Surv. Fishes, 313, pl. LXXI, fig. 1, Basen GuntTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 116, 1866, not of Pallas. i Salmo gairdnerii GUNTHER, op. cit. 118, 1866. Salmo gairdneri JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 313, 1883; BEAN, Bull. U.S. F.C. EX): 198, pl. XLIX;: fig: 9) 1891, not ying 40) which is young mykiss; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 498, 1896, pl. LX XXI, fig. 215, 1900; CHENEY, Third Ann. Rept. N. Y. Comm. Fish. 241, color pl., 1898. Form of S. salar. Body elongate, little compressed, its greatest depth two ninths of the total length without caudal; caudal peduncle short, its least depth three sevenths of length of head; head rather short, one fifth of total length without caudal, maxilla reaching far behind the eye, its length one half the length of head; eye small, two thirds of length of snout, two elevenths as long as the head; teeth rather small, vomerines in two long, alternating series about as long as the palatine series; gill rakers short and stout, about 20 on the first arch, of which 12 are below the angle; dorsal origin much nearer to tip of snout than to base of caudal, base of dorsal two thirds of length of head, longest dorsal ray one half the length of head and twice as long as last ray;.adipose fin very small and nar- row, over the beginning of the anal; caudal fin moderately forked in the young; ventral origin midway between tip of snout and base of caudal, ventral fin one half the depth of body; anal base one half as long as the head, longest anal ray equal to postorbital part of head; pectoral fin one eighth of total length without caudal. B.11 or 12; D. 11; A. 12. Scales from 1387 to 177, usually about 150-28; pyloric caeca 42; vertebrae 38+20— 58. Color olive green above, sides silvery, head, back, dorsal ; ‘ FISHES OF NEW YORK 253 and caudal fins profusely covered with small black spots, no red between the rami of the lower jaw. The steelhead trout is found in coastwise streams from southern California to Bristol bay, Alaska. It spawns in the late winter and early spring; ripe eggs were obtained at Sitka, Alaska, June 10. Spent fish of this species are frequently taken with the spring run of the king salmon. The economic value of the steelhead is very great; the fish reaches a weight of 30 pounds, though the average weight is under 20 pounds, and the non-anadromous forms seldom exceed 5 or 6 pounds. From information furnished by Mr Annin it appears evident that some of the eggs of trout received at Caledonia N. Y. many years ago from the McLeod river, Cal., as rainbows, really in- cluded both rainbows and steelheads. He finds certain females _ producing deep salmon colored eggs, while in the same pond and receiving the same food as other females which furnish very light colored, almost white, eggs. Some of the females also differ from others in going to the spawning beds nearly two months earlier. It is now known also that the McLeod con- tains a small-scaled form of the rainbow, known to the Indians as the no-shee, and this also may easily have been sent to the east under the name of rainbow. Striking differences in the appearance and habits of so called rainbows introduced into the various states, lend color to this supposition. . Steelheads were obtained for the New York aquarium in No- vember 1896, from the U. S. Fish Commission. They were hatched from eggs shipped from Fort Gaston Cal. to the station at Craig brook, Me. The length of the trout when received ranged from 4 to 44 inches. After one year they were 10 inches: long on the average, and weighed many times as much as they did when received. None of them at any time showed a red lateral band such as is present in the rainbow, and they are farther distinguished by the presence of white tips on the ven- tral and anal fins; the dorsal also has a small white tip. They have been kept almost from their arrival in salt water, and 254 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM could not have been kept in the warm Croton water in June. The salt water never rose above 714° F and continued at this high temperature only 10 days. The N.Y. Fisheries,Game and Forest Commission planted some of these trout in a Long Island stream and some in a lake in northern New York. Those that were planted on Long Island, says Mr Cheney, when rather more than a year old rose to the fly of the trout fisherman and made a most gallant fight, but it is too early to tell the outcome of the experiment. The eggs are one fifth of an inch in diameter; they hatch in 42 to 50 days with water at 50°. 185 Salmo fario Linnaeus Brown Trout (Introduced) Salmo fario LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 30, 1758; Buiocu, Ichth. I, 121, taf. 22, & 157, taf. 23, 1785; RicHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. III, 144, pl. 92, fig. 3, A & B, 1886; Day, Fish. Great. Brit. & Ireland, II, 95, plates CIX, fig.3, CXIII, CXIV, CXVI, fig.1, 1884; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 78, eolor pl. 6, 1898; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Check-List Fish. N. A. 512, 1896. Salmo fario ausonii GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 64, 1866. Salar ausonii CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss, X XI, 319, pl. 618, 1848. The brown trout of Europe was introduced into the United States from Germany in February 1883 and in subsequent years; it has now become thoroughly acclimated in the fresh waters of many of the states. sg a The body of this trout is comparatively short and stout, its greatest depth being contained about four times in the length without the caudal. The caudal peduncle is short and deep, its depth equal to two fifths of the length of the head. The length of the head in adults is one fourth of the total length without caudal or slightly less. The diameter of the eye is about one fifth of the length of the head, and less than length of snout. The dorsal fin is placed nearer to the tip of the snout than to the root of the tail; the longest ray of this fin equals the dis- tance from the eye to the end of the opercle. The ventral is under the posterior part of the dorsal; its length is about one half that of the head. The adipose dorsal is placed over the end agrees = - ‘ai FISHES OF NEW YORK 255 of the anal base; it is long and expanded at the end. The caudal is emarginate in young examples, but nearly truncate in speci- mens 10 inches long. The pectoral is nearly one sixth of the length without the caudal. In the male the jaws are produced, and very old ones have a hook. The maxilla extends to the hind margin of the eye. The triangular head of the vomer has a transverse series of teeth, and the shaft of the bone bears two opposite or alternating series of strong persistent teeth. D. 13-14; A. 10-11; P. 138; V. 9. Scales 25-120-30; pyloric caeca 38-51; vertebrae 57-58. On the head, body and dorsal fin usually numerous red and black spots, the latter circular or X-shaped and some of them with a pale border; a yellowish margin usually present on the front of the dorsal and anal and the outer part of the ventral. The dark spots are few in number below the lateral line. The ground color of the body is brownish or brownish black, varying with food and locality. Names. In European countries in which this species is native it bears the name of trout or brook trout or the equivalents of these terms. In Germany it is bachforelle; in Italy, trota; in France, trwite. In the United States it is known as the brown trout and von Behr trout, the latter in honor of Herr von Behr, president of the Deutscher Fischerie Verein, who has been very active in the acclimation of the fish in America. Distribution. The brown trout is widely distributed in conti- nental Europe and inhabits lakes as well as streams, specially in Norway and Sweden. Tributaries of the White sea, the Bal- tic, the Black sea and the Caspian contain this species. In Great ‘Britain it lives in lakes and streams and has reached a high state of perfection; in Germany and Austria, however, the trout is a characteristic fish, and our supply has been drawn prin- cipally from the former country. Moreau found it at an eleva- tion of 7000 feet in the Pyrenees, and a color variety is native to northern Algeria in about 37° north latitude. In the United States the brown trout has been successfully reared in Colorado at an elevation of nearly 2 miles above sea level; it is now well iT 256 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM established in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Colorado, and several other states. This trout has proved to be well adapted to the region east of the Rocky mountains, which has no native black spotted species, though the western streams and lakes contain many forms in a high state of development. Size. Under favorable conditions the brown trout has. been credited with a weight of 22 pounds and a length of 35 inches. In New Zealand rivers, where it was introduced with unusual success, it now approximates equal size; but in most localities 10 pounds is about the limit of weight and 5 or 6 pounds is a good average, while in some regions the length seldom exceeds 1 foot and the weight ranges from 4 pound to 1-pound. In the United States a wild specimen, seven years old, weighed about 11 pounds. In a well in Scotland an individual aged 15 years measured only about 1 foot in length. These illustrations will . serve to show how much the growth of a brown trout is affected by its surroundings and food supply. The species has been known to become sexually mature when two years old and 8 inches long. Habits. The brown trout thrives in clear, cold rapid streams and at the mouths of streams tributary to lakes. In its move- ments it is swift, and it leaps over obstructions like the salmon. It feeds usually in the morning and evening, is more active dur- ing evening and night, and often lies quietly in deep pools or in the shadow of overhanging bushes and trees for hours ata time. It feeds on insects and their larvae, worms, mollusks and small fishes and, like its relative, the rainbow trout, it is fond of the eges of fishes. In Europe it is described as rising eagerly to the surface in pursuit of gnats and is said to grow more rapidly when fed on insects. Reproduction. Spawning begins in October and continues through December and sometimes into January. The eggs are from + to 4 of an inch in diameter and yellowish or reddish in color; they are deposited at intervals during a period of many days in crevices between stones, under projecting roots of trees, and sometimes in nests excavated by the spawning fishes. The FISHES OF NEW YORK . 2a parents cover the eggs to some extent with gravel. The hatch- ing period varies according to temperature from 40 to 70 days. Females aged three years furnish on the average about 350 eggs each, but individuals of this age have yielded as many as 700, and even at the age of two years some females produce from 400 to 500. When they are four or five years old, the num- ber of eggs has reached 1500 to 2000. The young thrive in water with a temperature of about 50° F. Sterility in the females is common, and breeding females have been observed to cease reproduction when eight years old. , Qualities. The brown trout is in its prime from May to the last of September. Its flesh is very digestible and nutritious, and deeper red than that of the salmon when suitable food is furnished; the flavor and color, however, vary with food and locality. Insect food produces the most rapid growth and best condition. This species has been so long known as one of the noblest of the game fishes and its adaptability for capture with artificial flies because of its feeding habits is so well understood that I need not dwell on these familiar details. The brown trout is remarkably hardy in captivity. A large female, received from Eugene G. Blackford in April 1896, and placed in a salt-water tank at the aquarium, lived there and throve till 1898. During most of the time the trout was in salt water, but at certain intervals fresh water was substituted for a short time, specially when symptoms of fungus made their appearance. In November 1896 she excavated a shallow depres- sion in the gravel bottom and deposited a lot of eggs. The fish was extremely shy, and never lost its fear of the attendants. Liver and live killifish were used for its food. A very beautiful and interesting hybrid is produced by cross- ing the brown trout and the brook trout. The following is a description of this hybrid: Salmo (HyBrip—fario+fontinalis) Hybrid Trout In a paper published seven years ago the writer stated, as a result of his studies, that, when a large-scaled trout is crossed 258 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM with a small-scaled one, the hybrid will be large-scaled which- ever way the cross be made. The hybrid between the brown trout and the brook is a large-scaled form, and it is sterile as far as reported. The aquarium has had this hybrid from the South Side Sportsmen’s Club, and from the New York hatcheries at Cold Spring Harbor L. I. and Caledonia. It is always a strik- ingly handsome fish, and grows to a large size; but it is far less hardy than either of its parents. The cross has always been artificially made, and never occurs naturally. Two specimens studied gave the following measurements in inches: MEASUREMENTS Caledonia N. Y. Oakdale N. Y- June 10, 1896 Mar. 23, 1897 Jawes Anninjr G. P. Slade arene: lene ths. 27.7. sn eee a eae tee ce 9% 144, Length of middle caudal rays from end of scales. 3h some SME OT {DOW 4 so secve torrie aren eee ieee Ge ele escalate onan ie 1% 344 Least depth of caudal peduncle................. Us PBS Si mene ths Of -Wead ache eas Ee eo ci eieihs sole etre etomotoaeke Ze 34, SSO, SHORES 2.75 cist oe ade lekauete im carole pened Reiaa peices ee iy 14% HENS TH OL APPEL JAW. coc ca. s cieie aiere stele aetna ete 1% + fates ene ChOl1O Wer awe tte is oiele ehetrore a lete ole! shee cians wiehedele & 138 : AIMS FErcOLGZOVCs coe oy os ashe ce ie Pela. ssbiw la siiehale cave ame hs i6 fai Ye" Distance from snout to dorsal origin............. 334 Pens OF GOTsal WASCy see ete cae ais his nete Sao te ae 1 zs Length of Jongest dorsabaray oh 4 eR we eo 16 hensinot last dousal Palys roe ora Lec mul eee eee ore 4 Distance from snout to ventral origin............ 4% Men Sth Of VENTA See. eT AS ole take wnlietaal ete 1% Distance from snout to anal origin. 2.0%... ae. 3s tis 6 enc OF Magi HAGE. tve top. oi ees nies hisses ere peraveckghe ee 1B mys 8S Gene ii Of LOMLESt BNaAl WAY fe ce estan ace a letene spa eieie 144 Benet of last amalmayy ie et Gawnitos bree dn wee os yy The Caledonian specimen has no hyoid teeth; the vomerines are in a very small patch on the head of the bone only. The gill rakers are 4410, the longest about one half the diameter of the eye. It has about 124 tubes in the lateral line. Branchiostegals, 10. The following color notes were taken from the fresh fish. Dorsal fin with numerous dark blotches resembling those of young rainbow; adipose long and slender, amber color with two obscure dusky blotches, one of these very indistinct; lower half of sides pink; ventral, anal and caudal pink; ventral and anal > ome hs . F = liao acta tye EDA oar FISHES OF NEW YORK 259 with a milk white front margin, that in the anal limited behind by a dark line as in brook trout; sides reticulated with large meshes of lemon yellow interspersed with darker purplish or olive. Dorsal blotches are mingled with pale lemon. Pectoral pale vermilion. Eye silvery white with yellowish reflections. The specimen from Oakdale L. I. weighed 20 ounces. It has a triangular patch of vomerine teeth, as found in fonti- nalis, but continued behind by several teeth in a single row, the entire length of the vomerine series being 7 of an inch. 136 Salmo trutta levenensis (Walker) Loch Leven Trout (Introduced) Salmo levenensis WALKER, Wern. Mem. I, 541, 1811; YARRELL, Brit. Fish. ed. Pode te C84 ed. 3, L, 257, fie, 1859: GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 101, 1866; Day, Fish. Great Brit. & Ireland, II, 92, pl. CXVI, fig. 2 & 2a, 1884; Barrp, Rept. U. S. F. C. XII, LVIII, 1886. Salmo trutta levenensis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Check-List Fish. N. A. 512, 1896. The Loch Leven trout of Great Britain was introduced into the United States from Scotland in 1885 and subsequent years. Tt is somewhat closely related to the European brown trout, Salmo fario, and has been artificially crossed with that Species in the United States, so that it is sometimes difficult to find the pure bred Loch Levens in fish cultural establishments at home. | The body of the Loch Leven is more slender and elongate than that of the brown trout, its greatest depth contained four and one fourth to feur and one half times in the total length without caudal. Caudal peduncle slender, its least depth three eighths of the greatest depth of the body, and equal to length of snout and eye combined. The head is rather short and con- ical, its length two ninths to one fifth of the total length without caudal. The snout is one fourth or slightly more than one fourth as long as the head. The interorbital space is somewhat convex, its width equal to three fifths of the length of post- orbital part of head. The eye is of moderate size, its long diameter contained five and one half to six times in the length of the head, and equaling about twice the greatest width of the» 260 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM maxilla. The-maxilla reaches to or slightly beyond the hind margin of the eye. Teeth rather strong, those in the intermax- illary and mandible the largest, triangular head of vomer with two or three in a transverse series at its base, teeth on the shaft of the vomer usually in a single, partially zigzag, persistent series. Mandible without a hook and little produced even in breeding males. Dorsal origin distant from tip of snout about as far as end of dorsal base from base of caudal; the dorsal fin higher than long, its base one eighth of total length without caudal, its longest ray equal to longest ray of anal fin. The anal fin is much higher than long, its distance from the base of the ventral eyualing length of the head. The ventral origin is nearly under the middle of the dorsal; the fin being as long as the postorbital part of the head. Pectoral equals length of head without the snout. Adipose fin very small, its width one half its length which is about equal to eye. Caudal fin emargi- nate unless fully extended, when it becomes truncate, the outer rays about one seventh of total length including caudal. OD. 138 (=a 1y, 9); A. 12 (=i1,,9); P. 14;°V...9.- Scales. 24 to .28 esis 130-26 to 30; pyloric caeca 47 to 90; vertebrae 56 to 59. Upper parts brownish or greenish olive, or sometimes with a reddish tinge, sides silvery with a varying. number of x-shaped black spots, or sometimes rounded brown spots or rounded black spots which may be ocellated; occasionally red spots are seen on the sides, and the adipose fin may have several bright orange spots, or it may show a red edge and several dark spots; sides of the head with round black spots; dorsal and adipose fins usually with numerous small brown spots; tip of pectoral black- ish; anal and caudal fins unspotted, but the caudal sometimes has an orange margin and the anal a white edge with black at its base; a similar edge may sometimes be observed on the ventral. | The Loch Leven trout is a nonmigratory species, inhabiting Loch Leven and other lakes of southern Scotland and of the north of England. Its range in Great Britain and on the con- tinent of Europe has been greatly extended by fish cultural . ee a 140°) incarnate! Nadia atte ai ipa oR i Ti IB PAE ts ye ed Ai et aie a FISHES OF NEW YORK 261 operations, and the fish is now fairly well known in the United States, though mixed to some extent with the brown trout, as remarked above. The Loch Leven trout has been recorded of the weight of 18 pounds, but the average weight at 6 years of age is about 7 pounds, though some individuals of that age may reach 10 pounds. The natural food of this species includes fresh-water mollusks (snails, Buccinum, etc.), crustaceans, worms and small fish. In captivity it is reared on liver, horse flesh, chopped clams and various other meats. As a food fish the Loch Leven is highly esteemed on account - of the red color and the delicate flavor of its flesh when obtained from suitable waters; in some localities the flesh often becomes white from lack of food or improper food. The spawning season may begin late in September or early in October and continue till December. In Michigan it corre- sponds with that of the brook trout. The egg varies from about 4 to { inch in diameter. A trout weighing 2 pounds contained 1944 eggs, the weight of which was 4 pound. The Loch Leven will take the artificial fly as readily as the brown trout and the brook trout. Its great size and strength add to its attractions for the angler. 137 Salmo irideus Gibbons Rainbow Trout (Introduced) Salmo irideus GIBBONS, Proc. Cal. Ac. Nat. Sci. 36, 1855, San Leandro Creek, Alameda County, Cal.;. JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Maus oi2. im part, 1883s BEAN. “Bull: US... C.-XiLbk 36; pl. V, figs. 2 & 3, 1894; Fishes Penna. 77, color pl. V, 18983; Ann. Rept. N. Y. Comm. Fish.; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. pl. LXXXE, fig. 216, 1900. | Salmo irideus shasta JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 502, 1896. Body short and deep, its greatest depth equaling two sevenths of the total length without caudal. The least depth of caudal peduncle equals one half the length of head. The head is short and deep; its length is contained about four and two thirds times in the total length without the caudal. The snout is short, = 262 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM not much longer than the eye, about one fourth the length of head. Diameter of the eye contained four and two thirds times in length of head; maxilla not quite reaching to below hind margin of eye; vomerines in two irregular series; gill rakers about 20. Dorsal origin a little nearer tip of snout than to caudal base. The length of the dorsal base is contained seven and one half times in total without caudal, and slightly exceeds longest dorsal ray; last dorsal ray one half as long as the long- est. Ventral origin is under middle of dorsal base; the fin is as long as the longest dorsal ray; the ventral appendage about as long as the eye; when the ventral is extended, the distance of its tip from the vent is one third of length of head. The anal base is a little more than one half as long as the head; the longest anal ray equals the longest dorsal ray; the last ray is not quite so long as the eye. Adipose fin short, its width nearly equal to its length and two thirds of diameter of eye. B. 11; D. 11 divided rays and 4 rudiments; A. 10 divided rays and 3 rudiments. Scales 21-185 to 140-20. The upper parts usually greenish blue, sometimes purplish; the sides more or less silvery and profusely spotted with small black spots, which are most numerous above the lateral line; head, dorsal, adipose, and caudal fins also black spotted. Sea- run specimens are uniform silvery without black spots. In:the breeding season the broad crimson lateral band becomes brighter, and the sides of both sexes are iridescent purplish. The jaws of the male in the breeding season are not much dis- torted, but they are very much larger than in the female. © The rainbow trout is a native of the mountain streams of the Pacific coast and ranges from California to southern Alaska. A small example was taken at Sitka, in 1880, by Admiral L. A. Beardslee, U. S. N., and is now in the collection of the U. 8S. National Museum. This trout is found chiefly in mountain streams west of the Sierra Nevadas. It rarely descends into the lower stretches of the rivers, but occasionally does so and passes out to sea. The rainbow has been extensively intro- duced into many eastern states, but not with uniform success. In Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri and North Carolina it has been FISHES OF NEW YORK 263 well acclimatized, and it is also fairly established in New York. The average individuals of this species are iess than 1 foot in length, but specimens measuring more than 2 feet and weigh- ing 13 pounds have been recorded. At Neosho Mo. the young have been artificially grown to a length of nearly 1 foot in a year. The rainbow feeds on worms, insect larvae and salmon eggs. In streams in which the California salmon and rainbow exist together, the rainbow is more destructive to the salmon eggs than any other species. Spawning takes place in winter and early spring, varying with temperature and locality. The bulk of the eggs are usually taken in January, February and March, and the average yield from each female is about 900 eggs. A few of the females spawn when two years old, but about one half of them begin at three years. The egg is from 4 to 4% inch in diameter; it has a rich cream color when first taken, changing to pink or flesh color before hatching. - The rainbow will live in water of a much higher temperature than the brook trout will endure and it thrives in tidal streams and even in salt water. On Long Island, for example, the South Side Sportsmen’s Club obtains a great deal of fine sport with this trout in the estuary of its trout brook. The flesh of the rainbow is generally much esteemed, and in most localities the game qualities of the fish are scarcely inferior to those of the brook trout. | Large rainbow trout do not stand transportation well when ice is used to cool the water in which they are carried. They frequently injure their eyes, and become blind soon after the end of a journey. They are inveterate fighters, and the strong- est invariably rules and harasses the rest. Contrary to what has been stated heretofore, they will not endure high tempera- tures as well as the brook trout, at least in the aquarium. 138 Salmo lemanus Cuvier Swiss Lake Trout (Introduced) - Salmo lemanus CuVIER, Régne Anim. fide Giinther; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 81, 1866. Salmo trutia JURINE, Mém. Soc. Phys. Genéve, III, 1, 158, pl. 4, 1825. 264 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM ~ Fario lemanus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XXI, 300, pl. 617 (male) 1848. Swiss lake trout ATKINS, Rept. U. S. F. C. XVII, XVIII, XIX, 1898 and 1894. Head well proportioned in its shape, of moderate size, body rather stout; preoperculum with a distinct lower limb, oper- culum rather broad and high; snout of moderate length, rather produced in the male sex, in which a mandibular hook is devel- oped in the spawning season; maxillary longer than the snout, and at least as strong and broad as in S. fario; in specimens 12 inches long it extends somewhat behind the vertical from the hind margin of the orbit. Teeth moderately strong, those on the vomer in a single series, alternately bent toward the right and left, persistent throughout life. Pectoral fin rounded, its length being less, and in young individuals more than, one half of its distance from the ventral. The caudal becomes trun- cate with age; in specimens of from 12 to 15 inches in length it is emarginate, the middle rays being half as long as the outer ones. The hind) part of the body of moderate depth; there are 13 or 14 scales in a transverse series descending from behind the adipose fin forward to the lateral line. Back greenish, sides and belly silvery, numerous very small X-shaped black spots on the sides; opercles and dorsal fin with numerous black dots; the other fins greenish. D. 138; A. 12; P. 14; V. 9. Scales 26 to 28-115 to 128-86; pyloric caeca 45-52; vertebrae 57 (once), 58-59. (After Giinther) Attempts have been made from time to time to introduce into large, cold lakes of the United States the fine lake trout of Lake Geneva, Switzerland. Eggs have been furnished to the U. S. Fish Commission by the Swiss government, and these were hatched at the Craig brook (Me.) station, and from there the young were distributed to lakes believed to be suitable for the experiment. In New York, the Adirondack League Club ob- tained 1000 of the young of this species in 1896 and deposited them in Green lake, in Herkimer county. The specimen de- scribed below is probably one of the results of that experiment. Swiss lake trout were furnished also to the New York Fish Com- FISHES OF NEW YORK 265 mission for planting in Lake George, and 100 yearlings were presented to the New York aquarium. A specimen taken in Green lake, Adirondack League Club preserve, Herkimer co., July 29, 1899, was forwarded to the U.S. Fish Commission, Washington D.C., and there described by Dr W. C. Kendall, from whose notes the following account is drawn. | The total length of the specimen is 112 inches. When first taken it was reported to measure 11? inches. The body is moderately elongate, its greatest depth contained three and three fifths times in the total length to base of caudal. Head large, slightly more than one third of total length to base of caudal; eye rather large, about one fifth of length of head; snout long, about three tenths of length of head; teeth on jaws, palatines and tongue long, curved and sharp, those of the lower jaw longest, shaft of vomer long with a zigzag row of sharp teeth; gill rakers short, the longest one third of diameter of iris, 4+11 on right side, 5+10 on left side. Hight of longest dorsal ray two thirds of length of head. Pectoral five eighths as long as the head. B. 11-12; D.ii,9; A.i, 8. Scales in lateral line 115. General appearance of Salmo salar sebago, from which it would probably not be distinguished by the casual ob- server if caught where the landlocked salmon occurs; but the lemanus is distinguishable by the heavier appearance for- ward of the dorsal fin. Color in spirits, brownish on back, top of head and sides of head; sides and belly very silvery; large roundish black spots above lateral line forward and on cheeks and opercles; perpen- dicularly elongate spots forward below lateral line; black of all spots most intense on edges of scales; posteriorly the spots show only on the edges of the scales, being variously crescentic, double or triple crescentic, X or double X shaped; fins pale with slightly dusky tinge; dorsal with 5 transverse rows of black spots. ) Mr De Witt, who sent the specimen, furnished the following notes on Green lake, from whence it was forwarded. ‘ Maxi- mum depth 42 feet, with temperature at bottom at that depth, as far as I have been able to ascertain, about 40°. Has no 266 NEW YORK STATE MUSBUM outlet so far as we know. No brown trout have ever been put in it, and we take it for granted that the specimen I send is one of the ‘Swiss trout.’ ” Genus CRISTIVOMER Gill & Jordan This genus contains one or two species, large, coarse chars, distinguished from Salvelinus by the presence of a raised crest behind the head of the vomer and free from the shaft; this crest is armed with teeth. The hyoid teeth constitute a strong, cardiform band. The typical species is a large char or trout, spotted with gray instead of red, and found in the larger lakes of eastern North America. (After Jordan and Evermann) The species namaycuSsh is found also in a lake (Henry) in Idaho, in the Columbia river basin, and northwestward to northern Alaska. 139 Cristivomer namaycush (Walbaum) Lake Trout; Salmon Trout Salmo namaycush WALBAUM, Artedi. Gen. Pise. III, 68, 1792. Hudson Bay, based on the Namaycush Salmon of Pennant; RIcHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. III, 179, pl. 79 & pl. 85, fig. 1, 1836, Great Lakes; THomp- son, Nat. Hist. Vermont, I, 140, figure, 1842; KirTLanp, Bost. Jour. _ Nat. Hist. IV, 25, pl. I, fig. 2, 1844; GunrHeEr, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus: Via 23, S66: Salmo pallidus RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 120, December, 1817. Lake George, Lake Champlain and other lakes; not ascending brooks. Salmo amethystinus MiTcHILuL, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 410, 1818. Salmo hoodii RICHARDSON, op. cit. 17, pl. 82, fig. 2, pl. 83, fig. 2, 1836. Salmo confinis Dr Kay, N. ¥. Fauna, Fishes, 288, pl. 38, fig. 123, 1842. Salmo amethystus DE KAy, op. cit. 240, pl. 76, fig. 241. Salmo adirondacus Norris, American Angler’s Book, 255, 1865. Salmo siscowet GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 124, 1866. Salvelinus namaycush JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull, 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 317, 1888; GoopE, Fish. & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 485, pl. 191B, 1884; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 82, color pl. 8, 1898. Cristivomer namaycush JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 504, 1896, pl. LX XXII, fig. 217, 1900; Bran, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 348, 1897. The lake trout or Namaycush has a stout and moderately elongate body. The caudal peduncle is slender; its hight little more than one third of the greatest hight of the fish. The eye is large, placed near the top of the head, two thirds as long as ~ FISHES OF NEW YORK eens a the snout, and contained four and a half to five and a half ‘times in length of head. The maxilla reaches far behind the eye; its length nearly half that of head. The origin of the dorsal is midway between tip of snout and root of tail. The length of the base equals length of maxilla; its longest ray one sixth of total without caudal. The ventral is under the hind part of dorsal; its length half the length of head. The append- age is very short, about half the length of eye. The fin, when | extended, reaches nearly to the vent. The distance between ventral origin and anal origin is one fifth of total length with- out caudal. The anal base is about one third of length of head; the longest ray half of length of head; the last ray equal to eye. The pectoral is nearly two thirds as long as the head. B. 11 to 12; D. 9 to 10 besides several rudiments; A. 9 and several rudiments; V.9. Scales of lateral line about 200. The coloration is extremely variable, generally grayish, in the variety known as the tuladi, nearly black. Alaskan specimens are ‘usually very dark; occasionally the upper parts are pale. _ The sides are profusely covered with roundish pale spots, some- times with a reddish tinge. On the back and top of head there are fine vermiculations resembling those of the brook trout. The caudal in addition to numerous pale spots has many small dark blotches. The lake trout has received many names, among which are the | following: Mackinaw, Namaycush, togue, tuladi, and salmon trout. Additional names of the species are lunge, red ‘trout, gray trout, and black salmon. Togue and tuladi are names ap- plied in Maine, New Brunswick and Canada; Mackinaw and salmon trout in the Great lakes region, the latter used also in New York. Namaycush is of course an Indian name. The lake trout is native in the Great lakes region, lakes of New York and New England, Idaho and northward into Labrador, British America and Alaska. Extending over such a wide range of country, it varies greatly in size, form and color, which will in part account for the various names which it has received. It has been found above the Arctic circle in Alaska. 268 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM This is one of the largest species of the salmon family resi- dent in fresh waters. It reaches a length of 3 feet, and speci- mens weighing 40 pounds are not uncommon. It is said that an example of 90 pounds and 6 feet in length has been taken. The species is found in its best condition in Lakes Huron, Michi- gan and Superior. In Alaska it grows to a large size, and is a very shapely and beautifully colored fish. The lake trout is one of the most rapacious fishes of its family. In Lake Michigan it feeds largely on the cisco and other small whitefishes. At Two Rivers Wis. a lake trout measuring 238 inches was found to contain a burbot about 17 inches long. The gluttony of this species is proverbial. It will devour table refuse, and materials of this kind have frequently been taken from its stomach. Even twigs, leaves and pieces of wood have been taken by this trout. The species is much more sluggish in its habits than the brook trout, and is taken on or near the bottom. The gill and pound nets in which this species is princi- pally captured are set in deep water. The spawning of the lake trout usually begins in October and continues into November. For this purpose they come up on rocky shoals and reefs in depths of from 70 to 90 feet, and spawn > near the edges of rock caverns, into which the eggs settle. The young are hatched late in the winter or early in spring. In some localities the depth of the spawning areas ranges from 15 fath- oms to only 7 feet. Mr Milner found 14,948 eggs in a lake trout weighing 24 pounds. In the hatchery, with a water tempera- ture of 47°, the young hatch about the last week of January, but their hatching may be retarded several weeks by lower temperatures. The fishery for the lake trout is most active in September, October and November, and the fish are taken chiefly in pound and gill nets. In some regions many of them also are caught: with hooks. In Lake Erie a few large trout of this species weighing from 25 to 40 pounds are taken off the city of Erie. In 1885, according to the statistics of the U. S. Fish Commission, 100,000 pounds of lake trout were taken in Erie county, Pa. FISHES OF NEW YORK 269 The only New York examples of lake trout were received from James Annin jr, Caledonia, in the fall of 1896. They lived and erew rapidly till the warm water killed them in June 1897. They could not endure transfer to salt water of a lower temper- ature, aS SO many other trout will do, and nothing else could be utilized to tide them over till the completion of the refrigerating plant. Owing to the extensive individual and race variation among trout referred to this species, it seems desirable here to give some notes and measurements made from individuals obtained from New Hampshire and Vermont. Two lake trout weighing about 4% pounds each were shipped in a can only a few inches longer than the fish, from Roxbury Vt. November 17, and, after an express journey of 20 hours without an attendant, one of them Survived in good condition, while the other was nearly dead on arrival and died within one hour. The latter was a female, and appears to have injured itself severely by jumping in the can; it was not in good condition when it left Vermont. 12 large brook trout shipped with the lake trout in two cans arrived without injury; these and the lake trout were presented by John W. Tit- comb, Fish and Game Commissioner. Commissioner N. Wentworth of Hudson Center N. H. for- warded the New Hampshire lake trout, one from Newfound lake, the other from Lake Winnepesaukee. They were sent to determine whether the trout of the two lakes, which the fisher- men assert are different species, really are distinct. The com- missioner wrote that “the Newfound trout has darker flesh, more like the sea salmon. This is not caused by their food, as both lakes are alive with smelt. The Winnepesaukee lake trout are better biters; tons of them are caught through the ice every winter. The Newfound trout are hardly ever caught through the ice. A few were caught last winter for the first time to my knowledge. I am sure there is but one variety of lake trout in Newfound lake. We had one in our tanks this fall that would weigh 25 pounds.” The only differences to be found on examination were such as relate to the depths at which 270 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM the two races habitually live; one is the slim, dark colored tuladi, and the other the common lake trout of the Great lakes region. It is necessary, however, to call attention to the lake trout from northern Vermont which furnished one of the series of measurements given below. The gill rakers in that example are few in number and unusually short, four or five on each side , being reduced to mere spiny tubercles. The following table gives dimensions in inches. MEASUREMENTS Newfound Winnipiseo- Bor lake gee lake : Ou Rae 2 ieneth, inchigine: Caudalie ioc -o, se eee os 2416 2, . 22 Length to base of middle caudal rays...... irk 2354 1916 Least depth of caudal peduncle............. 1% 1% bagi Greatest depth: of DoOdyin '.% ars Seine ccs bene. a, 452 636 4% FROIGIERESSt Ode DOG es: ce a artiste to oma oe iene coos 234, 25% 234, Hremsth Vor ACA Ae Nast tcc s an lone Mite fae sb esc 586 64% 4, MenSth Or Swmoute MA ISS eis ieee ae ene 1% 1% 1% (Length of postorbital part of head......... 344, 3% 24 HENS th,OF UPVer Jain vive de etenlac neers ous sees 234, 3% 238 EME CHO MPa xala sy tana. ie ieia oats wee ar kce pera 21, 3 2 PLATELET OL EVE ia Doct elk One huh eh tke ciasete ne ele 3, 57s 58 bnteror hi tals wid tle. Ree: Rat ae ee eee 15% f 23% 1% Distance from snout to dorsal............. 10% 25% 10 Length of dorsal base. .............08 65 Ry tna s 25% 2% 216 Length of longest dorsal ray.............. 3 234, 23% Meneih: of Vast dorsal ray..2s Foe eo ees 1% ~*~ 186 1% From end of dorsal ‘to adipose fin.......... 414 | 5 4\y, Deneth Of AdMOSE. Tier, osc 6's, Seles wi iny aio oh ter 34. 1 34, Width of base of adipose fin.............. 3% 16 3% Distance from snout to ventral............ 4214, 143% 115 Length of longest ventral ray............. 25% 2% 23% eneth of Jast:-ventral rayne ies sein sts 1% 1% . ) Length of ventral appendage..... See Weer 34 3% 5g Distance from snout to anal.............. 16 18% 1514 Weners OF anal base. Soi P OG ty, ole aieys eee s 2 236 1% Length of longest anal ray: ...20. i.e. 234, 2h 2% Leneiaset last anal Vay. jn s2 6 okies sleleiisiege Sp iF 1 34 Lensrieot meCtoral. oo cae nwiels ioe os sees 314 3% 34 Length of upper caudal lobe....... (rece vrais 334 3% ies» Length of lower caudal lobe........:..... 31% 387% Length of longest gill raker...i....5..4.... 6 ve Ie FISHES OF NEW YORK 271 In the Newfound lake fish we have: B. 11; D. 11; A. 10 (counting divided rays only); V. i, 8; P. i, 12. Scales 26-195-34 (about 150 tubes); gill rakers, 9413, the long- est a little more than one half the length of eye, the one in the angle club-shaped at the tip. It is a male with spermaries mod- erately small but soft. The body is gray, darker on the back. The outer edge of the pectoral and ventral and the front margin of the anal are white as in fontinalis. A white tip to the lower caudal lobe and a very small one at the top of the dorsal. Otherwise the coloration is like that of ordinary lake trout, which have the pectoral, ventral and anal chiefly vermilion in the breeding season. The male from Winnepesaukee Jake has: Bea tego: 10; A. 10; °V- 1, 83 P. 2) Gill rakers 8412, the longest about one half as long asthe eye. The ground color isa little lighter than in the Newfound lake trout, and the vermilion of the pectorals, ventrals and anal is less intense. The sper- maries are larger than in the specimen from Newfound, and in about the same stage of development; the body is considerably stouter. The female from Roxbury Vt. shows the following additional characters. ‘B. 12; D. 10; A. 10; V. i, 8. Gill rakers 8:12, the longest exactly one half as long as the eye. The eggs and ovaries are small as in young females. The pectorals, ventrals and anal are chiefly vermilion, as in the male from Newfound lake. The body is Silvery gray with numerous small, whitish spots, these present also on the dorsal. Hon. H. W. Sage is authority for the information that the _ lake trout was formerly common in the lake near Ithaca. About 1830 a large individual was found stranded in Cayuga lake inlet, about 14 miles from the lake. Genus sauve.inus (Nilsson) Richardson Body moderately elongate; mouth large or small; teeth of jaws, palatines, and tongue essentially asin Salmo, the hyoid patch present or not; vomer boat-shaped, the shaft much de- | i i: 2742 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM pressed, without raised crest, with teeth on the head of the bone and none on the shaft; scales very small, 200 to 250 in a lengthwise series; fins moderate, the caudal forked in the young, truneate in some species in the adult; sexual peculiarities not strongly marked, the males with the premaxillaries enlarged and a fleshy projection at the tip of the lower jaw. Coloration dark, with round, crimson spots, the lower fins sometimes with mar- ginal bands of black, reddish, and pale. Species numerous in the clear streams and lakes of the northern parts of both con- tinents, sometimes descending to the sea, where they lose their variegated colors and become nearly plain and silvery. The members of this genus are by far the most active and handsome of the trout, and live in the coldest, clearest and most secluded waters. (After Jordan and Evermann) 140 Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill) Brook Trout Salmo fontinalis MitcHiLi, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 485, 1815, near New York; RricHAaRDson, Fauna Bor.-Amer. III, 176, pl. 83, fig. 1, 1836; Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 235, pl. 38, fig. 120, 1842; GunrHEr, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 152, 1866. Salmo canadensis HAMILTON SmiITH in Griffith’s Cuvier, X, 474, 1884, Canada. Salmo immaculatus H. R. StoRER, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. VI, 364, 1850, Lower St Lawrence. Salmo erythrogaster DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 236, pl. 39, fig. 136, 1842. Baione fontinalis DE Kay, op. cit. 244, pl. 20, fig. 58, 1842. Salvelinus fontinalis JoRDAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. I, 81, 1878, in part; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 320, 1883; Goopr, Fish & Fish, Ind. U. S. I, 497, pl. 192, 1884; Bran, Fishes Penna. 80, color pl. 7, 1893; Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. [X, 350, 1897; Bowrrs, Manual Fish Cult. ed. 2, color pl. frontispiece, 1900; JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 506, pl. LX XXII, fig. 218, 1900. The brook trout varies greatly in the shape of the body, which is sometimes short and deep and again elongate and moderately thin. The depth is usually about one fourth or two ninths total length without caudal, and is about equal to length of head. The least depth of the caudal peduncle is a little more than one third of its greatest depth. The head is large and the snout somewhat obtuse. The eye is in front of the middle of its length, a little more than one half as long as the snout, and about one FISHES OF NEW YORK Vil Py sixth of length of head. The dorsal fin is about midway be- tween tip of snout and root of tail. The length of its base equals about half its greatest depth of body. The longest ray equals length of ventral. The ventral origin is a little behind the middle of the dorsal. In the male, when laid backward, it reaches nearly to the vent. The length of the appendage equals that of the eye. The anal base is two thirds as long as the ventral, its longest ray equal to ventral. The adipose fin is short and stout, its width two thirds of its length and about two thirds of length of eye. D.10; A. 9. Scales in lateral line 225 to 235; six gill rakers above the angle of the first arch; 11 below. The coloration is highly variable with age and locality. The upper parts are usually grayish much mottled with dark olive or black. The dorsal fin and anterior part of caudal base and top of head are also mottled. The caudal has narrow dark bars. The lower fins dusky with a creamy white interior edge bound behind by a narrow black streak. On the sides numerous pale brownish blotches encircle small vermilion spots. The brook or speckled trout of the east is indigenous to the region east of the Alleghany mountains and the Great lakes region, extending from North Carolina on the south to Labra- dor on the north. The distribution of this trout has been won- derfully extended by artificial introduction, as it has always been a favorite with fish culturists. It is now to be found thriving in many of the western states and territories, and is particularly thrifty in Nebraska, Colorado, Nevada, and Cali- fornia. It has also been sent to Mexico and to European coun- tries. The average brook trout seldom exceeds 7 or 8 inches in length, and smaller individuals are much more abundant and require legal protection. In the northeastern part of its habitat the brook trout grows much larger, specimens weighing from 3 to 6 pounds being not uncommon; and in one of the Rangeley lakes an individual weighing 11 pounds is recorded; while Seth Green took a 12 pound specimen in the Sault Ste Marie, and Hallock mentions one which was said to weigh 17 pounds, 274 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM The brook trout does not flourish in water warmer than 68°, and prefers a temperature of about 50°. It is an inhabitant of the cold, clear mountain streams, and will leave a region which becomes polluted by mill refuse and other hurtful substances. In the Long Island region and around Cape Cod, where the brook trout has free access to salt water, it has the habit of going to sea in the fall and remaining during the winter. It then grows rapidly and becomes a much more beautiful fish than many which live exclusively in fresh water. In hot weather, when the temperature of the streams becomes too high and lakes are accessible, trout seek the deep parts of the lakes and the vicinity of cold springs. In streams they are to be found in deep pools or in channels. They feed in spring and early summer among the rapids on insects and small crusta- ceans. x The brook trout is a nest-builder. Cavities are made in the gravel, and the nest is Shaped with the tail, and the larger stones are carried in the mouths of the parents. After the eggs are deposited, they are covered with gravel. The eggs are not all deposited at one time. Spawning usually begins in October, but brook trout are spawning at some locality in almost every - month of the year except midsummer. The egg is about > inch in diameter, and varies in color from pale lemon to orange red. The average yield of the female is from 400 to 600. Livingston Stone has taken 1800 from a fish weighing 1 pound. The period of hatching will depend on the temperature, ranging from 165 days in water of 37° to 82 days in water of 54°. The yolk sack is absorbed in from 30 to 80 days, and after its absorption the young fish begin to feed. The rate of. growth will of course depend on the amount of food consumed. In artificial culture yearlings, according to Mr Ainsworth’s esti- mate, will average 2 ounces; fish of two years 4 ounces; of three years, 8 ounces, and of four years, 1 pound. The value of the brook trout as a food fish and its game quali- ties are so well known that I need hardly refer to them here. The brook trout is well adapted to domestication in aquarium tanks; it soon overcomes its fear of moving objects, takes its CR ee ee oe ee te « sn . J i .¥ i er S, Oh ~ “as FISHES OF NEW YORK 275 food regularly, and is always attractive because of its beauty and graceful movements. It will live in fresh and salt water. When it is attacked by fungus in fresh water, the parasite is easily killed by introducing salt water, gradually increasing in salinity, and the trout is not at all injured or inconvenienced by the treatment. In captivity the food consists almost entirely of chopped hard clams and liver for the young, while hard clams, live killifish and occasional earthworms are given to the large fish. The increase in size with such feeding is remarkable. A brook trout, from Caledonia N. Y., not more than 34 inches long in November 1896, measured 124 inches in length and 3} inches in depth Dec. 10, 1897. A single young brook trout from Caledonia survived in water at 76° F but that temperature was generally fatal to the species. Dr Meek has found the trout in small streams on the uplands throughout the Cayuga lake basin. Mitchill knew this fish chiefly as an inhabitant of Long Island waters, and has given an interesting account of the fishing at Nichols, Patchogue and Fire Place, where a Mr Robbins, in 12 days in the summer of 1814, caught 190 trout weighing 139 pounds, 11 ounces. The largest at Patchogue weighed 24 pounds, the largest at Fire Place, 3 pounds. A Mr Purvis, of New York, caught a trout measuring 24 inches and weighing 44 pounds at Fire Place. _ At that time, according to Mitchill, the trout was “ bought at the extravagant price of a quarter of a dollar for a single fish not more than 10 or 12 inches long,” and New York anglers traveled “away to Hempstead and Islip for the pleasure of catching and eating him.” 141 Salvelinus alpinus (Linnaeus) Saibling (Introduced) Salmo alpinus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 309, 1758, Lapland, West Gothland. Salmo salvelinus LINNAEUS, op. et loc. cit. Lintz in Austria. Salmo salmarinus LINNAEUS, op. cit. 310, 1758. Salmo umbla LinNAEUvs, op. cit. 310, 1758, Lakes of Switzerland and Italy: Salmo ascanii Cuvier & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. X XI, 256, 1848, Norway. ‘ 276 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Salmo rivalis GAIMARD, Voyage en Island, Groenland, pl. 15, 1851, Iceland. Salmo willughbii GuNTHER, Proc. Zool. Soc. 46, 1862, Lake Windermere. Salmo grayi GUNTHER, Proc. Zool. Soc. 51, 1862, Lough Melvin, Ireland. Salmo colii GUNTHER, Proc. Zool. Soc. 12, 1863, Lough Hsk. Salmo perisii GUNTHER, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. XV, 75, 1865, North Wales. Salmo killinensis GUNTHER, Proc. Zool. Soc. 699, 1865; Loch Killin, Inver- ness. Salvelinus alpinus BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. Sterling Lake, New York & New Jersey; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Check-List Fish. N. A. 298, 1896; and Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 508, 1896. Salvelinus alpinus (Linnaeus) Salbling ; Saibling (Introduced) Body moderately elongate, compressed, its greatest depth two ninths of total length to caudal base; the caudal peduncle short and stout, its least depth two fifths of length of head; head rather short, its length contained from four and one third to four and one half times in total length to base of caudal (middle caudal rays). The body is somewhat elevated at the nape and for a short distance behind it. Mouth large, the maxilla reaching somewhat behind eye, its greatest width less ~ than one fourth of its length, the upper jaw one half as long as the head; eye rather large, nearly equal to snout, one fifth of length of head; interorbital space convex, one and one half times — diameter of eye; lower jaw very slightly projecting; vomerine teeth in a very small patch on the head of the bone, lingual teeth strong, teeth on both jaws well developed, those of the mandible strongest; gill rakers short, straight, very slender, the longest one half as long as the eye, 11 above and 14 below the angle of the first arch. The dorsal origin is nearer to tip of snout than to base of caudal, its distance from the snout equaling twice the length of head; the dorsal base is as long as the postorbital part of head; the longest dorsal ray is two thirds as long as the head, and nearly twice as long as the last ray. Adipose fin twice as long as wide, as long as the iris, its origin distant from base of middle caudal rays a space equal to length of head without the snout; the fin is over the end of anal base. Ventral midway between tip of snout and base of middle caudal FISHES OF NEW YORK yaw rays, its length two thirds of length of head; its appendage as long as.the eye. Anal fin distant from ventral origin a space equal to length of head; anal base as long as snout and eye combined; longest anal ray equal to ventral and nearly two and one half times last anal ray. Pectoral as Jong as the head without the snout. Caudal well forked, its outer rays about as long as the pectoral fin. Color of the upper parts dark gray or greenish, the sides with a silvery shade passing into a deep red or orange on the lower half and, specially, the belly; red spots on the sides; lower fins margined with white and a blackish shade within the margin; sides of the head silvery; dorsal and caudal fins uniform dusky, unspotted. The saibling has been introduced into the United States, and. a specimen was obtained from Sterling lake, N. J., Dec. 29, 1888. This was presented by A. 8S. Hewitt jr to Eugene G. Blackford of New York city, and by him forwarded to the U. S. National Museum for identification and preservation. The specimen is 92 inches long. It does not differ in any way from European specimens with which it has been compared, as may be seen from the following description. The greatest hight of the body equals two ninths of the total length without caudal; the least hight of the caudal peduncle is two fifths of greatest depth of body and one third of length of head. Head large, one fourth of total length without caudal; snout equal to eye, four in head; maxilla extending to slightly behind orbit, its width nearly one fourth of its length; mandible slightly projecting. Dorsal origin nearer to tip of snout than to base of caudal; base of dorsal one half as long as the head; longest dorsal ray equal to pectoral and nearly two thirds of length of head; last dorsal ray one third of length of head. Adipose fin over the last two or three anal rays, its length about equal to diameter of iris. The ventral origin is under the fifth or sixth divided ray of the dorsal; the fin is as long as the postorbital part of the head; its appendage is not quite one third as long as the fin, and equals the diameter of the iris. 278 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM The anal base is four ninths as long as the head; the last ray of the fin is one half as long as the longest, which is one half as long as the head. The pectoral reaches almost to below the origin of the dorsal, its length two thirds of length of head. Caudal deeply forked, its middle rays less than one half as long as the outer, which are equal to length of head without the snout. : The fish is an immature male with about 10 oblong parr marks on the sides and with a few narrow dark blotches simu- lating half bands on the back from near the nape to a point behind the dorsal fin; numerous pale spots along the middle of the sides, each of which no doubt had a vermilion spot in the center in life. ; Sterling lake is in New York and New Jersey; and it was stated that the trout are found in streams emptying into the lake. This is noteworthy as being the only instance, as far as known, of successful introduction of the saibling into our waters. 142 Salvelinus alpinus aureolus (Bean) Sunapee Trout; Golden Trout; Silver Trout (Introduced) Salvelinus aureolus BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 628, 1887, Sunapee Lake, New Hampshire. Salvelinus alpinus aureolus JORDAN, Forest & Stream, Jan. 22, 1891; QUACKENBOS, Trans. N. Y. Ac. Sci. XII, 189, 1898; JorDAN & EVER- MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 511, 1896, pl. LX XXIII, fig. 220, 1900. Salmo alpinus GARMAN, American Angler, Feb. 5, 1891. » The type of the description, no. 39834, was obtained in Sun- apee lake, N. H., in the fall of 1887 by Dr John D. Quackenbos. The length of the specimen to the caudal base is 62 inches. The greatest hight of the body equals the length of the head, and is contained about four times in the total without caudal. The least hight of the tail equals one third the length of the head. The maxilla reaches past the middle, but not to the end of the eye; its length is contained about two and two thirds times in length of head. The length of the upper jaw is contained about two and one third times in the length of the head, and is equal to the longest anal ray. The eye is a little longer than FISHES OF NEW YORK 279 the snout, and is contained four and two seventh times in the length of the head. Hyoid teeth well developed. The first dorsal is a little nearer the tip of snout than to the base of caudal, and the length of its base is one half the length of the head. The adipose dorsal is distant from end of first dorsal a space equal to twice the length of the ventral. The anal is at a distance from the snout equal to about three times the length of the head. The longest anal ray is equal to the length of the upper jaw. The length of the middle caudal rays is equal to twice the diameter of the eye. The ventral is situated midway between the tip of the snout and caudal base; its length equals one half the length of the head. The length of the pectoral is about twice the width of the interorbital area. B. 10; D. iv, 9; A. ili, 8; P. 18; V. 9. Scales 35—210-40; gill rakers 6+10-12. The peculiarity of the gill rakers of this trout is that they are always curled up at the ends and not straight, as in the oquassa from Maine. Sides silvery white. Back with about six well defined bandlike markings, besides some irregular dark blotches. There are about 10 parr marks on the sides, and numerous small, roundish, white spots. In colors this char is different from the oquassa from Maine, but, if fresh specimens of the Maine trout were compared with this young fish, the difference in color might not be so great. The specimen described is a young male with the spermaries showing as a mere slight ribbon. Its stomach contained an earthworm and the wing cases of a squash beetle. The other two specimens (somewhat smaller) are females far from maturity. : In a female, no. 37408, 11 inches in total length, both parr marks and bands across the back show very plainly. This female has a few free eggs in the abdominal cavity and seems to be nearly spent. In examples of this size the tail is deeply forked, the middle rays being less than one half as long as the external rays. In males the pectoral is always longer than in females of equal size. 280 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM The following color notes were taken from nos. 38321 to 38328, collected by Col. Hodge in Sunapee lake, Dec: 10, 1886. Head and upper parts brownish gray, caudal the same, with the exception of a narrow white margin on the lower lobe; under surface of head, in most examples, brownish gray, in’ others whitish; belly orange, this color extending up on the sides but not to the middle line of the body; anal orange, with white margin in front; ventrals orange, with broad white margin on the outer rays; pectorals, gray upper half, and orange lower half; dorsal gray, lighter along the base; sides, both above and below lateral line, with numerous orange spots, fading out to whitish. The largest of these spots are little more than one third as long as the iris. No mottlings anywhere. MEASUREMENTS | Current number of specimen........-..-.--.. 37408 Q 39334 ¢ Locality. 20.0. 05s cdeeracetenes sanestesee ean ae: SUNAPEE LAKE, N. H. SUNAPEE LAKE, N. H. Millinte. 4 cures Millime- 100ths nee length eS length Length to base of caudal.......... 257 100 160 100 Body: Greatest Mishtus 3.2 (eee 51 20 38 23Y, Greatest width. 24/23. ene see 25 914 iu roe at Might at Wentrais. ty: tek os 49 19 36.23) 22. beasr hight-ot tails Je06 ae 21 8 138 8 Length of longest gill raker.. 4 11%4 2 114 Head: Greatest ACNE ocho cu aes oes 54 Zell ee 2315 Distance from snout to nape... 36 14 Nea 4 167% Greatest, width”. 2-280 26.4% 24. 3 18 tel Width of interorbital area.... 18 6% Wal 6144 Leneth (Of “SWOUC. 2%. ies ole ie 16h + fi 4 Length of operculum ......... 13 5 span real! Length, of maxillary i042 vic 4 21 8 14 84 Length of upper jaw.......... 25) 91% 16% 10 Length of mandible.......... 31 12 Pau 13 Distance from snout to orbit. . 13 5 8 5 Diameter .of Orbits. ci pine es 13 5) ad 6% Dianteter Ot- 11S. cea eee 9 316 84 ob Dorsal (first): Distance: from: snout ius ese. 112 431% 76 47 engi On (Pase: . 5.2 cate a 28 it 19 11% Length of lomgest ray......... 32 12% - 21 13 Length Oraast Tage. see oes ee i; 5% V4 ren ia. FISHES OF NEW YORK . 281 MEASUREMENTS Current number of specimen..-.......--..---- 37408 2 39334 ¢ DIAG YP ee aoe anc fs tec semen nee e SUNAPEE LAKE, N. H. SUNAPEE LAKE, N. H. Millime- 10ths Millime- —*00the BES length fees length Dorsal (soft): | Krom origin of first-!.........- 90 35 60 37% | Length along hind margin.... 9 314 6 373 imene th Of base. is yi2tieve 0. Sie 5 2 3 1% Anal: Distance [rom Snout:.3.. 252-4. 183 ce LEG. 73 ened? Of ASC Ye Uies fees 3s 22 81, 15 9 MORPCSUMTAY Fr f8 Se Ae Ee 28 11 164% 10 MEAT ICI eo ae a pet ae Sh tal 13 5 8 a Caudal: Length of middle rays from emirotseales: bi) omssre ole. 18 674 11 8 Length of external rays....... 41 154 By 19%6 Pectoral: Distanee from ‘snout ./.2 255. . +. 53 2014 36 22 Aerio th = 6 ioe oo Te oS pee Ll Nr eae 37 1414 24 14% Ventral: Wistance TOM ‘SHOUT. wo 2S... 127 49 84 5216 MeN ences levers Ses ess Tle ean 3 : 31 12 20 1214 Length of appendage......... os 5, 8 5 } Besmchiostesals:.. 0.0.2.8. .s es ek 10 vee W vee f 2 OLS is Rae Bs a Sd er ara SR EN 9 ast y 2 TS US SS ge meee em ol ta s ee S ee i EGTA NR WR Sigg! pera SAC A me Saas Sa 13 Aes A mecttagteae set ee ee ete rey 1,8 ie ei ye: i Number of scales in lateral line... afte i eae 210 Number of transverse rows above Rearsteen ning... nae dee tec ae cies S 34 seis 35 tape 4 Number of transverse rows below . i OMT E Bia SSE Se eee pen ce ee ree ee 38 ous 40) Number of gill rakers......../... zs fei ae Number of caecal appendages..... a39 The golden trout is a native of Sunapee lake and Dan Hole i pond, in New Hampshire, and of Flood’s pond, in Maine. Doubt- ii less it exists in.other lakes of New England and British North i America. It is a large species, reaching a length of 20 inches and the weight of 6 or 8 pounds; even larger individuals have been reported. Spawning takes place in Sunapee lake on reefs in _ Shallow water and not in the streams tributary to the lake; the aina , 37409. 282 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM season is about the same as for the brook trout. The colors of the male in the breeding season are gorgeous, and the sight of a host of spawning fish in the water is one to be remembered. Many large and small trout of this kind have been deposited in Lake George and other suitable waters of the state. Family ARGENTINIDAE Smelts : Genus osmerts (Artedi) Linnaeus Body elongate, compressed; head long, pointed; mouth wide, the slender maxillary extending to past the middle of the eye, lower jaw projecting, preorbital and suborbital bones narrow; maxillaries and premaxillaries with fine teeth, lower jaw with small teeth, which are larger posteriorly, tongue with a few strong, fanglike teeth, largest at the tip, hyoid bone, vomer, pala- tines and pterygoids with wide set teeth; gill rakers long and slender; branchiostegals 8; scales large, loose, 60 to 70 in the course of the lateral line; dorsal small, about midway of the body, over the ventrals; anal rather long; vertebrae about 40; pyloric caeca small, few. Small fishes of the coasts of Europe and northern America, sometimes ascending rivers; delicate in flesh and considerably valued as food. (After Jordan and Ever- mann) 143 Osmerus mordax (Mitchill) Smelt; Ice Fish Atherina mordax MiTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 446, 1815, New York. Osmerus viridescens LE SuEuR, Jour. Aa Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 230, May, 1818, Boston to Newport; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 248, pl. 39, fig. 124, 1842, streams flowing into Long Island Sound, Hackensack & Passaic rivers; STORER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 197, 1846; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish, Brit. Mus. VI, 167, 1866. Osmerus mordax JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 293, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 64, pl. 26, fig. 46, 1898; JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 523, 1896, pl. LX X XVI, fig. 228, 1900; HvER- MANN & KENDALL, Rept. U. S. Commr. Fish & Fisheries for 1894, 593, 1896, Lake Memphremagog & Lake Champlain. The smelt has an elongate and somewhat compressed body and a long, pointed head, with the lower jaw projecting. The mouth FISHES OF NEW YORK 283 is large, the maxilla extending slightly behind the eye. Small teeth on the intermaxillaries and maxillaries and the front of the lower jaw. Posteriorly the teeth of the mandible are larger. The tongue is armed with a few large fanglike teeth, and there are widely set teeth on the vomer, palate, and ptery- goid bones and at the root of the tongue. Gill rakers long and slender; branchiostegals eight; the dorsal small, nearly median over the ventrals; anal moderately long; scales large, thin, easily deciduous, in about 75 rows along the sides; lateral line short, not extending much beyond the end of the pectoral; a few small pyloric caeca. The hight of the body is nearly one fifth of the total length, without caudal, and nearly equal to the length of head. The eye is nearly one fifth as long as the head. The pectoral equals the longest dorsal ray in length and, also, length of anal base. The ventral is one half as long as the head. Longest anal ray not much more than one half the anal base. D.1ii, 8; A. ii, 14; V. ii, 7. The upper parts are greenish; a broad silvery band along the sides; body and fins with numerous minute dusky points. The smelt is known along our east coast from Labrador to Virginia. It probably extends still farther north, but the record of W. A. Stearns, published in the proceedings of the National Museum for 1883, p. 124, fixes the most northern locality known at present. He found the smelt common in August in shoal water off the wharves of Cape Breton. In Pennsylvania the fish 3s common in the spring in the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. In numerous lakes of Maine, New Hampshire, and other New England states, the smelt is common landlocked, and thrives as well as in the salt water. De Kay knew the smelt as a marine species ascending the Hackensack and Passaic rivers. The species occurs also in Lakes Champlain and Memphremagog. In the former lake it reaches a large size. At Port Henry N. Y. the fish is called ice fish. Its range has been widely extended by artificial introduction, which is very easily effected by transporting the fertilized eggs —— oe Se — 284 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM from the small brooks in which the species spawns. The eggs are adhesive and attach themselves to stones, and their trans- portation is accomplished very easily. The smelt grows to a length of 1 foot; the average size as found in the markets is about 7 inches. It enters the rivers for the purpose of spawning and is most abundant in the winter and early spring months. Spawning takes place in the Raritan river, N. J..in March. The eggs of the smelt have been arti . ficially hatched by Mr Ricardo, Fred Mather and other fish culturists. | ~The smelt is an excellent food fish and is also used for bait, and still more extensively as food for landlocked salmon, lake and brook trout and other important salmonoids, which are artificially reared in lakes. It has proved to be one of the best fishes for this purpose. Immense quantities of smelts are caught during the winter months in nets, seines and by hook and line. They are usually shipped to market in the frozen con- dition, packed in snow or crushed ice. The fish which have not been frozen, however, are prized more highly than any others. The smelt begins to run into Gravesend bay in December and remains during cold weather. In the spring it ascends rivers to spawn. The eggs are small (#¢ inch in diameter) and number 496,000 to the fluid quart; they adhere to stones, twigs etc. on the bottom. Some females begin to spawn when only 3 or 4 inches long. : In fish cultural operations “ the spawning fish, of both sexes, are placed in troughs, which are covered to exclude light, which is very injurious to the eggs. The eggs are naturally laid and fertilized, and become attached to each other and to the troughs. They are scooped up with a flat shovel, placed on wire trays in water, and are forced through the meshes of the trays to sepa- rate them. They are hatched in automatic shad jars, blanketed to exclude light. If during hatching the eggs bunch, they are removed from the jars and again passed through the meshes of the wire trays.” The fry are hardy in transportation. FISHES OF NEW YORK ; 285 ® In captivity the adults live till about the end of June, when the water becomes too warm and they die. Their food consists mainly of shrimps and other small crustaceans. Order 1NOMI Lantern Fishes Family syNODONTIDAE Lizard Fishes Genus synopus (Gronow) Bloch & Schneider First superior pharyngeal cartilaginous, second without teeth, third and fourth separate, with teeth; lower pharyngeals sep- arate; body elongate, subterete; head depressed, the snout tri- angular, rather pointed; interorbital region transversely con- cave; mouth very wide; premaxillaries not protractile, very long and strong, more than half length of head, maxillaries closely connected with them, very small or obsolete, premaxillaries with one or two series of large, compressed, knife shaped teeth, the inner and larger depressible, palatine teeth similar, smaller, in a single broad band; lower jaw with a band of rather large teeth, the inner and larger teeth depressible, a patch of strong, depressible teeth on the tongue in front, and a long row along the hyoid bone; jaws nearly equal in front; eye rather large, anterior, supraorbital forming a projection above the eye; pseudobranchiae well developed; gill rakers very small, spine- like; gill membranes slightly connected; top of head naked; cheeks and opercles scaled like the body; body covered with rather small, adherent, cycloid scales; lateral line present; no luminous spots; dorsal fin short, rather anterior; pectorals moderate, inserted high; ventrals anterior, not far behind pec- torals, large, the inner rays longer than the outer; anal short; caudal narrow, forked; vent posterior, much nearer base of caudal than base of ventrals; branchiostegals 12 to 16; stomach with a long, blind sac and many pyloric caeca; skeleton rather firm. 286 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 144 Synodus foetens (Linnaeus) TAzard Fish Salmo foetens LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, I, 513, 1766, South Garolina. Esor salmoneus MiITcuHILyL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 442, 1815, New. York. Saurus mexicanus CUVIER, Régne Anim. ed. II, 314, 1829, Mexico. Saurus foetens GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. V, 396, 1864. Synodus foetens JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 280, 1883; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 148, 1888, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 275, 1890; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 538, 1896, pl. LXXXVIITI, fig. 286, 1900. Body slender, elongate fusiform, its greatest depth about one seventh of total length without caudal; caudal peduncle short, stout, its least depth equal to length of snout; head conical, Sharply pointed, its length contained four and one third times in total without caudal; snout much flattened above, pointed, its length about one fourth the length of head, and nearly twice diameter of eye; jaws nearly equal in front or the lower included, maxilla reaching well behind orbit, the upper jaw as long as postorbital part of head; anterior nostril with a flap, posterior simple, the anterior nearer to eye than to tip of snout; eye small, partiy on top of head, two elevenths of length of head, about two thirds of interorbital width; teeth of upper jaw closing down over the mandible; dorsal origin nearer to tip of snout than to base of caudal, over the 18th scale of the lateral line, dorsal base one half as long as the head, longest dorsal ray equal to upper jaw, last dorsal ray one third as long as head; adipose dorsal very small and slender, its length not equal to eye; ventral equidistant from tip of snout and vent, the fin four fifths as long as the head; pectoral short and rounded, its length equal to snout and eye combined; anal origin distant from caudal base a Space equal to one fourth the length without caudal, anal base three fifths as long as the head, longest anal ray one half as long as head without the snout, last anal ray one half as long as anal base; caudal deeply forked, the middle rays less than one half as long as the outer; interorbital space slightly concave. D. 10, the first two and the iast simple; A. 14; V.8; P.14. Scales 7-59-7; here described from specimens numbered 35936, U. S. National Museum, from Fire island, L. I. FISHES OF NEW YORK 287 Color of upper parts olive brown or grayish, sides below lateral line paler, belly yellowish, pectorals, ventrals and anal with a yellow tint, caudal dusky, dorsal with traces of narrow bars, inside of mouth and of gill openings yellow. The lizard fish reaches a length of 12 inches; it is found from Cape Cod to Brazil, being very common from Virginia southward. It comes into shallow waters during the summer and remains on the New York coast till October. It is a voracious species, of no value as food. Adults and young of this species are rather common in the Great Egg bay region, N. J. At Beesleys Point, Sep. 2, 1887, a small individual was found to have swalloweda Pleuronectes americanus, which distended the stomach of its captor laterally to nearly twice its normal width. Abundant in thoroughfares near Somers Point August 30. One individual taken is 7# inches long. Some very large ones have been seen; an example caught at Beesleys Point, Septem- ber 9, is nearly 9 inches long, and we have secured some larger than this. The species is unknown to the fishermen. The lizard fish, called sand pike by some authors, is the trout pike of Mitchill. Besides bearing these names, it is known as snakefish, cigar fish and spearfish. The species appears not to have been known to De Kay. It is very common in Great South _bay, 36 specimens having been taken in the latter part of Sep- tember and the first two days of October. Mitchill’s examples from the head of New York bay were from 8 to 9 inches long. in Great Egg Harbor bay, though it is a very common fish, the fishermen have no name for it. Order HAPLUMI Pikelike Fishes Family UMBRIDAE Mud Minnows Genus umpra (Kramer) Miiller a Body oblong, covered with cycloid scales of moderate size, without radiating striae; no lateral line; head shortish, little = 288 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM depressed; eye rather small; cleft of mouth moderate; ventral fins 6-rayed, below or slightly in front of dorsal; anal fin much shorter than dorsal; pectorals rather narrow, rounded, placed low, with 12 to 15 rays, which are much articulated; caudal rounded; preopercle and preorbital with mucous pores; branchi- ostegals six; gill rakers short, thick. Size small. Three species, very similar to each other, inhabiting the waters of the United States and Austria. ' 145 Umbra limi (Kirtland) Mud Minnow ; Dogfish Hydrargira limi KirnTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. III, 277, pl. II, fig. 4, 1841. Hydrargira fusca THompson, Nat. Hist. Vermont, 137, 1842, Lake Cham- plain. Hydrargira atricauda DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 220, 1842. Hydrargyra fusca STORER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 182, 1846. Umbra limi GuntuEr, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 232, 1866; JorpAN & GIL- BERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 350, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 88, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 623, 1896. The mud minnow has a comparatively short and stout body, its depth not equal to the length of the head and about one fourth of total without caudal. The length of the head equals two sevenths of the total. The head is flattened above and rather large. D. 14; A. 9; V. 6. Scales in lateral line 35, in transverse series 15. | Bae The color is dark olive or greenish, and the sides have irregular, narrow, pale bars, which are sometimes obscure or absent. A black bar at the base of the tail. : The mud minnow, mud dace or dogfish is found in the Great lakes region from Lake Champlain to Minnesota, being most abundant in Wisconsin. It is occasionally taken in the Ohio valley. It was not found by Dr Meek at Ithaca; but was taken in small numbers near Cayuga and Montezuma. The fish was taken by U.S. Fish Commission collectors in Griffon creek, Chau- mont N. Y. July 7, and in Mill creek, Sacketts Harbor N. Y. July 2. De Kay had specimens from Lake Champlain. It grows to a length of 4 inches. It has no value whatever except as food for other species. Like the related mud minnow b FISHES OF NEW YORK 289 next mentioned, it is hardy and interesting in the aquarium. The name mud minnow relates to a singular habit of the fish of burrowing into the mud when the water evaporates out of a pond. It has been related that this fish has been plowed up in ponds and swamps which have become dried out. Prof. Baird has recorded the following fact about this species. ‘“ A locality which with the water perfectly clear, will appear destitute of fish will perhaps yield a number of mudfish on stirring up the mud on the bottom and drawing a seine through it. Ditches on the plains of Wisconsin or mere bog holes affording lodgment to nothing beyond tadpoles may thus be found full of melanuras.” The mud minnow shipped from Caledonia N.Y. by James Annin jr in wet moss has survived a 12 hours’ journey; but it has never proved hardy either in balanced tanks or in running water. This is remarkable, because there is evidence to prove that the species can endure alternate freezing and thawing with- out permanent injury. 146 Umbra pygmaea (De Kay) Striped Mud Minnow Leuciscus pygmaeus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 214, pl. 42, fig. 134, 1842, Tappan, Rockland Co., N. Y.; STORER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 162, 1846. Fundulus fuscus AYRES, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. IV, 296, pl. XIII, fig. 2, 1844, Brookhaven, Long Island. Melanura annulata AGAssiz, Amer. Jour. Sci. Arts, 135, 1854. Umbra pygmaea JORDAN, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. X, 53, 1877; BEAN, Fishes (Penna. 88, 18938; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 624, 1896, pl. XCIX, fig. 268, 1900; MEARNS, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 317, 1898. Umbra limi. pygmaea BLATCHLEY, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 13, 1885. Melanura pygmaea BEAN, Bull. U. 8. F. C. VII, 147, 1888. The body of the mud minnow is oblong, robust; its greatest depth is contained slightly more than four times in the total length without the caudal and not equal to length of head. The snout is short; eye moderate about equal to snout, four and one half in head. Cardiform teeth on premaxillaries, lower jaw, vyomer and palatine bones. The gill openings are very wide, the rakers short and rather numerous; jaws short, gape of mouth 290 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM rather wide. The body is covered with rather large cycloid scales, and the head is almost entirely scaled. D. 14; A. 8. Scales eight or nine in a transverse series, 35 from head to tail. Color dark green, more or less mottled (in spirits brownish) ;. sides with a dozen pale longitudinal streaks, regularly ar- ranged; a darker stripe through eye; black bar at base of tail, which is present in very young examples as well as in the adult. The eastern mud minnow is found from New York to South Carolina in Atlantic streams. According to Prof. Cope it is very common near Philadelphia. De Kay had very small indi- viduals from brooks near Tappan, Rockland co. N. Y. Dr Theo- dore Gill collected specimens in the same county in 1855. The species grows to a length of about 5 inches, and is well adapted for aquarium life, but has no other value except as food for larger fishes. Its habits are similar to those of the species last described. | The body is stouter than in Umbra limi; the headas broader, less flattened on top, with a larger eye, shorter snout and the profile more convex. The dogfish is a most peculiar fish, as voracious as a pike and as tough-lived as a catfish. It requires but little water and can often be dug from the moist mud of ditches the water of which has evaporated. None may be found in a stream, but the puddles and muskrat holes alongside may be full of them. It is a good deal of an air-breather, rising to the surface to gulp in air and then descending again, in the fashion of the paradise fish. In the aquarium it is very hardy and apt to annoy other species by driving them around and attacking their fins. When exposed to the air in freezing weather, it succumbs almost instantly, also when put into water containing much lime; on the other hand, hot weather does not in the least trouble it, except that it gets its supply of air more frequently. In movement it is very erratic, now dashing about as if mad, again standing perfectly motionless in the water, only moving the pectorals and ventrals “like a dog, running,” again only moving pectorals and the rear part of the dorsal or the latter FISHES OF NEW YORK 291 fin alone. It can turn its head sideways at an angle and remain awhile in that position. When feeding, it gorges the morsel at one attempt, after star- ing at ita while. Sometimes when overfed, the dogfish can not swim about at all, but lies like a log on the bottom. (After Eugene Smith?) Family LuUCIDAE Pikes Genus Lucius Rafinesque Body elongate, not elevated, more or less compressed pos- teriorly, broad anteriorly; head long, the snout prolonged and depressed; mouth very large, its cleft forming about half the length of the head; lower jaw the longer; upper jaw not pro- tractile, most of its margin formed by the maxillaries, which are quite long and provided with a supplemental bone, pre- maxillaries, vomer and palatines with broad bands of strong cardiform teeth which are more or less movable; lower jaw with strong teeth of different sizes; tongue with a band of small teeth; head naked above; cheeks and opercles more or less scaly; gill openings very wide; gill membranes separate, free from the isthmus; gill rakers tuberclelike, toothed; branchio- stegals 12 to 20; scales small; lateral line weak, obsolete in young specimens, developed in the adult; dorsal posterior, opposite and similar to anal; caudal fin emarginate; pectoral fins small, inserted low; ventrals rather posterior; vent normal; no adipose fin; no barbels; stomach not caecal, without pyloric appendages; pseudobranchiae glandular, hidden; air bladder simple. Basis cranii double (Cope). Fishes of moderate or large size, inhabiting the fresh waters of the northern parts of Europe, Asia and North America. The genus Lucius is readily subdivided into three groups distinguished by their size, scaling and coloration. In the first group are three species of true pickerels, in which the cheeks and opercles are entirely scaly, the color is greenish, usually with dark reticulations, and the largest species reaches a- 1Linn. soc. N. Y. Proc. 1897. no. 9, Dp. 27-28. 292 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM length of about 2 feet. To this group the subgeneric name Kenoza is sometimes applied; it includes the banded pick- erel, the little pickerel and the chain pickerel, all of which occur in New York. 147 Lucius americanus (Gmelin) Banded Pickerel Hsox lucius 3 americanus GMELIN, Syst. Nat. 1390, 1788, Long Island, New York. Esox niger LE SuEuR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. I,:415, 1818, Lake Sara- toga, New York; STorer, Syn. Fish. N. A. 185, 1846; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 229, 1866. Esox scomberius MitTrcuityt, Amer. Month. Ne Il, 322, March, 1818, Murderer’s Creek, New York. Esox fasciatus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 224, pl. 34, fig. 110, 1842, streams and ponds of Long Island. Esox raveneli HOLBROOK, Ichth. 8. C. 201, 1860, Charleston, S. C. Esox americanus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 352, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna, 89, pl. 28, fig. 53, 1893. Lucius americanus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 626, 1896. The banded pickerel has an elongate body; its depth con- tained about five times in the total length without caudal; the length of the head three and one fourth times in the standard length. The snout is contained two and two thirds times in the length of the head, and the eye five and one half times in the same length. The maxillary extends to vertical through middle of eye; the lower jaw projects considerably beyond the upper. Teeth in the jaws strong, directed backwards. The ventral is placed in middle of body, the dorsal and anal fins far back, opposite each other; their longest rays of about the same — length, much longer than the bases of the fins. Caudal deeply emarginate. B. 11-138; D. 11-14; A. 11-12. Scales in lateral line 105. The body is usually dark green, sometimes brownish black, above; the sides greenish yellow with about 20 dark curved bars, which are generally very distinct; dorsal and caudal fins dark brown, the other fins lighter, sometimes red- dish; a dark bar from the eye to angle of jaw, another from the snout through the eye to upper edge of opercle. The banded pickerel is probably identical with the “ mackerel pike” of Mitchill. It is a small fish, seldom exceeding 13 FISHES OF NEW YORK 293 inches in length, and will not average more than $ pound in weight. It occurs only east of the Alleghanies, from Massa- chusetts to Florida in coastwise streams. In Pennsylvania it is limited to waters in the eastern part of the state, and the Same is true in New York. This pickerel is too small to have much importance as a food fish. It resembles in general appearance and habits the little pickerel of the west. It frequents clear, cold and rapid brooks and is said to associate with the brook trout without injury to the latter. | Dec. 30, 1895, James Annin jr sent from Rockland N. Y. a small pickerel which had attracted his attention on account of its colors and markings. It was taken in a small spring brook, tributary to the Beaver kill, which, about 10 or 15 miles below, unites with the Delaware. Subsequently two examples were forwarded alive from the same place, and one of them is still living in the aquarium 1897. The following notes and measure- ments, in inches, relate to the first individual of undetermined sex, the organs being undeveloped. MEASUREMENTS Inches eneth! imelindine: cand al Mime. cs. j35. 04 he oes a's mo daewoo’ 73% External caudal lobe (horizontally)... ....0.....0.006 1% Middle caudal rays (from end of scales).............. Vy Boney Oi, Wea asi emsc ees fic tila cones Galo eke ehabele eons ene > 1% StEAtest GepthoOrsvOGy. oc eos elciss out e kee ees cates 1% meas: adept of Candal Pedunele.¢ 2 oijoe 53. is we oe os wale % Pe GR OL SMOUTs =. cis cters cette anon Rica te o SiGe wie cele she 5B Baar cinGas 1AseI aS SN na eo eet I OR ie Rhee Se eh ié Renere Of Mand Dley 8257 ek oes ee ee ee «oes es! lis PamMeemnGgl GYVOs. BO. 1g Sek be ea ene ee Bl ccs Be ie, S/he ie ishwice from’ Snot 10: WOrsdlae wees s/s Aiaisked fs < His Meee OTsaoTSAl DASE .%; 2. soba eal he otc 2 \e oa 8 ea 8 tp denote jonvest dorsal Tay zens ashes’ h oo oeeraij. (ose 34 From end of dorsal to caudal origin. ................. TR Distance: from, snout to PechOwals oa5 foes. eh SS ee 1% dreucihe GIP PECLORAL. (22154. of Sous SR. 2% 236 21% WENSth. OF MIANOIBIE So. cick cc acre clon 3% 4 334 TRMAIME OE-OL EY Creare ee ll ois) sivic == Ye 18 1s Distance from snout to dorsal...... ...... 18% 1634 @iuensth- of, dorsal basesni5; 6. eso, 2s ek 234 27% Hench of lonsest Morsal ray oss. os oe "3 27% 2% Distance from snout to ventral..... ...... 13% 12% Meo OF OV CTETAL Gee ak. cease. SA0CAt 2 ERs 2% 23% Pee a eth, Of: aTiah PASEE oe clogs Gon. kee pied ecet Pee eke 2% 21% ACHE tM OL 1ONAESUs aA LCRA Ver! tats o's s 7h iate oie, « 234, 2x Pech | Of APOE ROE ee eee eo ears hie ye eae 234 ts Branchiostegals ............- See 19 18 19 Dorsal rays (developed)............ 18 16 17 ' Anal rays (developed).............. 16 15 15 ’ RGONUSUOL SGARES Suz tis 47). ke Ua Seas oe Gas TS Oe oi ESR ET Us Ia re CY ig SR IR AS BB Rete il AY od By RS en Oh abe deprnte ge In all the specimens the maxilla extends to below the front edge of the pupil. The gill rakers are mere clumps of spiny tubercles. In the two males the diameter of the eye is con- tained from four and one third to five times in the length of the . snout, and from 10 to 11 times in the length of the head. In the individual of Dec. 4, 1895, the lateral line tubes are distributed over various parts of the sides without much regu- larity except in the median line. There are no black spots. About 20 entire, blotchlike, irregular cross bands and several parts of bands and blotches intervening. The lower third of 306 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM the pectoral is pink. The dorsal, caudal and anal with dark blotches making pseudo bands. Iris lemon yellow overlying sil- very white. The general color is olive green with golden tints. The two males of May 4, 1896, furnished the following color notes. Olive green tinged with golden bronze; sides with about 23. irregular dusky blotches resembling interrupted bands; dorsal.,. caudal and anal with numerous large dusky blotches, those on dorsal and anal almost forming bands; iris lemon yellow and. silvery in the larger, almost vermilion and orange in smaller; a. dark blotch at upper edge of opercle. The Chautauqua lake mascalonge, according to James Anninm jr who sent the specimens, is a very fine food and game fish, and attains to the weight of 50 pounds. In the spring of 1895 it was not unusual to capture individuals weighing from 40 to: 50 pounds, and 20 to 30 pounds was a very common weight. In winter the fish frequent nearly the same localities as in sum- mer, being found in the vicinity of water plants. When the lake: becomes very clear in February, they go into deep water, but they live in deep water more or less all the year. For the)fish culture operations the nets are set as soon after the first of April as the ice leaves the lake. The fish begin to> spawn a few days after and continue till the latter part of April. They go into shallower water for spawning; most of them spawn in from 10 to 15 feet of water. They do not resort to- the gravel, like many other fish, but to mud, generally going into bays. The eggs are placed in boxes, all of which are pro- vided with screens at top and bottom. The bottom has an extra screen, to prevent minnows from injuring the eggs. The boxes: are sunk from 1 foot to 2 feet under the surface of the water.. Every day or two they are drawn up, the covers removed, and all. bad eggs and sediment cleaned out. During the first experiments in Chautauqua lake, N. Y. Monroe: Green and Jonathan Mason obtained the eggs in April and May 1890, and these were artificially hatched. A large female: yielded 60,000 eggs. With the water at the temperature of 40° FISHES OF NEW YORK 307 to 46° very few of the eggs were developed, but when it neared 60°, in May, better results were secured. May 27, 75,000 young fish were planted in the lake. The eggs were hatched in a box suspended about 4 feet from the bottom in 18 feet of water. Family POECILIIDAE Killifishes Genus FunpuLus Lacépéde Body rather elongate, little elevated, compressed behind; mouth moderate, the lower jaw projecting, jaws each with two or more series of pointed teeth, usually forming a narrow band, bones of the mandible firmly united; scales moderate; gill open- ing not restricted above, the opercle with its margin not adnate to shoulder girdle; preopercie, preorbital, and mandible with mucous pores; dorsal and anal fins similar, small, or rather large, the dorsal inserted either in front of, above, or \behind, the front of anal; ventrals well developed; air bladder present; sexes differing in color, size, and development of the fins, the anal fin in the male normal; intestinal canal short; first superior pharyngeal without teeth, second with teeth, third and fourth coossified, with teeth. Species very numerous, mostly Ameri- can, inhabiting fresh waters and arms of the sea. They are the largest in size of the cyprinodonts, and some of them are very brightly colored. They are oviparous and feed chiefly on animals. Some of them are bottom fishes, burying themselves in the mud of estuaries; others swim freely in river channels and bays; still others are “top minnows,” surface swimmers, feeding on floating insects in swamps and streams. 153 Fundulus majalis (Walbaum) Bass Kully Cobitis majalis WALBAUM, Artedi, Gen. Pisc. III, 12, 1792, Long Island. Esox flavulus MitcHiL1i, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 439, pl. IV, fig. 8, 1815, New York. Esoz zonatus MITCHILL, op. cit. 440, 1815, New York. Fundulus fasciatus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 216, pl. 31, fig. 98, 1842. Hydrargyra majalis CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XVIII, 207, 1846. ~ 308 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Fundulus majalis GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus, VI, 322, 1866; Jorpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 331, 1888; BEAN, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 274, pl. XXII, figs. 28 & 29, 1890; Fishes Penna, 84, pl. 27, fig. 51, 1898; JornpDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus, 689, 1896, pl. CI, figs. 271, 271la, 271b, 1900; Bran, 52d Ann, Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 98, 1900. The body is stout, oblong, not very deep or greatly com- pressed. The head is contained nearly two and one half times in the total length without caudal, and the depth four times. The snout is moderately long, one and one half times as long as the eye; the eye one fifth as long as head. The scales are moderately large, those on the head about equal to the average of those on the body; scales on the cheeks in about three longi- tudinal rows; about 12 rows between dorsal origin and nape. The pectoral in both sexes equals the distance from the middle of the eye to the end of the head. The ventral and anal are longer in the male than in the female. In the male the ventral is one half as long‘as the head, in the female only about two fifths of the head. The longest anal ray of the male equals four fifths of the length of the head, while in the female it is scarcely more than one half as long as the head. ‘The dorsal of the male is differently shaped from that of the female, its last rays being nearly as long as the longest, while in the female the last ray is not much more than one half the length of longest ray. D.18-14; A.11. Scales 35-15. The sexes may be at once distinguished by their difference in color, the female having several narrow lateral stripes, while the male has distinct cross bands varying from 12 to 20 in num- ber. In the male the sides and upper parts are dark olivaceous; the sides are silvery, lower parts a beautiful yellowish green; the sides are also marked by a varying number of dark bands, the width of which varies also. A large black spot on the operculum. The dorsal is olivaceous with a black blotch, some- times circular in form, on the last three or four rays. The pectorals are yellowish; ventrals yellowish green; anal oliva- ceous; caudal orange. In the female the lower parts are white, upper parts olivaceous, and along the sides is a median dark FISHES OF NEW YORK 309 band, and below this are two short, interrupted dark bars. Two or more short, transverse, dark bars on the caudal peduncle. The striped killifish, also known as the banded or striped mummichog, bass mummy, bass fry, mayfish, yellow-tail, and New York gudgeon, is the largest member of its family known on our eastern coast. Its range extends from Cape Cod to Florida. Prof. Cope thinks that in Pennsylvania it probably ascends the Delaware as far as the boundary of the state, and I see no reason to doubt its occurrence even in fresh water. The female is usually larger than the male, and examples measuring 8 inches iv length have been recorded. It swarms in shallow bays and salt marshes, and though not used as food, it is extremely important for the subsistence of economic species and is, also, extensively used for bait. The name bass mummy, applied to the species on Long Island, refers to its use in the capture of striped bass.. The species breeds in summer, and the young are abundant in shallow water among eel grass and other aquatic plants. A permanent resident in Gravesend bay. In winter it inhabits deep, muddy holes at the mouths of creeks. In captivity it is the least hardy of all the marine killifishes. 154 Fundulus heteroclitus (Linnaeus) Killifish ; Mummichog Cobitis heteroclita LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, I, 500, 1766, Charles- ton, S. C. Poecilia macrolepidota WaALBAuM, Artedi, Gen. Pisce. III, 11, 1792, Long Island. Esoz pisciculus M1TcHILu, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 440, 1815, New York. , Esox pisculentus MITCHILL, op. cit. 441, 1815, New York. Fundulus viridescens DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 217, pl. 31, fig. 99, 1842, New York. Fundulus zebra DE KaAy, op. cit. 218, 1842, New York. Fundulus pisculentus STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 294, 1867. Fundulus heteroclitus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 318, 1866; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 336, 18838; Bran, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 274, pl. XXIII, fig. 30, 1890; Fishes Penna. 86, pl. 28, fig. 52, 1893; 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 98, 1900. F'undulus heteroclitus macrolepidotus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. 8. Nat. Mus. 641, 1896, pl. CII, fig. 273, male, 1900; Mearns, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 317, 1898, salt creeks along the Hudson. a { 310 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM ~ The body is short and stout in both sexes; its depth one fourth of the length including the tail and slightly greater than the length of the head. The head is moderately short, with an obtuse snout and the space between the eyes very flat. The lower jaw projects slightly. The eye is about two thirds as long as the snout and one fifth the length of the head. The pectoral reaches to the ninth or tenth row of scales; its length is equal to the base of the dorsal. The dorsal is considerably nearer to the end of the tail than to the tip of the snout; its: longest ray in the female one half the length of head. The anal is entirely under the dorsal; its longest ray equals the longest of the dorsal, its base about one third the length of head. The ventral origin is under about the twelfth scale of the median line, its length two thirds of that of the pectoral, considerably : less than half the head; when extended it reaches nearly to: vent. The least depth of the caudal peduncle is one seventh of the length including caudal. All the fins have rounded out- lines, and the caudal is specially convex. Scales 14-35. D. 11; v2 Xaa 0) Es The females are nearly uniform olivaceous, lighter below;. caudal with a median narrow band of a paler color; most of the ‘scales having a narrow, dusky submarginal streak; the scales of the head very irregularly arranged and unequal in size. The males are dark greenish, with many narrow, irregular, silvery bars on the sides and with the belly yellowish or orange. The sides are also more or less spotted with white or yellow. The dorsal, anal and caudal are dark with many small pale spots.. On the last rays of the dorsal there is frequently a dark blotch, which sometimes is surrounded by paler, giving it an ocellated appearance. In the young this blotch is often subdivided into two parts. Narrow dark bands are sometimes present in the young male. The killifish has been found in the Delaware by Prof. Cope. It is frequently called mummichog or salt-water minnow, and the name mudfish has also been applied to it. , In the vicinity of Boston it is known to boys under the name of cobbler, and on Long Island it is called mummy or chog-mummy. a ee, ‘. a ‘ f ,. ‘ 4 : FISHES OF NEW YORK Sue This is the killifish of Schépff, the yellow-bellied and the white-bellied killifish of Mitchill, and the big killifish and barred killifish of DeKay. The Indian name mummichog is applied to this as well as to other species, and some persons call it the salt- water minnow. In Great South bay it is the mummy or chog- mummy. It is extremely abundant in all parts of the bay, and serves as food for larger fishes. The striking difference in the colors of the two sexes has led to their separation under distinct names by Mitchill, DeKay and ‘other writers. It grows to the length of 5 or 6 inches; it has no importance as a food fish, but is eaten in large numbers by many of the valuable economic fishes, particularly the striped bass and the weakfish. Dr Storer says it is an excellent bait for smelts. Piscivorous birds consume it in large quantities, and domestic ducks have been known to swallow it with apparent great relish. Eggs have been found in this species as late as August. It spawns in the spring and early summer, and the young are found in great schools in summer in the eelgrass and on sandy beaches in company with other species of killifish, the common silver- side and various other fishes. The killifish is a permanent resident in Gravesend bay, winter- ing in deep, muddy holes near the mouths of creeks. According to Eugene Smith, it stands captivity well and is often found landlocked in ice or quarry ponds. The flesh has a sweet taste. ‘The range of the species is from Maine to South Carolina, usually in shallow salt or brackish water, but sometimes ascending streams beyond tidewater. 155 Fundulus diaphanus (Le Sueur) Fresh-water Killy Hydrargira diaphana LE SvEuR, Jour. Ac, Nat. Sci. Phila. I, 180, 1817, Saratoga Lake; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 219, 1842. Hydrargira multifasciata LE SUEUR, op. cit. 181, 1817, Saratoga Lake; DE KAY, op. cit. 220. Hydrargyra swampina CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XVIII, 208, 1845, New Jersey. Fundulus multifasciatus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit, Mus. VI, 324, 1866. Fundulus swampina JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 332, 1883. fo) 812 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Fundulus diaphanus JORDAN & GILBERT, op. cit. 334, 1883; HucH M. Sirs, Bull. U. S. F.C. X, 65, 1890; JornDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 645, 1896, pl. CITI, figs. 275, 275a, 1900; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 85, 1893; 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 98, 1900; Mrarns, Bull. Am, Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 318, 1898. The body is moderately slender and elongate, its greatest depth equaling about two ninths of the total length without | tail, or somewhat less than the length of the head. The head is flat above, the width between the eyes equal to nearly half the length of head. The mouth is very protractile, small, its. width somewhat greater than the length of the lower jaw. The upper jaw is as long as the eye, a little more than one fourth the length of head, which equals about one fourth of total length without caudal. The length of the dorsal base equals. the depth of the body and much exceeds length of anal base. Length of longest dorsal ray less than one half of head; longest anal ray two thirds of length of head. The dorsal is midway between the tip of the snout and the root of the caudal. The anal is wholly under the dorsal. Length of pectoral six and one half times in total. Caudal large, convex behind.. D. 14; A. 12. Scales 44-46-13. | The females are olivaceous with silvery; sides traversed by 15 to 25 narrow, dark cross bands; fins pale. The males, at least in the breeding season, are pale olive with about 20 pearly white cross bands. The barred killifish, also known as the spring mummichog and toothed minnow, inhabits the Great lakes and their tribu- taries, east to Massachusetts, south to Virginia and Indiana, west to Colorado, according to Cope south to Texas. The species was first made known from Saratoga lake. It is very abundant in the Lake Ontario region, having been taken by U. S. Fish Commission collectors at the following New York localities. Mud creek, Cape Vincent June 25 Grenadier island, Lake Ontario June 28 Horse island, Sacketts Harbor - June 30 Mill Creek, Sacketts Harbor July 2 CoO jb ey) FISHES OF NEW YORK Stony Island July 2 and 3 Little Stony brook, Henderson bay July 4 Guffon creek, Chaumont ‘a layed Chaumont river July L0 Great Sodus bay Aug. 6 Creek near Pultneyville | Ae Oe Long pond, Charlotte Aug. £7 St Lawrence river, 3 miles below Ogdens- burg July 17 According to Dr Meek, it is common on the flats and in the southern end of Cayuga lake, also in streams on the uplands, at Cayuga and Montezuma. Dr Mearns took it in Echo lake and Long pond. of the Hudson Highlands. The state museum secured numerous individuals from Shinnecock bay July 21, Scallop pond, Peconic bay July 28, and Mecox bay Aug. 1, 1898. The fish is very common in a lake at 110th street and 5th avenue, Central park, New York city. In Eugene Smith’s experience the species throve better in the aquarium than any other killifish except Fundulus heteroclitus, and became very tame in captivity, though always attacking the fins of other fishes. In the New York aquarium the fish proved to be very delicate, usually dying from fungus attacks before the salt water treatment removed the parasite. In Ohio, and west, is found a variety with very distinct and somewhat irregular bands and:-the back always spotted, which has been called variety menona by Jordan and Copeland. Eastern specimens have the back unspotted and the cross bands faint and regular, but extremely variable in number. The dif- ference in coloration of the sexes is very striking, specially in the breeding season, when the adult males have silvery cross bands. The barred killifish grows to the length of 4 inches. It runs down into brackish waters along the east coast and ascends far up the streams, delighting in cold water. It is eaten in large numbers by the striped bass and the weakfish. In the fresh waters the black bass and trout also feed on it. 314 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Genus Lucanta Girard The body oblong, compressed; lower jaw prominent, the cleft of the mouth short and very oblique; mouth moderate, the snout not produced, each jaw with a single series of conical teeth; scales very large; gill openings not restricted; dorsal and anal rayS in moderate number, the dorsal above or slightly in advance of the anal; anal fin not modified in the males.. Very small, oviparous fishes of the brackish waters, swamps and shallow bays of the United States. 156 Lucania parva (Baird & Girard) Rawmeater Fish Cyprinodon parvus BAIRD & GIRARD, Ninth Smithsonian Rept. 345, 1866, Greenport, Long Island; GunTHEeR, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 307, 1866. ; Lucania parva JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 893, 1883; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 148, pl..II, fig. 18, 1888; 19th-Rep: Comm, ‘Fish. N. Y. 275, 1890; Hueu M. Smiry, Bull. U. S. F. C. X, 68, 1890; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 665, 1896, pl. CIX, fig. 292, 1900; BEAN, 52d Ann, Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 99, 1900. Body rather short and stout in the adult, its greatest depth two sevenths of the length to base of caudal; caudal peduncle moderately long and deep, its least depth nearly one half the length of head; the mouth small, oblique, with heavy projecting lower jaw; snout short, nearly equal to eye, about two ninths as long as the head; eye rather large, its horizontal. diameter two sevenths as long as the head; head stout, with obtuse muz- zle, its length nearly one third of the total to base of caudal; dorsal origin midway between tip of snout and base of middle caudal rays, the dorsal base about one fifth of total length to caudal base, the longest dorsal ray one half as long as the head, © the last dorsal ray a little more than one third as long as the head. The anal fin begins under the middle of the dorsal, its base as long as the snout and eye combined, its longest ray one half as long as the head. The ventral is slightly in advance of the dorsal, its length three eighths of length of head. The pectoral reaches slightly beyond the origin of dorsal, its length nearly one fifth of total length to base of caudal. Caudal large, FISHES OF NEW YORK 315 roundish, scarcely truncate behind in the adult. D. ii, 8; A. ii, 6; WV, 5.., Scales 10-27. Color in life: males olive or pale brown, with bluish reflec- tions, edges of the scales darker, dorsal dusky orange, some- times with a large, black spot at the base in front, ocellated with orange, caudal orange yellow, tipped with black, ventrals and anal orange red, tipped with dusky, pectorals translucent; females with the fins pale olive, without black spot or edgings. Length 14 to 2 inches. The species is found along the coast in brackish waters from Massachusetts to Florida; very common on Long Island. Abun- dant in Peconic, Shinnecock, and Great South bays, and in a fresh-water stream at Water Mill L.1.; not yet reported from Gravesend bay. It seldom exceeds 14 inches in length and is interesting chiefly on account of its translucent body and grace- ful movements. It has not proved hardy in captivity. The species was first described by Prof. Baird from Green- port Li. T. za P Genus cyprinopon Lacépéede Body very short and stout, the back elevated; mouth small, the bones of the jaws well formed; snout short; teeth mod- erate, incisorlike, tricuspid, in a single series; scales very large; dorsal fin moderate, inserted in advance of front of anal, its first ray not enlarged; anai smaller; ventral fins small, occasion- ally wanting in specimens from desert pools; intestinal canal little longer than body; gill membranes considerably united, free from the isthmus; gill openings restricted, the opercle above adnate to the shoulder girdle. Chubby little fishes, inhabiting the brackish waters of middle America, sometimes living in warm salt springs, their colors generally brilliant. Oviparous; the sexes similar except in color. 157 Cyprinodon variegatus Lacépéde Sheepshead Minnow Cyprinodon variegatus LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 486, 1808, South Caro- lina; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 305, 1866; JorDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 329, 1888; Bran, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 148, 1888; 19th Rept. Commrs. Fish. N. Y. 275, 1890; 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 99, 1900; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 671, 1896, pl. CXI, fig. 296, 296a, 1900. 316 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Esor ovinus MiTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 441, pi. IV, fig. 7, 1815, New York. Lebias ovinus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 215, pl. 27, fig. 84, 1842. Lebias ellipsoides LE SuEuR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. II, 6, pl. 2, figs. 1, 2,. 1821; STORER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 179, 1846. . Body short and stout, heavy anteriorly, its width more than one half its hight, its greatest hight two fifths to nearly one half of total length to base of caudal, the males higher than the females; caudal peduncle short, its least depth equal to postorbital part of head; head conical, its width at gill covers equal to its length without the snout, its length one third of — total without caudal; jaws very short, mouth small, terminal, slightly oblique when closed, the lower jaw somewhat promi- nent, the upper protractile; the maxilla curved abruptly down- ward at the end, about as long as the eye, not reaching to the front margin of the orbit; eye circular, longer than snout, not quite one fourth as long as the head, placed near the top of the skull, about two thirds of width of interorbital space; dorsal origin a little nearer to tip of snout than to base of middle caudal rays, the dorsal base, in males, as long as the head with- out the snout, three and two thirds in total length without caudal,.the longest dorsal ray, in males, about equal to length of head, and twice as long as the last ray. The ventral reaches nearly or quite to anal origin, its length one half length of head. The anal base is two fifths as long as the head, its longest ray one fifth of total without caudal. The pectoral is narrow and as long as the head in males, reaching almost to the beginning of the anal; in females it is not quite so long as the head, and does not reach beyond the middle of the ventral. Caudal fin short and truncate, its length about one fourth of the total without caudal, and about equal to the head without the snout. D. 11; A. 10; B. 6. Scales 17-28. This is known in Great South bay as the porgy mummy. Mitchill recorded it as more rare than the other killifishes. DeKay has it as the Sheepshead Lebias. This little fish seldom exceeds 2 inches in length. The males are more brightly colored and higher bodied than the females, and have a narrow, dark margin to the caudal fin. FISHES OF NEW YORK 317 The Sheepshead killifish ranges from Cape Cod to Florida. It is not important except as food for other fishes. Very common in salt water ditches. One of the best of its family for aquarium purposes, as it thrives and breeds in captivity; the young, however, may be eaten by their parents. Order SYNENTOGNATHI Family ESOCIDAE Needlefishes Genus TYLOSURUS Cocco Body elongate, very slender, not much compressed; both jaws prolonged into a beak, the lower jaw somewhat the longer, much the longer in young fishes, the very young resembling Hemiramphus; each.jaw armed with a band of small, sharp teeth, beside which is a series of longer, wide set, sharp, conical, unequal teeth; no teeth on vomer or palatines; scales small, thin; lateral line running along the side of the belly, becoming median on the tail; no finlets; dorsal fin more or less elevated anteriorly; caudal fin short, unequally lunated or forked; pectorals moderate; ventrals small, the latter inserted behind the middle of the body; gill rakers obsolete; bones usually more or less green; size comparatively large. Species numerous. Voracious fishes, chiefly American; one species crossing to Europe; some of them entering rivers. This genus differs from the old world genus Esox (Linnaeus) Rafinesque (= Belone, Cuvier) in the absence of gill rakers and of vom- . erine teeth. 158 Tylosurus marinus (Walbaum) Billfish; Silver Gar Esor marinus WALBAUM, Artedi. Gen. Pise. III, 88, 1792, based on ScHopr,. Sea Snipe, Long Island. Esox longirostris MitcHILL, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 322, March, 1818. Belone truncata LE SuEvR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. IT, 126, 1821; Dz Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 227, pl. 35, fig: 112, 1842; Guntruer, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 244, 1866; Storer, Hist. Fish. Mass. 136, pl. XXIV, fig. 3, 1867. Tylosurus longirostris JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 874, 1883. ) 318 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Tylosurus marinus JORDAN & Forpicr, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 351, 1886; BEAN, Bull. U. 8S. F. C. VII, 146, 1888; 19th Rept. Commrs. Fish. N. Y. 2738, 1890; Fishes Penna. 97, 1893; JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 714, 1896; Mearns, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 318, 1898; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 99, 1900. Body long, slender and somewhat compressed. The depth of the body is less than one fifth of length of head; the eye is rather large, two fifths of the length of the postorbital part of the head. The pectoral is as long as the postorbital part of the head and twice as long as the ventral. The distance of the dorsal from the root of the caudal is one fourth its distance from the tip of the lower jaw. The anal ends under the end of the dorsal and begins in advance of the dorsal origin. The ven- tral is almost equidistant from the root of the caudal and the hind margin of the eye. D.15 to 16; A. 15 to 17; V. 6. The body is green with a broad silvery band along the sides and a dark bar on the operculum. The scales and bones are green. The silver gar, also called soft gar, billfish and needlefish, is found along our coast from Maine to Texas, and, though a marine species, it ascends rivers far above the limits of tides. It has been found in the Susquehanna river at Bainbridge Pa., and it also runs up the Delaware, the Hudson and other rivers. Schoépff is authority for the names sea pike and sea snipe for this species at New York. Mitchill refers to it as the long-jawed fresh-water pike, and also as the billfish, a name still in use in various localities for this fish. Billed eel is the name used in Great South bay. DeKay calls it the banded garfish. Still another name used for the species is needlefish; and it is said that gar is derived from a Saxon word meaning needle. _ The species is found on our coast from Maine to the Gulf of Mexico. Mearns has found it in the Hudson and its estuaries in autumn. Mitchill observed it so frequently in that river that he considered it an inhabitant of fresh water. In Gravesend bay the fish occurs from June to September. In Shinnecock bay, Mecox bay, and Great South bay the writer collected it almost everywhere. FISHES OF NEW YORK 319 This species reaches a length of 4 feet. It is very destructive to small fishes, which are readily seized in its long and strongly toothed jaws. In the Gulf of Mexico the habits of the silver gar have been observed by Silas Stearns, whose notes are to be found in the Fishery Industries of the United States. It is found at Pensacola Fla. in the summer, but retreats farther south in the winter. The silver gar swims at the surface and feeds on schools of small fish, On the New York coast it devours killifishes, anchovies, silversides, and other little species. Its movements are swift and its aim certain. It has been known to seize mullet and other fish one third as large as itself and is some- times killed by attempting to swallow spiny fish too large to pass through its throat. It spawns in the bays in May and June. Mr Stearns found it to be an excellent food fish, though it is seldom eaten on the Florida coast. Though the fish is one of excellent flavor and, according to DeKay, greatly relished by epicures, it meets with little favor in northern markets. Nothing is recorded about its breeding habits except the statement of Silas Stearns that it spawns in the bays of the Gulf coast in May and June. The fish is not hardy in transportation and in captivity. 159 Tylosurus raphidoma (Ranzani) Houndfish ; Guardfish Belone raphidoma RANZANI, Noy. Comm. Ac. Nat. Sci. Inst. Bonon, V, 359, pl. 87, fig. 1, 1842, Brazil; GunrHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 249, 1866. Belone gerania CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XVIII, 487, 1846, Martinique; GUNTHER, op. cit. 241, 1866. Belone crassa PorEy, Memorias, II, 291, 1861, Cuba. Belone melanochira Pory, op. cit. 294, 1861; GUNTHER, op. cit. 249, 1866. Tylosurus gladius BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 239, 430, 1882, Pensacola; Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 146, pi. Il, fig. 15, 1888, young, Ocean City, IN: Sale Tylosurus crassus JORDAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 112, 1884. Tylosurus raphidoma JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. (AD: 1896, pl. CXVI, fig. 308, 1900. Body robust, little compressed, its greatest width a little more than two thirds its greatest depth, which is about one fourth 320 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM the length of head and one thirteenth of total to base of caudal; caudal peduncle slightly depressed, a little broader than deep, with a slight dermal keel; head broad, broader above than below, three tenths of total length to base of caudal; inter- orbital space nearly two thirds of length of postorbital part of head, with a broad, shallow, naked, median groove, which is wider behind and forks at the nape; supraorbital bones with radiating striae; distance between nostrils a little more than one sixth of length of snout; jaws comparatively short, strong, tapering, very stiff, lower jaw wider and longer than upper, both jaws with broad bands of small teeth on the sides, within these a series of very large knife-shaped teeth. The length of the longest teeth is a little more than three times their breadth. Posterior teeth in both jaws directed backward, anterior teeth erect, number of large teeth about 25 on each side of the upper jaw and 23 below, length of the large teeth about one fifth of diameter of eye, no vomerine teeth. Upper jaw from eye about one and three fourth times as long as the rest of the head; eye large, one seventh as long as snout, three eighths of postorbital part of head, and five ninths of interorbital width; maxillary entirely covered by preorbital; cheeks densely scaled; opercles scaly only along anterior margin; scales minute, specially on the back, somewhat larger below. JDorsal fin rather high in front, becoming low posteriorly, the hight of its anterior lobe equaling postorbital part of head, its longest ray two fifths of length of dorsal base. In a young example, 64 inches long, the posterior part of the dorsal is much elevated, the longest ray equaling the distance from middle of pupil to end of head. Caudal fin lunate, its lower lobe nearly one half longer than the upper; middle rays about as long as eye; anal fin falcate, low posteriorly, its anterior lobe equal to anterior dorsal lobe; ven- tral fins inserted midway between base of caudal and middle of eye, a little shorter than pectorals, and equal to postorbital part of head; upper ray of pectorals broad, sharp edged, length of pectoral three and two fifths in head, and slightly greater than postorbital part of head. D. i, 21-23; A. i, 20-23; V. 6; P. 14. FISHES OF NEW YORK 321 Color dark green above, silvery below; dorsal and pectoral blackish; ventrals somewhat dusky; anal yellowish, the lobe slightly soiled; caudal dusky olivaceous; no suborbital bar and no scapular spot; a slight dusky shade on upper posterior part of cheeks, and a yellowish bar on anterior edge of opercle; caudal keel black. This species is very closely allied to T. fodiator Jordan & Gilbert, described from Mazatlan, differing from it appar- ently in its longer jaws, slightly greater number of fin rays, and larger scales. Here described from the type of T. gladius Bean, which is 29 inches long. A young example was seined at Ocean City N. J. Aug. 1, 1887. D. i, 21; A. i, 20. Length 64 inches. A dark cutaneous flap attached along the side of the mandible and folded underneath, meeting its fellow of the opposite side and concealing a small part of the lower jaw; dorsal black, except on the first six rays, which are pale, much elevated at the posterior part, where the longest ray equals the distance from the middle of the eye to the end of the head. 14 black blotches on sides not extending to caudal, the largest two thirds as wide as length of eye; paired fins and anal pale; caudal the same, except anterior half of upper lobe, on which the membrane covering the rays is black, while the intervals between the rays are pale; back greenish; under surface, except mandibular flap, - silvery. This species has not previously been recorded in the region. The usual range of the species is from the West Indies and Florida Keys to Brazil; the young straying northward occa- sionally in summer. The fish reaches a length of 5 feet and is sometimes dangerous to fishermen in its powerful leaps from the water. The scales and bones are green; the flesh is little esteemed for food on this account. A description and figure of the young are published by Bean in the Bulletin of the U.S. Fish Commission for 1887, p. 146, pl. 2, fig. 15. 322 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 160 Tylosurus acus (Lacépede) Houndfish Sphyraena acus LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss..V,/ 6, pl fig. By AL S80s8e Martinique. Belone latimana Pory, Memorias, II, 290, 1861, Havana; GuNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 249, 1866. Belone jonesi Goopr, Am. Jour. Sci. Arts, 295, 1877, Bermuda; GUNTHER, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. ITI, 150, 1879. Belone caribbea GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 241, 1866, not of LE SUEUR. Tylosurus acus JORDAN & FORDICE, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 355, 1886; JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 716, 1896, pl. CX VI, fig. 309, 1900. . Body slightly compressed, its greatest depth one twentieth of total length, its greatest width about one twenty-eighth of the same; free part of tail somewhat depressed, quadrate, its depth one third of greatest hight of body; caudal carinae moder- ate, black; head somewhat depressed above, striated, with a broad, shallow median groove which expands posteriorly into a wide, somewhat depressed triangular area, length of head con- . tained three and one fourth times in total length without caudal; superciliary region sharply striated; snout equal to maxillary, one fifth of total length, and three times postorbital part of head; mandible slightly shorter than distance from snout to nape, 10 times vertical diameter of eye, and projecting beyond tip of upper jaw; eye equal to width of interorbital area and one eighth of length of head; teeth large, sharp, not very close, maxillary teeth — about 60, the largest one sixth as long as the eye; mandibular teeth about 60, the largest one ninth as long as the eye; no vomerine teeth; dorsal origin at a distance from tip of snout equal to two and one fifth times length of head, stightly behind anal origin, length of dorsal base five times long diameter of eye, greatest hight of dorsal fin equal to greatest width of head, and contained seven and one half times in length of head, last dorsal ray about one third of anterior rays; anal base terminat- ing anterior!y to end of dorsal at a distance equal to length of first dorsal ray; ventral origin midway between front of orbit and base of middle caudal rays, length of ventrals one seventh FISHES OF NEW YORK 320 of length of head; length of pectoral slightly greater than that of postorbital part of head; caudal forked, the lower rays about one fourth longer than the upper. D. 23-24; A. 21-22; P. 13; V.5; B.12. Scales in lateral line (estimated) 380. , Above deep green, below silvery white, opercles and cheeks silvery white, anterior rays of dorsal and pectoral fins blackish, caudal carinae also blackish. “The houndfish, as it is called in Bermuda, is a graceful, active species attaining to the length of 3 feet or more. It fre- quents swift tide courses, where it preys upon small fishes, par- ticularly the schools of silversides and anchovies. It takes the hook well.” Goode The species occurs in the West Indies and sometimes strays northward as far as Buzzards bay in summer; it was first described from Martinique. Individuals have been recorded from Beaufort N. C. Family HEMIRHAMPHIDAE Balaos Genus HYPORHAMPHUS Gill Body elongate, moderately compressed, the sides of the body not vertical, but more or less convex; the dorsal outline parallel with that of the belly; upper jaw short, lower jaw prolonged into a slender beak, bordered with membrane, this beak shorter in the young; premaxillaries forming a triangular plate, the teeth of which fit against the toothed part of the mandible; maxillaries joined to premaxillaries; teeth feeble, mostly tricuspid; gill rakers rather long; head covered above with large, shieldlike scales; scales large, deciduous; no finlets; caudal fin more or less forked, the lower lobe the longer; dorsal and anal similar, opposite each other, not modified in the males, last ray of dorsal usually short; ventrals small, inserted well forward, nearly midway between opercle and base of caudal. Oviparous. Air bladder large, simple, not cellular. Young with the lower jaw short. Sides in our species with a distinct silvery band, asin Atherina. Species numerous, in all warm seas, 324 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM going in large schools, but usually remaining near shore, feeding chiefly on green algae. Size comparatively small. 161 Hyporhamphus roberti (Cuv. & Val.) Halfbeak Hemirhamphus roberti CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XIX, 24, 1846, Cayenne; GunTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 268, 1866; Merk & Goss, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sei. Phila; 223, 1884; BEAN, Bull. Ul Sab. VII, 147, pl. IJ], fig. 16, 1888; 19th Rept. Commrs. Fish. No ¥. 274, 1890, Hemirhamphus unifasciatus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 376, 1883. Hyporhamphus roberti JORDAN & EVERMANN, Check-List Fish. N, A. 321, 1896; Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 721, 1896, pl. CXVII, fig. 312, 1900; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 100, 1900. Body compressed, elongate, its greatest depth one eighth of total length to caudal base, its greatest width equal to post- orbital part of head; caudal peduncle short and deep, its least depth equal to eye. From eye to end of upper jaw equals one third the distance from end of upper jaw to hind margin of opercle. Head including lower jaw three eighths of total length without caudal, without projecting part of lower jaw two elevenths of the same; eye equal to interorbital width, about one eighth of length of head (one fourth of head to end of upper jaw); projecting part of lower jaw a little longer than rest of head; dorsal origin over the anal origin, 34 rows of scales between it and the nape, base of dorsal equal to eye and postorbital part of head combined, longest dorsal ray equal to postorbital part of head, last dorsal ray less than one half the longest, and about two thirds of the eye; anal base slightly shorter than dorsal base, longest anal ray slightly longer than- postorbital part of head, last anal ray one half of eye; ventral origin about midway between eye and base of caudal, the fin about as long as the postorbital part of head; pectoral base high, on the level with the eye, the fin about as long as upper jaw and eye combined; caudal fin symmetrically forked, the middle rays two thirds as long as the external, and nearly twice as long as the eye (from end of scales only a little longer than the eye); dorsal and anal fins densely scaled; lateral line com- FISHES OF NEW YORK Dae mencing at the isthmus, running close to the ventral edge of the body to the origin of the ventrals, where it rises slightly and is discontinued over the end of the anal base. D. ii, 13; A. i, 15; V. i, 6; P. 10; B. 12. Scales 7-54; vertebrae 34417—51. Translucent green above; the scales above with dark edges; a narrow silvery band, about one half the width of eye, along the side from axil of pectoral to base of caudal; tip of lower jaw crimson in life and with a short filament; three narrow dark streaks along middle of back; anterior part of dorsal and anal and tips of caudal dusky, almost black; peritoneum black. ‘The halfbeak is occasionally found on our northern coast to Cape Cod, but appears to have been unknown to Mitchill and De Kay. The species ranges southward to the Gulf of Mexico. We found 12 small examples Oct. 1, 1890, at Fire island. Two young examples were taken in Great Egg Harbor bay in 1887, and a larger one, 64 inches long, was taken in the same locality. According to B. A. Bean this fish was not abundant in the ‘Chesapeake, at Cape Charles, Va., during September 1890. The halfbeak is a rare fish in New York waters. It attracts attention because of the great inequality in the length of the jaws, the lower jaw being many times as long as the short upper jaw. One of the most striking color marks of this fish is the crimson tip of the lower jaw. The body is silvery, darker on the back, and has a distinct silvery lateral stripe. In 1898 the writer collected this species for the New York state museum in small numbers in Great South bay, during August and September. Only one adult was obtained. The localities are: south side Great South bay,:-Clam Pond cove, and Horsefoot creek. This fish, like the silver gar, is readily taken at night by means of a lantern. The light dazes the fish, So that it does not see the net. Genus EULEPTORHAMPHUs Gill This genus consists of pelagic species related to Hemi- rhamphus, the body much more slender and greatly com- | pressed, and the pectorals very long, approaching those of the flying fishes. Ventrals small, inserted posteriorly. Air blad- 326 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM der not described, probably cellular. One species in our limits. 162 Euleptorhamphus velox Poey (?) Slender Halfbeak Euleptorhamphus velox Pory, Syn. Pise. Cubens, 388, 1867, Cuba; Jorpaw & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 724, 1896. ?Hemirhamphus longirostris GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 276, 1866. Euleptorhamphus longirostris PUTNAM, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. 238, 1870; Hemirhamphus (Euleptorhamphus) longirostris JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 377, 1888. Body much compressed, elongate, its greatest depth one eleventh of total length from tip of upper jaw to base of caudal; greatest width of head equal to long diameter of eye; least depth of caudal peduncle two thirds of eye; snout equal to eye, three and one third in head (length of head here is from tip of upper jaw to hind margin of opercle); length of head including lower jaw two fifths of total to base of caudal, the lower jaw projecting beyond, upper a distance equal to three times rest of head; eye three in head, greater than interorbital width; dorsal origin at a distance from tip of snout equal to four and two thirds times length of head (without lower jaw), dorsal base equal to nearly three times hight of body, longest dorsal ray two thirds length of head; the anal begins under the third ray of the dorsal, its base two and one third times hight of body, its longest ray equal to hight of body; ventral short, slightly shorter than eye, three and two thirds in head, extend- ing nearly half way to anal origin; pectorals long, reaching half way from pectoral origin to anal origin, nearly twice as long as the head; caudal.lobes very unequal, the upper much shorter than the lower. D.22; A.21; V.6; P.7, the upper very broad and long, the others slender. The back with a very thin edge. Color light brown above, the sides from the upper edge of the pectoral base downward bright silvery, this extending also on the head. Bs | The species is found in the West Indies; it has been taken at Newport R. I., and at Cape Cod. It reaches a length of 18 inches. The Hemirhamphus macrorhynchus of FISHES OF NEW YORK oat Cuvier and Valenciennes, taken in the south Pacific, appears to be closely related. Family SCOMBERESOCIDAE Sauries Genus scompmrREsox Lacépéde Body elongate, compressed, covered with small, thin, decidu- ous scales, the general aspect being that of a mackerel; both jaws in the adult more or less prolonged, forming a slender heak, the, lower, jaw: always the longer, teeth very feeble, pointed, maxillaries joined fast to premaxillaries; pectoral and -ventrals small; dorsal and anal low, similar to each other, each with four to six detached finlets, as in the Scombridae; gill rakers numerous, long and slender; pharyngeal bones essen- tially as in Exocoetus, fourth upper pharyngeal on each side wanting or fused with the third, third pharyngeal greatly enlarged, separate from its fellow, covered with tricuspid teeth, second with simple teeth, first toothless, lower pharyngeals united, forming a triangular bone with concave surface, covered with tricuspid teeth; into the hollow of this bone the upper pharyngeals fit. Pelagic fishes, swimming close to the surface in large schools ‘In temperate regions. They bear strong analogic resemblances ‘to the mackerels in form, color and habits, as well as in the dorsal and anal finlets. The significance of these resemblances is unknown. . Young with the jaws short, precisely as in the genus Colo- labis, but lengthening with age, which is not the case in Cololabis. Air bladder large. Atlantic. 163 Scomberesox saurus (Walbaum) Saury ; Skipper Esoxr saurus WALBAUM, Attedi. Gen. Pisc. III, 93, 1792, Cornwall. _ Scomberesoz scutellatum LE SuEvuR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. II, 132, 1821, Newfoundland. Scomberesoxz equirostrum LE SuEurR, Jour. Ac. Nat, Sci. Phila. II, 132, 1821. 328 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Scomberesox storerti DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 229, pl. 34, fig. 111, 1842, New York; SToRER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 187, pl. XXIV, fig. 4, 1867. Scomberesox saurus FLEMING, Brit. Anim. 184; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 257, 1866; GoopE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 21, 1879; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 875, 1888; Jorpan &. EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 725, 1896, pl. CX VII, fig. 314, 1900. Body compressed, elongate, its greatest hight one ninth of total length to base of caudal; anal equal to eye and postorbital part of head combined; least hight of caudal peduncle equal to eye; both jaws slender and produced, the lower longer than upper, the distance from eye to tip of lower jaw equaling one fifth of total to base of caudal; eye one third as long as post- orbital part of head, about one fifth of length of upper jaw; small scales on opercle, but none on subopercle; body covered with small scales; dorsal origin at a distance from front of eye equal to five times hight of body, dorsal base three times as long as the eye, longest dorsal ray one half as long as post- orbital part of head, last dorsal ray equal to eye, five separate finlets behind,the dorsal; anal under the dorsal, its base slightly longer, as long as postorbital part of head, longest anal ray equal to longest of the dorsal, last anal ray scarcely equal to eye, six finlets behind the anal; caudal fin deeply forked, sym- metric, the outer rays as long as the anal base; ventrals mid- way between front of eye and base of caudal, length of fin about twice diameter of eye, distance from ventral origin to anal origin equal to length of upper jaw; length of pectoral one: fourth the length of head to tip of upper jaw; lateral line con- taining minute, roundish pores, near the ventral edge, in modi- fied scales which extend obliquely backward. D. 11+v; A. 18+vi; V.i,5;P.14. Scales 14-124 (136 to free part of middle caudal rays, 80 rows from axil of pectoral to origin of dorsal); opercle with about 8 rows of scales. Back brownish to upper level of eye; sides with a silvery band, nearly as broad as the eye and almost on the same level; lower parts silvery with a golden tinge overlying it. The saury grows to the length of 18 inches. It inhabits the temperate parts of the Atlantic in Europe and the United De ‘a : FISHES OF NEW YORK 329 States, congregating in schools in the open seas, where it is preyed on by porpoises, tunny, bonito, cod, bluefish and other predaceous animals. At Provincetown Mass., according to Storer, large quantities are yearly thrown on the shore, but they are considered worthless, while on other parts of Cape Cod they are taken in immense numbers, and are considered very nutritious food. The saury, or skipper, is migratory, arriving on our coast in summer and departing on the approach of cold weather. It is a surface swimmer and, therefore, is particularly liable to the attacks of voracious fishes. Couch says: It is sometimes seen to rise to the surface in large schools and fly over a considerable space. But the most interesting spec- tacle, and that which best displays their great agility, is when they are followed by a large company of porpoises, or their still more active and oppressive enemies, the tunny and bonito. Multitudes then mount to the surface and crowd on each other as they press forward. When still more closely pursued, they spring to the hight of several feet, leap over each other in sin- gular confusion, and again sink beneath. Still further urged, they mount again and rush along the surface by repeated starts for more than 100 feet, without once dipping beneath, or scarcely seeming to touch the water. At last the pursuer springs after them, usually across their course, and again they all disappear together. Amidst such multitudes—for more than 20,000 have been judged to be out of the water together— some must fall a prey to the enemy; but, so many hunting in company, it must be long before the pursuers abandon. From inspection we should scarcely judge the fish to be capable of such flights, for the fins, though numerous, are small and the pectorals far from large, though the angle of their articulation is well adapted to raise the fish by the direction of their motions to the surface. Its power of springing, therefore, must be chiefly ascribed to the tail and the finlets. It rarely takes bait; and, when this has happened, the boat has been under sail, the men fishing with a “ lash,” or slice of mackerel made to imitate the living body. | The skipjack is frequently seen springing above the surface on our coasts, and no doubt at such times it is pursued by bluefish, bonito and, probably, mackerel or cod. et lia aren 330 . NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Family exocoETIDAE Flying Fishes Genus ExocoErus (Artedi) Linnaeus Body elongate, broad above, somewhat compressed; head short, blunt, narrowed below; mouth small; jaws very short, about equal; chin without barbel; maxillaries not joined to the premaxillaries; teeth very feeble or wanting; eyes large; gill rakers moderate; scales large, deciduous; no finlets; dorsal fin short, opposite anal; caudal widely forked, the lower lobe the longer; pectoral fins very long, reaching past the beginning of the anal, and serving as organs of flight, their great size en- abling these fishes to sustain themselves in the air for some time; ventral fins large, posteriorly inserted, also used as organs of flight; air bladder very large; no pyloric caeca. Species numerous in all warm seas, living mostly in the open water and swimming in large schools. Subgenus EXOCOETUS 164 Exocoetus volitans Linnaeus Flying Fish Exocoetus volitans LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 316, 1758; JonpAN & MEEK, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 57, 1885; JonRpDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 734, 1896, pl. CX VIII, fig. 318, 1900. Exocoetus rubescens RAFINESQUE, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 205, January, 1818, Banks of Newfoundland. : Exocoetus affinis GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 288, 1866. Ezxocoetus melanurus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 379, 1883. Exocoetus exiliens JORDAN & GILBERT, op. cit. 380 and 904, 1883. The hight of the body is nearly one sixth of the total length without caudal, the length of the head one fourth. The depth of the head equals the distance from the tip of the snout to the hind margin of the orbit. Snout little produced, shorter than eye, which is two sevenths to one third as long as the head; interorbital space fiat or slightly concave, slightly greater than diameter of eye; width of body at pectoral base four sevenths of length of head; dorsal origin opposite anal origin, length of longest dorsal ray two fifths of length of head; anal fin long, its FISHES OF NEW YORK Sok longest ray one third of length of head; pectoral fin reaching slightly beyond dorsal and anal, its length five sevenths of that of the body; ventral origin midway between the eye and the base of caudal, the fin reaching beyond the middle of the anal base, its length two sevenths of length of body. D. 11-138; A. 11-13. Scales 55 (30 to 35 rows between occiput and dorsal origin; 25 rows before ventrals), 6 rows between the origin of dorsal and the lateral line. Pectoral fin with an oblique white blotch across its lower half, and with a narrow whitish edge; ventrals grayish or whitish, with a slight dusky shade in the axil; dorsal and anal without dark markings. The flying fish is found in open seas on the Atlantic coast; it extends northward to the Grand Banks of Newfoundland; it is known also in southern Europe, and in the Pacific and the Indian ocean. The flight of the flying fish has been much discussed, for and against; but no doubt remains in the minds of those who have seen the action at close range that the flight is genuine. Not only can the fish start from the water and rise into the air, but it can also change its direction suddenly at will, to escape its pursuers, and it has been observed to hover like a humming bird or a great moth and then dart off suddenly out of reach of the net thrust out to secure it. Such an occurrence took place at Woods Hole Mass., some years ago in the presence of the writer. The flying fish is an excellent food fish, but does not come to our markets frequently, because of its habitat in the open sea. it comes aboard vessels occasionally in storms or when trying to escape from its enemies, and is highly prized by its captors. | The species reaches the length of 1 foot. Subgenus cypsELURUS Swainson 165 Exocoetus heterurus Rafinesque Flying Fish Exocoetus heterurus RAFINESQUE, Caratteri Ale. Nuov. Gen. 58, 1810, Palermo; JORDAN & MEEK, Prac. U. S. Nat. Mus. 59, 1885; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 735, 1896. 302 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Exocoetus comatus MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y, 418, pl. V, fig. 1, 1815. New York. Exocoetus noveboracensis MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, pl. V,. fig. 3, 1815; Amer. Month. Mag. II, 323, March, 1818; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 230, pl. 36, fig. 114, 1842, near New York; JORDAN &. GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 904, 1883. Body slender, its greatest depth contained from five to five and one third times in the total length without caudal; length of head contained four and two thirds in total to base of caudal; the snout slightly shorter than eye, its length three and three fourths times in head, while that of the eye is contained three and one fifth times; dorsal origin in advance of anal origin, dor- sal base from one and one half to two times as long as anal base; first ray of pectoral simple, second divided, third and fourth rays. longest, extending to last ray of dorsal and contained one and four ninth times in total length without caudal; ventral origin midway between eye and base of caudal fin, the ventrals reaching last ray of anal, the length contained two and three fourth times in length of body. The lower caudal lobe is three fifths | longer than the upper, which is equal in length to the hight of the body. D.14; A.9; P.15; V.6. Scales 58-63, 33 rows before the dorsal fin, 7 rows between the dorsal origin and the lateral line; vertebrae 31+14—45. Pectoral fins grayish brown with a broad whitish margin, an oblique white band on their lower half; dorsal and anal uniform erayish without bands; ventrals whitish, slightly dusky in the axils. | The species grows to the length of 15 inches. The young often have a long barbel at the chin, this disappearing entirely in the adult. Dr Mitchill described a specimen, 1 foot long, which was taken in a seine near New York. This flying fish inhabits the Atlantic ocean and is most abund- ant in the tropical parts, but strays northward to England and to the banks of Newfoundland. FISHES OF NEW YORK Be 166 Exocoetus furcatus (Mitchill) Flywmg Fish Exocoetus furcatus MiTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 449, pl. V, fig. 2, 1815; De Kay, N..Y. Fauna, Fishes, 231, 1842. Exocoetus nuttalli LE SuEuR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 10, pl. IV, fig. 1, 1821, Gulf of Mexico; GunTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 286, 1866. Cypselurus furcatus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 380, 1883. Exoccetus furcatus GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 286, 1866; JorDAN & MEEK, Proc. U: S. Nat. Mus. 61, 1885; JorpDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 737, 1896. Body slender, compressed, moderately elongate, its depth con- tained five and one fourth times in total length without caudal; head not very broad, much narrowed forward, its length con- tained four and one half times in total without caudal; the snout rather pointed, more compressed than in other species; inter- orbital area flat, its width at anterior margin of orbit equal to diameter of eye, which is one third of length of head; mouth small, maxillary not reaching orbitits length four and three fourths in head, mandible two and one half in head; snout four and one fifth in head; eye one third of length of head; pectoral fin long and broad, its length one and two ninths in length of body, extending to 10th ray of dorsal, first pectoral ray simple, slightly more than one half the length of fin, second ray divided, third and fourth rays longest; ventral origin mid- way between hind margin of eye and base of caudal, ventrals long, four ninths of length of body, their tips reaching almost to caudal fin; dorsal fin rather high, its longest ray two thirds as long as the head, its base nearly equal to head; anal fin inserted farther back than dorsal, its base three fifths as long as dorsal base, its longest ray one half as long as the head; lower caudal lobe two sevenths as long as the body. D.13; A.9 to 10. Scales in lateral line 46; about 29 rows in advance of dorsal fin and about 23 on the lateral line in advance of the ventrals; 8 rows. between the dorsal origin and the lateral line. Brownish above, silvery below; the lower posterior half of pectorals black, the upper pectoral rays with a broad white _ band, the tips of the rays whitish, other parts marbled with 3o4 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM black; the ventrals black except on two outer rays, on inner ray, and a small spot on next two inner rays, about one fourth dis- tance from ventral origin; axil of ventrals pale. Gtinther describes the ventral as having the posterior part black. Three black spots on dorsal fin and three blackish cross bands on the lower caudal lobe, a black spot on tips of third, fourth, fifth, and sixth rays of the anal, or the lower part of the fin some- times black. The species grows to the length of 6 inches. Young indi- viduals have barbels at the symphysis of the lower jaw, which vary in length and disappear with age. The fish is found abundantly in warm seas, ranging north to Cape Cod and to the Mediterranean. Specimens have been taken at Newport R. I. Dr Mitchill described the species from an example 3 inches long. His specimen had two barbels, each half an inch long. The eyes, according to his description and figure, are very much larger than in UH x0 CO eClUus hereru © ims: 167 Exocoetus gibbifrons Cuv. & Val. Exocoetus gibbifrons CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XIX, 118, 1846, Atlantic; JoRDAN & MEEK, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 65, 1885; JORDAN, Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus, 528, 1886; JonDAN & HVERMANN, Bull. 47, U.S. Nat. Mus. 741, 1896. Body robust, lictle compressed, its greatest depth one sixth. of the total length without caudal; head rather short, inter- orbital area slightly concave, about one fourth wider than eye; profile of snout convex, descending more abruptly than in any other American species, making a decided curve downward; snout rather blunt, one fourth as long as the head; length of head contained four and three fifth times in total without caudal; maxillary two ninths as long as head; pectoral fins rather broad and long, two thirds of total without caudal, their tips reaching to tips of last rays of dorsal, first ray of pectoral simple, its length five elevenths of length of fin, second pectoral ray simple, about one half longer than first ray, third pectoral ray divided, fourth ray longest; ventral origin midway between hind margin of eye and root of caudal, length of ventrals about one third of total without caudal, the fin reaching to last anal N\ FISHES OF NEW YORK 335, ray; dorsal origin far in advance of anal origin, longest dorsal ray five elevenths of length of head; anal base five eighths as long as dorsal base, longest anal ray one third of length of head; least depth of caudal peduncle contained three and one fifth times in length of head, the lower caudal lobe two sevenths of total length without caudal. D.12; A.8. Scales before dorsal 30; before ventrals 25; between dorsal origin and lateral line 7. Color brown above, silvery below; on each scale on the upper part of the body a darker brown spot near its posterior extremity, which gives the appearance of a dark brown streak along each row of scales; pectorals uniformly brown, or greenish brown; ventrals dusky, nearly black mesially, the posterior part of the fin still darker; no dark markings on dorsal or anal fins; caudal dusky, plain. Atlantic ocean, two specimens known, both examined by Dr Jordan, from whose description the above was taken. One indi- vidual was secured by Samuel Powell at Newport R. I.; the other was obtained by Dussumier in the Atlantic ocean and by him presented to the Museum of Natural History at Paris. This. example is 9 inches long. Order HEMIBRANCHII Half-gills Family GASTEROSTEIDAE Sticklebacks Genus Bucania Jordan Fresh-water sticklebacks, feebly armed, the skin not mailed, the dorsal spines few and nondivergent, the gill membranes forming a free fold across the isthmus, pubic bones fully united.. One species known. 168, Eucalia inconstans (Kirtland) Brook Stickleback Gasterosteus inconstans KIRTLAND, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. III, 273, pl. IT, fig. 1, 1841, brooks of Trumbull County, Ohio; Storer, Syn. Fish. N. A. 6&4, 1846; BEAN, Bull. 15, U. S. Nat. Mus. 130, 1879; JorDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 394, 1883. \ ie 336 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Eucalia inconstans JORDAN, Proc, Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 65, 1877; EIGENMANN, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 238, 1886; Bran, Fishes Penna. 98, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 744, 1896; EverMann & KENDALL, Rept. U. S. Commr. Fish & Fisheries for 1894, 599, 18986, Franklin County, Vermont, The body is more elongated than in the other sticklebacks described, and stouter, the caudal peduncle has no keel, and the skin is entirely smooth. The ventral spines and pubic bones are very small, the latter concealed under the skin. The thoracic processes are covered by the skin, slender and widely separated. The dorsal spines are short, nearly equal in length, placed in a straight line, the anterior spines shortest. The ventral spines are small and serrated. The depth equals one fourth and the head two sevenths of the total length without caudal. D. III-IV, I, 10; A. I, 10. Males in the breeding season are jet black, tinged entirely with coppery red. The. females and young are greenish, variegated with darker. The brook stickleback occurs in the fresh waters from New York westward to Dakota and is said to extend north to Green- land. A variety from Cayuga lake has been described by Dr Jordan. It has the ventral spines longer than the pubic bones. In Pennsylvania the brook stickleback inhabits the Ohio val- ley. In New York it occurs only in the western part, being specially abundant in the Lake Ontario region. The U.S. Fish Commission has specimens from Salt brook, 14 miles above Nine Mile point, June 11, 1893, Mill creek, Sacket arbor, July 2, Cape Vincent, July 2, Black river, Huntingtonville, July 5, Three Mile creek, Oswego, July 27, Four Mile creek, Nine Mile point, near Webster, August 9, and Long Pond, Char- lotte, August 17. Evermann and Bean collected it also July 28, 1894, at Saranac river, Plattsburg. Dr Meek found it com- mon in standing and sluggish water on the flats of Cayuga lake basin. John W. Titcomb obtained it from a small brook in Franklin county, Vt., the outlet of Franklin pond, a tributary of Pike river, which flows into Missisquoi bay. It grows to a length of 24 inches, and has no value as food, but is an interesting aquarium fish. It is however extremely FISHES OF NEW YORK 337 pugnacious, and, when these fish are kept in confinement, great mortality is caused by their quarrels. The species is abundant in small streams, where it secretes itself among aquatic plants and is always alert to attack small fishes and insects. Speci- mens have recently been obtained from an artesian well in South Dakota, the well having a depth of 700 feet. From this great depth the fish were brought up in full strength and vigor, and they were kept in an aquarium several months afterward. A similar occurrence has been recorded by Mrs Eigenmann, in the Proceedings of the National Museum for 18853, p. 217, of Williamson’s stickleback at San Bernardino Cal. The well in this case was only 191 feet deep. There is no doubt that the fish reach the wells through streams which become subter- ranean in a certain part of their course. This species is a nest-builder and is vigorous in the defense of its eggs and young. This fresh-water stickleback appears to live better in bal- anced tanks than in flowing water and is not hardy in captivity. It feeds readily on chopped hard clams and Gammarus, the latter being one of its natural foods. 169 Eucalia inconstans cayuga Jordan Cayuga Lake Stickleback Hucalia inconstans cayuga JORDAN, Man. Vert. ed. 1, 249, 1876,. Cayuga Lake, Ithaca, N. .Y.; Merk, Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. IV, 312, 1888; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 744, 1896. According to Dr Jordan, this variety has longer ventral spines than the common brook stickleback, these being as long as the pubic bones (two thirds as long in inconstans). The size is generally smaller, but the fin rays are the same as WW 1 1'C.0 1S tan S:. The variety occurs in small brooks and in the lakes about Ithaca and Syracuse 'N. Y. Genus PyGostrEvus Brevoort This genus is characterized by the presence of 9 to 11 divergent spines and by the weakness of its innominate bones. ) 338 NEW YORK STATE MUSHUM Asin Eucalia, the gill membranes form a broad fold across. the isthmus. Vertebrae 14+18=—32. Species two, in northern regions, the following cosmopolitan; a second, Pygosteus Sinensis Guichenot, from China. 170 Pygosteus pungitius (Linnaeus) 10 spined 8 tickleback Gasterosteus pungitius LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 296, 1758, Hurope; Gun- THER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 6, 1859; SrorER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 43, pl. VIII, fig. 5,-1867; Bran, Bull. 15, U. S. Nat. Mus. 133, 134, 1879; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 898, 1883; BEAN, 19th Rept. Commrs. Fish. N. Y. 244, 1890. Gasterosteus occidentalis DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 68, pl. 42, fig. 135, 1842; SrorER, Syn. Fish. N, A. 638, 1846. Gasterosteus concinnus RICHARDSON, Fauna Bor.-Amer. III, 57, 1836, Sas- katchewan River and Great Bear Lake. Gasterosteus nebulosus AGassiz, Lake Superior, 310, pl. IV, fig. 2, 1850. Pygosteus pungitius EIGENMANN, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 235, 1886; JORDAN & EVERMANN, ‘Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 745, 1896; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 100, 1900. Body moderately elongate and compressed, its greatest depth one sixth of total length to base of caudal rays, its width one tenth of the same length and two fifths of the length of the head. The head is one fourth of total length to base of caudal, its width contained two and one third times in its length; the length of the snout equals the width of the interorbital space, and nearly one fourth the length of the head; the upper jaw is slightly more than one fourth the length of head, and the man- dible is nearly as long as the eye, which is contained about three and one fourth times in length of head. The spinous dorsal is inserted at a distance from tip of snout equal to two sevenths of total length without caudal; its base is a little longer than the head; its first and.second spines equal, and one fourth as. long as the head; its last spine less than one fifth as long as. the head. The base of the soft dorsal is three times as long as the mandible; the antecedent spine is as long as the mandible; | the first ray is longest, and is twice as long as the upper jaw. The anal origin is twice as far from tip of snout as the spinous dorsal; the anal base is twice as long as the middle caudal FISHES OF NEW YORK 339 rays, and equals twice width of body; the first anal spine is about equal to one half the depth of body; the first anal ray longest and one half as long as the head. The middle caudal rays equal width of head& and about three sevenths of length of head; the external rays are slightly more than one half the length of head; the length of the caudal peduncle equals three times the length of last dorsal spine; the least hight of the peduncle is contained seven and one third times in length of head. The pectoral is twice as long as the mandible; the ventral is at a distance from tip of snout equal to three times length of ventral spine; the ventral Spine is usually about two fifths as long as the head, or some- what more. The dorsal spines are all in the same line in a furrow, but they diverge so as to form a zigzag series. Pubic bone weak, lanceolate, not serrate, its length about two fifths head;ventral spines slender, pungent,serrulate above and below; gill membranes free from isthmus behind, gill rakers long and slender; caudal fin lunate, slightly emarginate. D. VII to XI, 1,9; A.1I,8. Color brownish above, the upper part of sides with numerous darker blotches simulating bands, lower parts silvery, pubic and thoracic regions often black. Length 3 inches. The 10 spined stickleback inhabits the northern parts of Europe, the Atlantic coast of America from Long Island to the Arctic ocean; also tributaries of the Great lakes and northward into British America and Alaska. In the Arctic fresh waters it is represented by a form with shorter ventral spine, smaller eye, lower fins, and other characters. Notwithstanding its small size, this fish serves a very useful purpose as food for the salmon and trout, and arctic explorers have utilized it in vast numbers for feeding their dogs. Occur- ring as it does in shallow fresh-water lagoons in summer, apparently landlocked, and freezing solidly in winter, it has always been a mystery how it survives. This stickleback is less abundant in Gravesend bay than the two spined and three spined species. In Great South bay it is known as the thornback. In 1890 it was seen only once. In 340 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 1898 the state museum obtained a few specimens from Shinne- cock bay, Peconic bay and several stations in Great South bay. This species appears to run upstream farther than the others. In the aquarium it often attacks fish and tears their fins into shreds. During the breeding season the male becomes of a rosy hue beneath. It is a hardy fish, enduring captivity better than the other species. Often found in pools in the woods where seemingly no other fish occur. (After Eugene Smith?) Genus GAsTERosTEus (Artedi) Linnaeus Sticklebacks with the innominate bones coalescent on the median line of the belly, behind and between the ventral fins, forming a triangular or lanceolate plate. Gill membranes united to the isthmus ; tail slender, and usually keeled; skin variously covered with bony plates; dorsal spines three in num- ber, strong, with nondivergent bases. Species numerous. Fresh waters and shores of all northern regions; the species highly variable, those found in the sea usually with the body completely mailed, the fresh and brackish water forms variously mailed or even altogether naked. 171 Gasterosteus bispinosus Walbaum Two. spined Stickleback Gasterosteus bispinosus WALBAUM, Artedi, Gen. Pisce. III, 450, 1792; JorDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 396, 1883; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 748, 1896, pl. CXIX, fig. 320, as aculeatus, 1900; EUGENE SMITH, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. 31, 1898; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rept., N. Y. State Mus. 100, 1900. F Gasterosteus aculeatus GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 5, 1879; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 395, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 98, 1893; not of Linnaeus. Gasterosteus neoboracensis DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 66, pl. 6, fig. 17, 1842. Gasterosteus biaculeatus Aenea Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 480, pl. I, fig. 10, 1815, New York; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 65, pl. 3, fig. 8, 1842, New York and Hudson River to Albany; SToreER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 62, 1846; Hist. Fish. Mass. 40, pl. VIII, figs. 2, 3, 1867. The body is fusiform, moderately elongate and compressed; the caudal peduncle is short and slender and distinctly keeled. The hight of the body is less than the length of the head and 1ZLinn. soe. N. Y. Proc. 1897. no. 9, p. 30-31, FISHES OF NEW YORK 341 about one fourth of the total without caudal. The eye is one fourth as long as the head. The sides are covered by about 33 bony plates. The processes from the shoulder girdle cover the breast except a small naked area between them. At the base of each dorsal spine is a large rough bony plate to which the spine is hinged in such a way that it may be fixed and im- movable at the will of the fish. The pelvic bone is lanceolate. A cusp at the base of the ventral spine. The spines are all closely serrated, those in front of the anal and soft dorsal smallest. D. II, 1, 11-18; A. IJ, 9. The living fish is greenish olive, lighter on the sides, the lower parts silvery. The gill covers are silvery with dusky spots; the iris silvery; pupil black; fins pale; the ventral mem- brane sometimes red. The two spined stickleback or burn stickle is found on both sides of the Atlantic, its range on our coast extending southward at least to New Jersey and northward to Labrador. This is the largest of the sticklebacks and is said to grow to a length of 4 inches. In the North Pacific and Bering sea there is a related species, G. cataphractus Pallas, which has been styled the salmon killer. In Pennsylvania Mr Seal has found this fish abundant in pools and ditches along the Delaware. De Kay found this stickleback in the salt creeks about New York and in the Hudson river as far up as Albany. The state museum obtained it in 1898 in Shinnecock bay, July 22, and in Scallop pond, Peconic bay, July 28. It is not common in sum- mer. The following notes are from an article by Eugene Smith of Hoboken. eee Exceedingly common in the tidal creeks in the spring. The nest of this fish is made on and in the sand with the aid of bits of straw, weeds, etc. After the female has deposited the eggs, the male stands over the nest and fans it with the pectorals, only leaving to get food, or to resent an intrusion; he often kills the female with whom he has paired. During this time the male is red below and bluish and greenish above, with indistinct darker bars. After the spawning season is over, they seem to die off, at least they do in captivity. With proper attention the young can be raised to quite a size. 342 NEW YORK STATE MUSBUM The two spined stickleback thrives and breeds in captivity, but will not endure extreme heat in summer, and the adults wil] eat their young. Genus APELTES De Kay Body moderately elongate, somewhat compressed, the back elevated at the beginning of the soft dorsal fin, thence declining in nearly a straight line to tip of snout; tail very slender, not keeled; no bony dermal plates, the skin naked; innominate bones. not joined on the median line but separated, forming a bony ridge on each side of the abdomen, below which the strong ven- tral spines are depressible; chest mostly bony; bare area in front of pectorals small, but distinct; gill rakers rather short, gill membranes attached to the isthmus, without free edge; free dorsal spines three, strong, the first the longest, directed to one side, the next two directed toward the other side at dif- ferent angles, attached spine of dorsal and anal well developed, a bony ridge on each side of the spinous dorsal. 172 Apeltes quadracus (Mitchill) Four spined Stickleback — Gasterosteus quadracus MiTcHILy, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 4380, pl. I, fig. 11, 1815, New York; Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 67, pl. 6, fig. 18, 1842, the generic name Apeltes proposed; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 7, 1859; Storer, Hist. Fish. Mass. 41, pl. VIII, fig. 4, 1867. Gasterosteus millepunctatus AYRES, Bost. Jour, Nat. Hist. IV, 294, pl. XII, ! fig. 3, 1844. Old Mans Harbor, Long Island. Apeltes quadracus GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Hssex Inst. XI, 5, 1879; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 396, 1883; BEAN, 19th Rept. Commrs. Fish. N. Y. 244, 1890; Fishes Penna. 99, 1898; JorpAan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 752, 1896, pl. CXX, fig. 322, 1900; EvuGENE Situ, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. No. 9. p. 31, 1898; MEarns, Bull. Am, Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 318, 1898; Brean, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 100, 1900. The body is fusiform in shape, the snout pointed and the caudal peduncle slender. The sides are somewhat compressed. The depth of the body equals the length of the head and is one fourth of the total without caudal. D. III-IV, I, 11; A. i, 8. The skin is scaleless. The first dorsal spine is the highest, its length about half that of head. FISHES OF NEW YORK 343 The living fish has the upper parts greenish brown. Below the lateral line the color is darker and is mottled by the extension upward of the white color of the abdomen. Young Specimens have the brown color aggregated into several cross bands, which become indistinct in the adult. The ventral mem- brane is broad, scarlet in color, giving rise to one of the popular names. In Great South Bay the four spined stickleback is called thorn- back. This is the “bloody stickleback” of Storer’s Fishes of Massachusetts. It appears to be the commonest member of its family in this bay in September and early October. We found it common in various parts of the bay at a time when the two spined stickleback, Gasterosteus bispinosus, was not once seined, and cnly a single specimen of the 10-spined, P.pungitius, was secured. Localities at which we have col- lected the species are: Swan creek, Blue Point cove, Blue Point Lifesaving station, Great River beach and Fire Island. The species is most plentiful in brackish streams where there is an abundance of aquatic plants. In 1898 the state museum ob- tained it from the following additional localities: Shinnecock bay, Peconic bay, Mecox bay, Howell’s point, Great South bay, Bellport Lifesaving station, Nichol’s point and Fire Island inlet. Examples taken at Patchogue August 24 were in fresh ‘water. This species reaches a length of 2 inches. It swarms in the shallow waters, specially in the northern part of its habitat, and is particularly plentiful in brackish streams where there are humerous aquatic plants. In salt marshes it is one of the commonest of the little fishes, and it is not uncommon in the mouths of rivers. In Pennsylvania Prof. Cope records it as abundant in the tide water. streams and ditches of the Delaware. It runs up stream into purely fresh water and is commonly asso- ciated with the killies in small ditches and pools. This stickle- back builds a rudimentary nest of plant bits, and behaves like the above mentioned P. pungitius and G. bispinosus, in most respects. It is hardy and can be kept all the year i olga t Ileal a 344 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM round. I have successfully raised this fish to nearly mature growth. (After Eugene Smith!) The remarkable spinning habits of this fish have been described by Prof. John A. Ryder in the bulletin of the U. S. Fish Commission for 1881. Family risTuLARNDAE Cornet Fishes Genus FISTULARIA Linnaeus Body extremely elongate, much depressed, broader than deep;. scaleless, but having bony plates present on various parts of the body, mostly covered by the skin; head very long, the anterior bones of the skull much produced, forming a long tube, which terminates in the narrow mouth, this tube formed by the sym- plectic, proethmoid, metapterygoid, mesopterygoid, quadrate, palatines, vomer, and mesethmoid; both jaws, and’ usually the vomer and palatines also, with minute teeth; membrane uniting the bones of the tube below, very lax, so that the tube is capable of much dilation; post-temporal coossified with the cranium; branchiostegals five to seven; gills four, a slit behind the fourth; - gill membranes separate, free from the isthmus, gill rakers obsolete; basibranchial elements. wanting, pseudobranchiae Nets wanting; air bladder large; spinous dorsal fin entirely absent, soft dorsal short, posterior, somewhat elevateds. anal fin opposite it and similar; caudal fin forked, the middle rays produced into a long filament; pectorals small, with a broad base, preceded by a smooth area as in Gasterosteidae, pectoral ossic'es 3; interclavicles greatly lengthened, supra- clavicles very small; ventral fins very small, wide apart, abdom- inal (through partial atrophy of the. girdle, by which they lose connection with the interclavicies), far in advance of the dorsal, composed of six soft rays; pyloric caeca few; intestine short; vertebrae very numerous (4+44 to 49428 to 33), the first four ver- tebrae very long. Fishes of the tropical seas, related to the ‘Tinn. Soc. as Proc: 1807; ae. 9; pi at: FISHES OF NEW YORK B45 sticklebacks in structure, but with prolonged snout and different ventral fins. A single genus, with three species. The bony shields, characteristic of this genus, are the following: 1 A narrow strip along the median line of the back behind the skull (confluent neural spines). 2 The pair of broader lateral dorsal shields are peculiar bones, ' separated processes of the occipital bone. These shields are the longest, provided anteriorly with a ridge, which is prolonged and extends far backward between the muscles of the back. This ridge is flexible, and does not interfere with the lateral move- ments of the fish; it appears to serve as a base for the attach- ment of muscular fibers. 3 The narrow shield on the side is the postclavicle, its pos- terior part being dilated and fixed to the lateral! dorsal shields. 4 The ventral shields are the interclavicles; their posterior half is broadest, much pitted inferiorly; they are narrower before the middle, leaving a free lanceolate space between them, and are again a litt!e widened anteriorly, where they join the clavicle and urohyal. These plates extend as far backward as the ankylosed vertebrae. (After Jordan and Evermann) 173 Fistularia tabacaria Linnaeus Trumpet Fish Fistularia tabacaria LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 312, 1758; Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 233, 1842; SToreR, Syn. Fish. N. A. 191, 1846; Gun- THER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. III, 529, 1861; JornpDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U.S. Nat. Mus: 389, 1883; BEAN, Bull. U. 8S. F. C. VII, 146, 1888; 19th Rept. Commrs. Fish. N. Y. 273, 1880; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U.S. Nat; Mus. 757, 1896. Fistularia neoboracensis MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 487, pi, TEL, fie. 8, 1815. Fistularia serrata DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 232, pl. 35, fig. 118, 1842, Massachusetts; STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 140, pl. X XV, fig. 1, 1867; GOODE & BEAN, Bull.’ Essex Inst. XI, 4, 1879, Rockport Mass., not of CuvIER, Régne Anim. ed. 1, 349, 1817. Body greatly depressed, elongate, its depth about one thirty- fourth of its length to base of caudal and only about two thirds of its width. The middle caudal] rays are produced into a thread- 0 he he he i a 346 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM like filament, which is a little longer than the snout. The snout is greatly prolonged, two and three fourths times as long as the rest of the head. Mouth at the end of the long tube oblique, the lower jaw projecting a distance equal to one third of diameter of eye; upper jaw two thirds as long as postorbital part of head, lower jaw nearly twice as long as upper; eye nearly equal in length to upper jaw, about nine and one half in length of.head; snout three and two thirds in total length to caudal base; margin of orbit with thin, sharp points in front and behind; dorsal origin at a distance from tip of snout equal to three times length of snout, base of dorsal slightly longer than eye, longest dorsal ray one fourth the length of snout; anal exactly opposite dorsal, its base equally long, its longest ray also equal to longest dorsal ray; ventrals.small on a narrow base, their distance from tip of snout and end of external caudal rays nearly equal; pectorals short, on a broad base, their length one half the length of head without the snout; caudal lobes equal, the upper external rays three fifths as long.as the head without the snout. D.14; A. 13; Me Ws Reddish brown above, with numerous large, oblong, pale blue spots on the sides and back, arranged in series; under surface of head and belly at least to ventral fins, pale and silvery. The fish was known to Dr Mitchill and described by him from a specimen 14 inches long. We are not informed where he ob- tained this example, but it was an individual in the fresh condi- tion. Dr De Kay called it the spotted pipefish. and takes his account from the report of Dr Mitchill. The trumpet fish is generally common in the West Indies and neighboring seas, where it is said to reach the length of 6 feet. fe It is occasionally taken as far north as Cape Cod. It is not common in that region, and is apparently rare in Great South bay, though three examples were taken at Fire island, Septem- ber 30, and-one at Blue Point Lifesaving station, October 7. In Great Egg Harbor bay, N. J. the species is moderately abundant, as the writer seined 25 specimens in August and September 1887. The species is interesting on account of its peculiar structure, but is without economic value. 2 * FISHES OF NEW YORK ; 247 Order LOPHOBRANCHII | Tuftgills Suborder SYNGNATHI Family SyNGNATHIDAE Pipefishes Subfamily syNGNATHINAE Genus srpHosroma Rafinesque Body elongate, very slender, six or seven-angled, not com- pressed, tapering into a very long tail, the dorsal keels of the trunk not continuous with those of the tail; head slender, taper- ing into a long, tubelike, subterete snout, which bears the very short, toothless jaws at the end; humeral bones firmly united with the “breast ring;”’ body covered with a series of bony, keeled, radiated plates, arranged in linear series; dorsal fin dis- tinct, rather short, inserted before or opposite the vent, which is near the middle of the body; caudal fin present, rather small; anal fin minute, close behind vent; pectorals developed, short and rather broad. Male fishes with an egg pouch along the under side of the tail, formed by two cutaneous folds, and splitting lengthwise to release the young fishes. Species very numerous, inhabiting all warm seas; abounding in bays among the seaweeds, and entering the rivers. The females in most species are deeper than the males, with more robust trunk, with longer snout, and a more distinct ventral keel. ~ Subgenus srpHosToma 174 Siphostoma fuscum (Storer) Common Pipefish Syngnathus fuscus STORER, Rept. Fish. Mass. 162, 1839, Nahant. Syngnathus peckianus STORER, op. cit. 163, pl. I, fig. 2, 1839, Holmes’ Hole, Marthas Vineyard; Syn. Fish. N. A. 238, 1846; Hist. Fish. Mass. 218, - pl. XX XIII, fig. 3, 1867. Syngnathus fasciatus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 319, pl. 54, fig. 174, 1842. “Syngnathus viridescens DE KaAy, op. cit. 321, pl. 34, fig. 176, 1842, Hudson River, at Sing Sing. Siphostoma fuscum and peckianum, GooDE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 4, 1879. Siphostoma fuscum JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 388, 1883; BEAN, Bull. U.S. F. C. VII, 184, 1888; 19th Rept. Commrs. Fish. N, Y. 244, 1890; 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 101, 1900; JornpDAN & EVER- MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 770, 1896. 348 NEW YORK STATE MUSHUM . The female is much deeper bodied than the male, the depth of body equaling one third of length of head, while in males it is only one fourth of this length. Tail very long, slender, and | tapering, its length three fifths of total length without caudal; snout a little longer than rest of head, with a well marked median keel above and below, the upper one serrulate; occiput, nuchal plates and opercle keeled, the carinations on opercile sometimes nearly obsolete; belly slightly convex and with a low keel; eye small, five in snout, three in postorbital part of head; dorsal fin at a distance from tip of snout equal to two and two thirds times length of head, the base of the fin one fifth longer than head, the longest ray two sevenths as long as base of fin, and about one third as long as the head, the fin covering 5+5 body rings (4-54+5-4); anal fin of female reduced. to two or three rays on a very narrow base, its length about equal to length of eye; caudal convex when expanded, the mid- dle rays longest, as long as the postorbital part of head; pec- toral short, on a broad base, its length one fourth the length of head. D.36 to 40; rings 19487 (or 18 to 20486 to 40.) Color brown above, pale below, everywhere mottled with brown; under surface of snout pale, lower part of opercles Silvery. | The common pipefish is abundant on our Atlantic coast from Cape Ann to Virginia. It is known as the billed eel in Great South bay. It is abundant in all parts of the bay. Though this species is not valuable for food or bait, it is an interesting | aquarium fish and has the same singular breeding habits as the sea horse. After the ova of the females are excluded, they are received and hatched, and the young are cared for, in the marsupium of the male. The species, according to De Kay, ascends the Hudson to Sing Sing, where it breeds in slightly brackish water. It is to be found in shallow water among aquatic plants. The female is conspicuously different from the male in its colors and the much greater depth of its body. The pipefish is moderately abundant in summer in eelgrass and sea lettuce in Gravesend bay. In 1898 the state museum had it from all parts of Great South bay and from Shinnecock, FISHES OF NEW YORK 349 Peconic, and Mecox bays. Both young and adults were abun- dant during the summer. Males, females and young were abundant at Ocean City N. J. early in August 1887; but the males were more numerous than the females. The egg pouches of the males were filled with eyed embryos, arranged in four series on each side. A male 64 inches long, taken near Ocean City, August 31, had the pouch -unsymmetrically filled, the left side containing more than two thirds of the whole number of embryos and increasing in carry- ing capacity from behind forward. This is the billfish at Somers Point. In the aquarium the species is fond of shrimp eggs and small Gammarus; but, on account of the difficulty of securing proper food, its life in captivity is usually short. In a slowly circulating tank, at a temperature of 54° F. several individuals were alive and, apparently, in good condition. Subfamily HIPPOCAMPINAE Genus nrerocampus Rafinesque The body strongly compressed, the belly gibbous, tapering abruptly to a long quadrangular, prehensile tail; head with a distinct curved neck, placed nearly at a right angle with the direction of the body, surmounted by a compressed occipital crest, on the top of which is an angular, star-shaped coronet; top and sides of the head with spines. Physiognomy remark- ably horselike, like that of a conventional knight at chess. Body and tail covered with bony plates, forming rings, those en the body each with six spines or tubercles, those of the tail with four; pectoral fins present, short and broad; anal minute, usually present; dorsal fin moderate, opposite the vent; egg pouch in the male a sac at the base of the tail, terminating near the vent. 175 Hippocampus hudsconius DeKay Sea Horse; Horsefish Hippocampus hudsonius DE Kay, N. Y, Fauna, Fishes, 322, pl. 53, fig. 171, 1842; Storer, Syn. Fish. N. A. 239, 1846; Hist. Fish. Mass. 222, pl. XXXIII, fig. 4, 1867; Jonpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 907, 1883; BEAN, 19th Rept. Commrs. Fish. N. Y. 243, 1890; Jorpan & EVER- MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 777, 1896, pl. CXXI, fig. 327, 1900; MEARNS, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 318, 1898; Bran, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. T01, 1900. { 350 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Syngnathus hippocampus, Sea horse Pipefish, MiTcHILu, Trans, Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 475, 1815. Hippecampus heptagonus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 386, 18838, not of RAFINESQUE. Body short and deep, much compressed, much shorter than ithe prehensile tail, which is three times as long as the head and more than three times greatest depth of body; snout as long as postorbital part of head, its depth two fifths of its length; eye circular, two fifths as long as the snout; interorbital space two thirds of diameter of eye; occiput with a five-pointed crest; a sharp spine above the gill covers on each side, one above the posterior part of the eye and one on each side of the throat; a blunt spine between the nostrils; the edges of the bony plates of body with the usual blunt spines. There are no cirri on the individual here described, but the species is said to have them — sometimes. DeKay does not mention cirri in his account of the fish. Dorsal fin on 33 rings; base of dorsal one half as long | as head; longest dorsal ray one half as long as snout. D. 19; rings 12+32 to 36. Color light brown or dusky, without spots, but sometimes with pale grayish blotches which are sharply edged with paler and blackish. DeKay’s specimens were light brown, with iridescent opercles, the iris yellow. The sea horse is now known to occur on the New York and New Jersey coasts in moderate numbers during the summer months; its range extends from Cape Cod to Charleston. Mearns states that, during the summers of 1895 and 1896, a number of sea horses were taken by fishermen when netting shrimp in the eelgrass bordering the salt marshes near Consook island, at low tide. It has sometimes been found abundant in the nets in Gravesend bay, but has not occurred in large num- bers since 1895. In 1898 only a few individuals were taken in Great South bay, and the same scarcity was observed by fisher- men at Southampton L. I. In captivity it thrives best ‘in balanced tanks, but its life is short on account of parasitic attacks, which lead to swelling and ankylosis of the jaws. Its food in the aquarium includes Uneciola and shrimp eggs. The sea horse excites popular interest on account of its singular shape, its prehensile tail, FISHES OF NEW YORK ool and the fact that the male carries the eggs and protects the young in a pouch behind the vent. In this egg sac the young are protected till large enough to live independently, going out in search of food and returning to their shelter at pleasure. Order ACANTHOPTERI Spiny-rayed Fishes Suborder SALMOPERCAE Trout Perches Family PERCOPSIDAE Sand Rollers Genus PERCoPsIs Agassiz Body rather slender, pellucid, covered with rather thin scales; dorsal fin with two slender spines or simple rays; anal with one; scales roughest posteriorly; lateral line developed; preopercle entire or very nearly so; vertebrae 17+17=—34. Atlantic slepe, in cold or clear lakes and rivers. 176 Percopsis guttatus Agassiz Trout Perch; Sand Roller Percopsis guttatus AGAssiz, Lake Superior, 286, pl. I, figs. 1, 2, 1850, Lake Superior; GuNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VI, 207, 1866; JonpAN & GiL- BERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 322, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. &, 1893; EVERMANN & KENDALL, Rept. U. S. Commr, Fish & Fisheries for 1894, 599, 1896 from THOMPSON; JORDAN & HVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 784, 1896, pl. CX XI, fig. 329, 1900. Salmoperca pellucida THomMPsON, Appendix Hist. Vermont, 33, 1853, Lake Champlain, . Percopsis hammondi Git, Proce. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 151, 1864, Kansas. Body rather long and moderately compressed, covered with thin ctenoid scales; head scaleless and without barbels;. gill openings wide; opercles well developed; gill rakers short, tuber- cular; skull highly cavernous; mouth small; the margin of the upper jaw formed by the short nonprotractile intermaxillaries; no supplemental maxillary bone; small villiform teeth on the intermaxilliaries and mandible. The tongue is short, not free at tip. Pseudobranchiae developed. Six branchiostegals. The lateral line is continuous. The first dorsal over middle of body, with nine to 11 developed rays; adipose fin small; the anal and ventral eight rayed; caudal long, forked; pectorals narrow, 3o2 NEW YORK STATE MUSHUM placed high. The stomach is siphonal and with numerous pyloric caeca, as in certain Salmonidae. The eggs are moder- ately large and are excluded through an oviduct. Air bladder present. The greatest hight of the body is about two ninths of the total without caudal, the head about three elevenths. The maxilla does not reach to the eye. The lower jaw is slightly included. Scales in lateral line 47 to 50. Color pale olivaceous, or brown, the upper parts with rounded dark spots made up of minute dots; a silvery median stripe, becoming obsolete in front; peritoneum silvery. The trout perch is a common fish in the Great lakes and their tributaries. It ranges north to Hudson bay, having been obtained at Moose Factory by Walton Hayden, also from Nelson river, near Rock Factory, by Dr Robert Bell. It has been obtained in the Delaware river by Dr C. C. Abbott, in the Potomac by Prof. Baird, in the Ohio by Drs Jordan, Henshall and Bean, and Dr Gill has recorded the species from Kansas. Dr Meek obtained no specimens from Cayuga lake, but he has no doubt it is found there. The U.S. Fish Commission had it from Lake Ontario, Nine Mile point, near Webster N. Y., in 1893; also from Cape Vincent and Grenadier island. The fish is a resident of Lake Champlain, in which it was first discovered by Thompson, several years before Agassiz secured it in Lake Superior. The trout perch is too small to be valuable for food, but is doubtless an excellent bait. It is one of the most remarkable fishes of our fresh waters, combining as it does the characters of the salmon and some of the perches. Its name indicates this singular relationship. It is voracious, takes the hook freely, and spawns in the spring. Suborder XENARCHI Family aPHREDODERIDAE {| |. Pirate Perches Genus APHREDODERUs Le Sueur Body oblong, elevated at the base of the dorsal, compressed behind, the head thick and depressed, the profile concave; FISHES OF NEW YORK oDD caudal peduncle thick; mouth moderate, somewhat oblique, the lower jaw projecting, maxillary reaching to anterior border of the eye; teeth in villiform bands on jaws, vomer, palatines, and pterygoids; premaxillaries not protractile, maxillaries small, without evident supplemental bone; preopercle and preorbital with their free edges sharply serrate, opercle with a spine; bones of skull somewhat cavernous, sides of the head scaly; lower pharyngeals narrow, separate, with villiform teeth; gill membranes slightly joined to the isthmus anteriorly; gill rakers tuberclelike, dentate; pseudobranchiae obsolete; gills four, a small slit behind the fourth; branchiostegals six; scales mod- erate, strongly ctenoid, adherent, lateral line imperfect or want- ing; vent always anterior, its position varying with age, from just behind the ventral fins in the young to below the opercle in the adult; dorsal fin single, median, high, with but three or four spines, which are rapidly graduated, the first being very short; anal small, with two slender spines; ventral fins thoracic, with a very short spine, the number of soft rays usually seven; caudal fin rounded behind; air bladder simple, large, adherent to the walls of the abdomen; vertebrae 14+15; pyloric caeca about 12. A single genus, with probably but one species, confined to the United States. : 177 Aphredoderus sayanus (Gilliams) Pirate Perch Aphredoderus sayanus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 35, pl. 21, fig. 62, 1842; near Philadelphia Pa. Aphredoderus gibbosus LE SUEUR, in CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. [X, 448, pl. 278, 1838. Aphredoderus sayanus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 35, pl. 21, fig. 62, 1842; STORER, Syn. Fish. N. A. 47, 1846; JorRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U.S. Nat. Mus. 460, 1888; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 145, 1888; Fishes Penna. 101, 1893; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 786, 1896, pl. CX XII, fig. 331, 1900; EuGENE SmitTH, Proc. Linn, Soc. N. Y. No. 9, 33, 1898; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 101, 1900, Patchogue, Long Island. The body is moderately stout, oblong, somewhat compressed posteriorly. Scales ctenoid. The dorsal fin is continuous, with three or four spines and 11 soft rays. The anterior spines much the shortest. The anal has two spines and six rays. The mouth 354 : NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM is rather large for the size of the fish; the lower jaw somewhat longer than the upper; the maxilla reaches to front of eye; jaws, | vomer and palatine bones with villiform bands of teeth; lateral line wanting. The depth of the body is two sevenths and length of the head one third of the total without caudal. The eye is two ninths as long as the head. The origin of dorsal is much in advance of the middle of the total length; the pectorals do not reach as far back as the ventrals; ventrals more than one half length of head; the longest anal spine three sevenths of length of head; the caudal rounded. Scales in 48 to 55 series. The color is variable, sometimes olivaceous, at other times dark brown with numerous dark punctulations; a dark bar at the base of the caudal followed by a light one. | The pirate perch ranges from New York westward to Minne- sota, and in the Mississippi valley it extends to Louisiana. In Pennsylvania the species occurs in Lake Erie, probably in tribu- taries of the Ohio and in the lower Delaware. Common in East lake at Patchogue and in the head of Swan river. The farthest place east from which it is known appears to be Suffolk county on Long Island. This is one of the most interesting little fishes of the fresh waters, particularly because the position of the vent varies with age. In the young it is behind the ventrals, while in the adult it is in the throat. The fish grows to a length of 4 inches. Nothing is recorded about its habits except that it is very voracious and feeds at night. It is common in sluggish streams and ponds in the shelter of aquatic plants. In captivity it has never been observed to feed; perhaps it takes food, however, at night, but it does not thrive in the aquarium. | Suborder PERCHESOCES Family arTHERINIDAE Silversides Genus menrp1a (Bonaparte) J. & G. Body elongate, more or less compressed; head oblong, com- pressed; belly before ventrals, more or less rounded in section, 19ee Ayres. Enumeration of the Fishes of Brookhaven L. I. etc. Bost- Jour. Nat. Hist. 1844, IV. FISHES OF NEW YORK 355 not compressed to an edge; mouth small, the gape curved, very oblique, usually not reaching the eye; lower jaw short and weak; maxillary slipping entirely under preorbital; jaws each with a band of simple, usually villiform teeth; premaxillaries very freely protractile, their spines comparatively long, nearly equal to the eye, extending backward beneath a fold of skin, which connects the basis of the maxillaries; posterior part of the pre- maxillaries broad; no teeth“on vomer or palatines; both dorsals short, the usual radial formula being D. V-1, 8, first dorsal usually, but not always in front of anal; soft dorsal and anal sealeless; scales rather large, entire. 178 Menidia gracilis (Giinther) Slender Silversides Atherinichthys gracilis GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. III, 405, 1861. Menidia gracilis JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 797, 1896, Specimens from St George’s Island, Potomac River. The origin of the anterior dorsal fin is opposite to the vent, exactly in the middle of the distance between the end of tke snout and the base of the caudal. The distance between the origins of the two dorsal fins is somewhat more than one half of that between the origin of the posterior and the caudal. The hight of the body is contained nine times in the total length, the length of the head five and one half times. The silvery band is narrow, and occupies a part of the fourth series of scales. Seales with the margin entire. Caudal lobes equal in length; caudal somewhat longer than the pectoral, and rather shorter than the head. 31 lines long. Probably young. Habitat unknown. D.IV, 1, 8; A. I, 19. Scales 9-40. (After Gtinther) The specimens above referred to, from St George’s island, lower Potomac river, were obtained by Dr Hugh M. Smith, of the U. S. Fish Commission, in the summer of 1890. The specimens were compared with the published descriptions of M. beryllina (Cope) and were found to differ in some minor details, the dorsal formula being V, I, 10 instead of V, I, 11, the anal rays averaging I, 16 or I, 17 instead of I, 18, and the silvery stripe apparently taking a different course. 356 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Some large examples (84 inches long) of the Potomac river silverside no. 43125, U. S. National Museum, collected. by W. P. Seal, apparently in 1890, agree very well with the description of beryllina and also with the characters of Dr Smith’s specimens. It is probable that Cope’s name must be associated with this fresh-water form, and not the name gr acilis of Ginther. None of our individuals have four dorsal spines, and there is no certainty that Dr Gtinther’s type came from the United States. I have, however, followed Drs Jordan and Evermann in their identification. ! The species is said to range from Woods Hole Mass. to Albe- marle sound. 179 Menidia beryllina (Cope) Fresh-water Silversides Chirostoma beryllinum Corr, Trans. Am, Phil. Soc. 408, 1866, Potomac River, at Washington, D. C. Menidia beryllina JorDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 408, 1883; BrAn, Fishes Penna, 100, 1898; 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 102, 1900. Menidia gracilis beryllina JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 797, 1896, pl. CX XIV, fig. 338, 1900. Ha wea The body is shorter than usual among the silversides. The spinous dorsal is well separated from the soft dorsal, and its posterior margin extends almost to the vertical from the first: anal ray. The ventral reaches to below the first ray of the dorsal. The length of the head is contained four and one fourth times in the total length without caudal. The eye large, orbit one third as long as the head; mouth small; the mandible Slightly longer than the maxilla and slightly curved; greatest depth of body one sixth of total length without caudal. Scales in lateral line 36, transverse series 10. The lateral line is repre- sented by a pore on the anterior part of the exposed portion of each scale, except on the caudal peduncle, where it runs through a groove. D. V—-I,11; A. 1,18; V.1,5; P.15. The caudal is deeply forked. Pale olivaceous in color with a silvery lateral band, on two and one half rows of scales, with a lead colored margin, The / anal base is lead colored; sides of the head silvery. | FISHES OF NEW YORK 357 This species corresponds in many particulars with Menidia peninsu lae of Goode & Bean, but in that species the silvery streak covers only one and one half rows of scales. The soft dorsal in M.peninsulae appears to show considerable vari- ation in the number of rays. The fresh-water silversides was first described from the Potomac river, where it has recently been rediscovered in abun- dance, both in fresh and brackish water. It is very common at Water Mill L. I. and in fresh-water tributaries of Great South bay. Several examples were seined in 1898 in salt water at Clam Pond cove. In some of the Water Mill specimens the following characters were noted: D. V, 1,10; A. I, 16-17. Scales 8—40. Its associates in fresh water at Water Mill were: Fundulus diaphanus, Lucania parva, Eupomotis gib- bosus, and Lucius reticulatys. In 1898 it was obtained also in Shinnecock bay, Scallop pond (Peconic bay) and Mecox bay. The localities in Great South bay were: Swan river, south side of Great South bay, Horsefoot creek and Bell- port Lifesaving station. 180 Menidia notata (Mitchill) Silversides ; Friar ; Whitebait Atherina notata MitTcHit1, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 446, pl. IV, fig. 6, 1815, New York; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 141, pl. 28, fig. 88, 1842, New York; Storer, Hist. Fish. Mass. 87, pl. XVI, fig. 1, 1867. Atherina viridescens MITCHILL, op. cit. 447, 1815, New York. Chirostoma notatum GOoDE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 21, 1879, and of many other authors. Atherina menidia DE Kay, op. cit. 142, pl. 74, fig. 236, 1842, New York; not of LINNAEUS. Atherinichthys menidia and notata GuNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. III, 406, 1861. Atherinopsis notatus BAIRD, Ninth Ann. Rept. Smith, Inst. 338, 1855. Menidia notata JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 407, 1883; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 146, 1888; 19th Rept. Commrs. Fish. N. Y. 271, 1890; JornDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 800, 1896; EUGENE SMITH, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. No. 9, 32, 1898; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 102, 1900. Body elongate, compressed, its greatest depth contained six and one third times in total length without caudal, and equaling 358 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM three fourths of length of head; the caudal peduncle long and slender, its least depth about one third the length of head; width of body about one half the length of head; head short, pointed, its length one fifth of the total without caudal; snout slightly shorter than eye, about three and one fourth in length of head; margin of upper jaw formed chiefly by the curved premaxillary, which is nearly as long as the eye; eye equal to interorbital space, and one third as long as the head; two rows of scales under the eye; exposed part of maxilla two fifths as long as the eye; dorsal origin nearly midway between tip of snout and base of middle caudal rays; base of dorsal about as long as eye, longest dorsal spine one third as long as the head, fifth dorsal spine one fifth as long as head, interspace between the two dorsals contained 103 times in total length without caudal, second dorsal base one half as long as head, longest dorsal ray equal to eye and snout combined, last dorsal ray equal in length to snout; anal origin under end of spinous dorsal, also under 25th scale of lateral line, anal base three elevenths of total length without caudal, corresponding with 15 rows of scales, longest anal ray equal to snout and eye combined, last anal ray one fourth as long as head. The vent is under the last spine of the dorsal. The ventrals are distant from the end of the head a space equal to length of head, length of ventral equal to snout and eye com- bined, 15 rows of scales between ventral origin and throat. Middle caudal rays about one half as long as head, external rays five sixths as long as head, the fin deeply forked. The silvery band nowhere covering more than the width of one scale, though not limited to one row. Translucent green; lateral band silvery, mostly on the level of the eye, its width less than one half the diameter of eye. Scales of upper parts with dark dots along their edges; chin speckled. The common silversides grows to a length of 6 inches. The silversides was first made known by Dr Mitchill under the name of small silverside, Atherina notata, and he des- cribed the young of the same species as the green-sided silver- side, Atherina viridescens, Dr De Kaystates that the FISHES OF NEW YORK 359 silversides was known in the harbor of New York as the anchovy and the sand smelt. Friar is a New England name for the species; capelin is in use about Boston, and merit fish in the vicinity of Watch Hill. Sperling is a name recently applied to this species by some fishermen, and we have known persons to offer the silversides as whitebait. In Great South bay it is known as shiner. The silversides is known to occur on the coast from Maine to Virginia. It is one of the most abundant of the small fishes in our waters, swimming in immense schools made up of fish of different sizes, and it forms a considerable part of the food of more valuable species, such as the mackerel, bluefish, weakfish and flounders, and is very much in demand as a bait for hook and line fishing. We seined the silversides in all parts of Great South bay, and found it to be one of the most abundant and characteristic species. The common silversides, or spearing, lives in Gravesend bay almost all the year, hibernating in spring holes in winter. It is well suited for a captive life and can endure a temperature of 714° in the salt water. In 1898 the species was found for the state museum at all Long Island localities visited, Peconic bay, Mecox bay, the ocean at Southampton, and throughout Great South bay. Small individuals are sold in the markets as whitebait. In the time of De Kay the fish was called anchovy and sand smelt and was esteemed a savory food. 20 years before he wrote of the fishes of New York, it was caught from the wharves and sold for bait. Genus KIRTLANDIA Jordan & Evermann This genus is close to Menidia, but differs from it in hav- ing the scales laciniate and the dorsal and anal fins scaly. Three species known from the United States and Martinique. 181 Kirtlandia vagrans (Goode & Bean) Rough Silversides } Chirostoma vagrans GOODE & BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 148, 1879, Florida. Jienidia vagrans JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 267, 1882, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 407, 1888. 360 NEW YORK STATH MUSEUM Menidia vagrans laciniata Swain MS in JorpAan & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 908, 969, 1888, Beaufort, N. C.; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 589, 1883. Menidia laciniata Swain in JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 969, 1883; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 146, 1888, Great Egg Harbor Bay, N. J.; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 795, 1896; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 102, 1900.. Kirtlandia vagrans JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 794, 1896, pl. CX XIV, fig. 336, 1900. Kirtlandia laciniata JORDAN & EVERMANN, op. cit. 795, 1896; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 102, 1900. Hight of the body contained five and one half to six times in length without caudal, and six and two thirds times in total length, considerably less than length of head and length of pec- toral; origin of spinous dorsal fin situated behind a point mid- way between origins of ventral and anal fins and opposite the middle of the interspace between anal fin and vent; eye longer than snout, one third as long as the head, and less than width of interorbital space; mouth slightly protractile, lower jaw equal to length of eye; length of head contained four and three fourths times in total length without caudal, and equal to length of pectoral; pectoral reaching only a very little beyond origin of ventral when extended; ventral not reaching to vent, its length one half the length of head; anal base about as long as the head; caudal slightly forked, the lobes equal; vertical fins excessively scaly; scales of body large, laciniate, some of the exposed edges with 12 points. D. IV to V-I, 7; A. I, 18 to 19; V. I, 7; P. 14. Scales 7-48 to 50. Lateral silvery stripe covering the lower two thirds of the third series of scales and the upper one third of the fourth series. Light greenish above; sides and belly silvery; tip of snout.and of lower jaw yellow mingled with blackish; scales on the back with several to many dark spots on the free edges, these usually forming streaks; caudal yellow with dark points, its margin dusky; dorsal and pectorals dusky; lower fins pale, the anal with dark points at its base. As here described, the species includes M. laciniata (Swain) which has been recorded from New Jersey and North Carolina. The only difference discoverable between them is in FISHES OF NEW YORK 361 the number of the dorsal spines, which is generally four in laciniata, but sometimes five, as observed in examples from Great Egg Harbor bay, N. J., no. 45158 U. S. National Museum. The rough silversides grows to the length of 4 inches; it is not important for food, but serves as food for the larger fishes. It was found abundant at Somers Point N. J. in August 1887, where it had previously been unknown. The largest individual taken in Great Egg Harbor bay, 44 inches long, was secured at Longport N. J. | The only example so far known in New York waters was caught in Mecox bay, L. I. Aug. 1, 1898. Though the bay was seined repeatedly afterward in search of the fish, no other speci- mens were seen. The following notes were obtained: D. V, I, 7; A. 1, 20; P. 14; V. 1,5. Scales 7-47. Genus LABIDESTHES Cope This genus differs from Menidia chiefly in the prolongation of the jaws, both of which are produced into a short depressed beak. The scales aresmallasin Leuresthes and Basil- ichthys, their edges entire. 182 Labidesthes sicculus (Cope) Brook Silwersides ; Skipjack ; Glassfish Chirostoma sicculum Corr, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila, 81, 1865, Crosse Isle, Detroit River. Labidesthes sicculus CoprE, Proc. Am. Phil. Soc. Phila. 40, 1870; Jorpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 406, 1883; MrrK, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci. IV, 312, 1888, Montezuma, N. Y.; BEAN, Fishes Penna, 100, 1893; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 357, 1897; Chautauqua Lake; Jorpan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 805, 1896. The body is slender and elongate, its depth one sixth or one seventh of the total without caudal. Length of head about two ninths of total; eye two sevenths of length of head, two thirds of lenathoOrisnout. "DD, 1V, 1 Es Ar 23. . Scales’ 14275. - Caudal deeply forked. Color olivaceous, the fish in life translucent, the upper parts with small black dots, the silvery lateral band edged above with lead color and covering one row and two half rows of scales; cheeks silvery. 362 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM The genus Labidesthes has a very oblique mouth, with the upper jaw flat above and concave beneath, the inter- maxillaries forming a rooflike beak. The mandible is convex. The brook silversides, or skipjack, is found in streams and ponds in the Ohio and Mississippi valleys. It has also been dis- covered recently in some of the southern states, from South Carolina to Florida. In New York it is recorded from near Montezuma, from Chautauqua lake, where it is called silver skipjack and glagsfish, and from Lake Ontario. Dr Meek says it is not found near Ithaca. The U. 8S. Fish Commission col- lectors obtained it at the following places in New York: Stony Island July 2 and 3 Great Sodus bay Aug. 6 Long pond, Charlotte : | Augie Sandy creek, North Hamlin Aug. 20 The fish grows to the length of 4 inches and is important only as food for larger species. It has been kept in the aquarium, but does not endure transportation or captivity. The brook silversides is a surface swimmer, and the name skipjack is derived from its habit of skipping out of and along the surface of the water. It abounds in “clear pools left in summer by the fall of the waters in the streams, which has filled them.” Family MUGILIDAE Mullets Genus mueit (Artedi) Linnaeus Body oblong, somewhat compressed, covered with large scales, head large, convex, scaled above and on sides; mouth small, subinferior, the lower jaw angulated; jaws with one or a few series of short, flexible, ciliiform teeth, no teeth on vomer or palatines; eye large, with a large adipose eyelid, which is little developed in the young; stomach muscular, like the gizzard of a fowl. Species very numerous, living on mud and running in great schools along the shores and in brackish lagoons of all warm regions. We here exclude from Mugil the old world group, Liza (type Mugil capito) similar in habit FISHES OF NEW YORK 363 to Mugil, but lacking the adipose eyelid. (After Jordan & Evermann) 183 Mugil cephalus Linnaeus Striped Mullet Mugil cephalus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 316, 1758; Europe; JORDAN & SWAIN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 263, 1884; JorRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 811, 1896, pl. CX XVI, fig. 348, 1900; BEAN, 52d Ann, Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 108, 1900. Mugil albula LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 520, 1766, Charleston, S. C.; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 403, 1888; BEAN, 19th Rept. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 272, pl. X XI, fig. 26, 1890. Mugil lineatus MITCHILL, CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XI, 96, 1836, New York; Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 144, pl. 15, fig. 42, 1842, iNew York; STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass, 39, pl. XVI, fig. 4, 1867. Body fusiform, elongate, stout, its greatest width contained one and three fourths times in length of head and equal to length of ventral fin, greatest depth of body one fourth of total length without caudal; snout narrow and somewhat pointed, its length about one fifth of length of head, its profile scarceiy more convex than profile of lower jaw; interorbital space little convex, its width one half length of head; thickness of upper lip scarcely more than one third of length of premaxillary; space between the mandibles oblanceolate, its greatest width about one fifth of its length; eyes covered by an adipose membrane leaving a free space only about as wide as the pupil; length of © head contained three and one half to four times in total length without caudal; eye about two sevenths as long as the head; teeth in upper jaw in a rather broad band, the outer row slightly enlarged, teeth in lower jaw similar but much smaller; scales smaller than in M. curema, about 24 or 25 rows of scales between tip of snout and origin of spinous dorsal, some scales on top of head slightly enlarged, soft dorsal and anal fins almost scaleless; origin of spinous dorsal midway between tip of snout and base of middle caudal rays, about over the middle of the ventral, base of Spinous dorsal one third as long as the head, first spine longest, one half as long as the head, last Spine one half as long as the first, interspace between dorsals about one half length of head, upper margin of soft dorsal deeply concave, base of the fin a little more than one third of 364 NEW YORK STATE MUSHUM length of head, longest ray one half the length of head, last ray one fourth the length of head; caudal deeply forked, its middle rays one half as long as the head, its ex ternal rays nearly as long as the head; pectoral reaches to the . 11th row of scales from its axil, about as far back as the end of the ventral appendage, its length two thirds of length of head; ventral origin midway between tip of snout and fifth ray of anal, its length four sevenths of length of head, the fin extending to below the end of the base of spinous dorsal, the tip distant from the anal origin a space about equal to the length of the fin. D. IV—I, 8; A. III, 8. Scales 14-42. Color, dark bluish above; the sides silvery; exposed part of scales, specially of eight or 10 upper series, darker than body color, causing a striped appearance; belly and lower part of sides yellowish; ventral fins yellowish; soft dorsal, anal and ventrals dusky; tip and base of pectoral dusky. The striped mullet grows to the length of 2 feet, but the average size in New York waters is much less. | | The fish is known in Great South bay as mullet and jumping ~ mullet; the name mullet is applied to it also in the Gulf of Mexico, and is in general use along the east coast; it is known in the Chesapeake as mullet or fatback. The latter name is probably applied to more than one species. The striped mullet is known on our coast from Cape Cod to the Gulf of Mexico. The young are much more abundant than the adults. In Great South bay we found the species not un- common; two examples were taken at the mouth of Swan creek, September 12. Several schools were present. We were informed that they appear occasionally, and one gentleman of Patchogue was very successful in taking this and its allied species with hook and line. De Kay states that the striped mullet was first cbserved in New York waters by Dr Mitchill. He found them in the markets in the beginning of September. This species is one of our choice food fishes. It is not uncommon in September in Great Egg Harbor bay, N. J., but we were informed that large specimens are never taken in that body of water. . FISHES OF NEW YORK 305 In 1898 the striped mullet was not abundant in the waters seined tifl fall; the -great schools were absent till October. Several individuals were obtained in Mecox bay August 2 and a larger number in Clam Pond cove, Great South bay, August 22. The young of this species are abundant in Gravesend bay in midsummer; larger ones appear in September and October. One winter, some years ago, mullet hibernated in the mud in Sheepshead bay and were taken with eel spears. The mullets feed and thrive most of the year in captivity, but will not sur- vive the intense heat of summer. In the aquarium their food includes hard clam and shrimp. In 1883 Jordan and Gilbert established a genus Queri- mana for “little mullets with but two spines in the anal fin and with the teeth in the jaws less ciliiform than in Mugil. Adipose eyelid wanting; preorbital serrate.’ The genus was based on Myxus harengus of Giinther. Querimana is nothing more than the young of Mugil. The only good character by which it was distinguished is the presence of two anal spines instead of three; in all other respects Queri- mana and Mugil agree perfectly. Asa matter of fact, all young Mugils pass througha Querimana stage in which only two of the three anal spines are developed, the adipose eye- lid is rudimentary and the teeth are comparatively stouter than in the adult. The third anal spine of Mu gi ° is really a simple articulated ray till the fish reaches a length varying from about 40 mm to 50 mm. The first simple ray of the anal becomes a Spine by the breaking off at an articulation, the subsequent sharpening of the point, and the deposit of hard material in the articulations, thus forming a somewhat slender, but perfect, Spine. This fact of development was carefully studied in large series of specimens in the U. S. National Museum, and it is both inter- esting and important from the fish cultural as well as the sys- tematic standpoint. In Mugil cephalus one example, 41 mm long, shows the third anal spine very plainly; it is well developed and has a sharp point, but several articulations still ed n “ 366 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM remain. Other examples of equal length have the first simple anal ray scarcely developed into a spine, nd in still ners this ray does not take on the character of a Spine at all. Queri- mana harengus, the type of the genus, is the young of Mugil curema, and Q. gyrans is the immature Mugil trichodon. A.reexamination of the types of Querimana gyrans shows the presence of 33 rows of scales in some ex- amples instead of 29, as originally recorded. 184 Mugil curema Cuy. & Val. White Mullet Mugil curema CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XI, 87, 1836, Brazil; Martinique; Cuba; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VI, 145, 1888; 19th Rept. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 272, pl. X XI, fig. 26, 1890; JorDAN & EVER- MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 813, 1896, pl. CX XVI, fig. 344, 1900; BEAN, 52d Ann, Rept. N. Y. State Mus. 103, 1900. Mugil petrosus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, op. cit. 88, 1836, Brazil to New © York; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 147, 1842. Mugil brasiliensis GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus, III, 431, 1861; Jorpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 408, 1883. Body shaped like that of the striped mullet, its width equaling two thirds of length of head, its greatest depth contained three and one half to three and five sixths times in total length with- out caudal; least depth of caudal peduncle equal to one half the length of head; snout nearly as in M. cephalus, sometimes with its outline more declivous, its length one fifth of length of head; interorbital space slightly convex, its width nearly one half the length of head; thickness of upper lip scarcely one third of length of upper jaw, space between the mandibles nearly lanceolate, its width one sixth of its length; eyes covered with an adipose membrane leaving only a space about as wide as the pupil exposed, eye about two sevenths as long as the head; head one fourth, or nearly one fourth, of total length without caudal; teeth in outer row on premaxilla somewhat enlarged, distant; scales rather large, about 22 rows between tip of snout and origin of first dorsal; soft dorsal and anal densely scaled, origin of spinous dorsal midway between tip of snout and. base of external caudal rays, directly over the 10th row of scales, counting from the axil of the pectoral, the first spine nearly two thirds as long as the head, the last spine less than one half FISHES OF NEW YORK 367 as long as the first, interspace between the dorsals equal to three fifths of length of head, upper margin of soft dorsal deeply concave, base of fin equal to length of postorbital part of head, the longest ray three fifths of head, the last ray one fourth the length of head; caudal deeply forked, its middle rays one half as long as the head, its external rays equal to the head; pectoral reaches the eighth row of scales, its length equal to head with- out snout; ventral origin midway between tip of snout and third ray of anal, its distance from vent equal to its own length, which is two thirds of length of head; about 24 rows of scales between the head and the anal origin, base of anal three fifths as long as the head, longest anal ray equal to length of post- orbital part of head, last anal ray two sevenths of length of head. D.IV-—I, 8; A. III, 9. Scales -12-88. Color silvery, bluish above; no dusky streaks along the sides in life, but faint streaks are evident after preservation in spirits; a small dark blotch at base of pectoral; caudal pale, yellowish at base, dusky at tip; anal and ventrals yellowish; two yellow blotches on side of head. he white mullet reaches the length of 1 foot. On the Atlantic coast it ranges from Cape Cod to Brazil; in the Pacific it is recorded from California to Chile. It is a very important food fish. | 3 The white mullet appears with the striped species, but is less abundant in Gravesend bay and is smaller in size. The young were taken in Great South bay in August 1898, and half grown individuals were abundant in September and October. Adults were scarce. Dr Mitchill calls this the summer mullet. He records a speci- men that weighed 24 pounds, the heaviest coming under his observation. DeKay found the species in New York markets in July and August. 185 Mugil trichodon Poey Whirligig Mullet (young) ; Fantail Mullet Mugil trichodon Pory, Ann. Lyc. Nat. Hist. N. Y. XI, 66, pl. 8, figs. 4 to 8, 1875, Cuba; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 816, 1896. . Mugil brasiliensis JORDAN & SwAIn, Proc. U. S. Nat, Mus. 270, 1884; not of Agassiz fide JORDAN & HVERMANN, 368 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Querimana gyrans JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 26, 1884; Jor- DAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 818, 1896. Body robust, its greatest depth three elevenths of the total length without caudal; head short, its length contained four and one fifth times in total to caudal base; snout moderately acute, its upper and lower profiles equally oblique; interorbital space little convex, its width two fifths of the length of the head; upper lip remarkably thick; space between the mandibles underneath narrow, oblanceolate, rather pointed behind; an adipose membrane covering all but the central part of the eye; teeth comparatively large and wide set, about as long as the nostril; about 21 rows of scales between origin of spinous dor- sal and tip of snout, soft dorsal and anal densely scaled, the margin of soft dorsal concave, the second, and longest, ray two and three fourths times as long as the seventh; anal similar to soft dorsal; the pectoral short, not reaching nearly to vertical from front of spinous dorsal; caudal large, deeply forked. D. IV-I, 8; A. III, 8. Scales 33-11. | Upper parts dusky, olivaceous, with bluish reflections, lower parts silvery; scales without dusky spots; a dark blotch at base of pectoral; dorsals and caudal pale, the dorsals with minute dark points, caudal with a dark margin; anal and ventrals yellowish; pectorals pale, with fine brown punctula- tions. : The fantail mullet ranges from Brazil to the Florida Keys and Cuba. The young, which is Querimana gyrans of Jordan & Gilbert, migrates northward in summer to Cape Cod; it has been recorded from Long Island and the vicinity of Woods Hole Mass. The species reaches the length of 10 inches. Family sPHYRAENIDAE Barracudas Genus spHyrarEna (Artedi) Bloch & Schn. Body elongate, subterete, covered with small cycloid scales; , head very long, pointed, pikelike, scaly above and on sides; mouth horizontal, large; jaws elongate, the lower considerably projecting, upper jaw nonprotractile, its border formed by the | FISHES OF NEW YORK 369 premaxillaries, behind which are the broad maxillaries, large, sharp teeth of unequal size on both jaws and on palatines; none on the vomer; usually a very strong, sharp canine near the tip of the lower jaw; opercular bones without spines or serratures; gill openings wide, the gill membranes not united, free from the isthmus; gill rakers very short or obsolete; branchioste- gals seven; gills four; pseudobranchiae well developed; air bladder large, bifurcate anteriorly; many pyloric caeca; lateral line well developed, straight; pectoral fins short, placed in or below the line of the axis of the body; ventrals I, 5, abdominal, in advance of the middle of the body; first dorsal over ventrals, of five rather stout spines, second dorsal remote from first dorsal, similar to and opposite anal; caudal fin forked; vertebrae 24; first superior pharyngeal absent, second, third, and fourth separate, with teeth, lower pharyngeals separate. 186 Sphyraena guachancho Cuy. & Val. Long Barracuda Sphyraena guachancho CuUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist, Nat. Poiss, III, 342, 1829, Havana; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 824, 1896. Sphyraena guaguancho GOoDE & BEAN, Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus. II, 146, 1880; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 411, 1883. Sphyraena guaguanche Pory, Memorias, II, 166, 1860; MEEK & NEWLAND, Proce. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 70, 1884. Sphyraena giintheri HAty, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. XV, 270, 1875, Colon. . Body moderately elongate, subcylindric, its greatest depth one seventh of the total length without caudal, its width two thirds of its depth and one third of length of head; the caudal peduncle stout and not elongate, its least depth one fourth the length of head. The head is long, nearly one third of total without caudal, its width two sevenths of its length; the lower jaw projects a space one half as long as the iris, the top of head flat and with a long and well marked median groove; the interorbital space equal to iris; the maxilla broadly expanded and abruptly bent downward, its width at the posterior end one fourth of its length, its end reach- ing about to front of orbit; mandible as long as head without postorbital part; preocular ridge three fourths as long as iris; 370 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM premaxillary teeth small, about 48 developed in the individual examined (sometimes 35 to 40), front of the premaxillaries with four large canines, the posterior pair slightly larger, one third as long as the eye; three large, bladelike fangs on each side of palatines; a large compressed fang at symphysis of lower jaw, mandible with about 17 moder- ately large, compressed teeth on each side; eye one sixth of length of head, one half postorbital part of head; dor- sal origin at a distance from snout equal to three times length of snout, base of spinous dorsal one third length of head from tip of upper jaw, second spine longest, nearly one third of length of head, fifth spine one half as long as the second, inter- space between first and second dorsal equal to snout and eye combined, base of second dorsal two sevenths of length of head, including lower jaw, longest ray as long as base of fin, last ray one fifth of length of head; ventral a little in advance of spinous dorsal, its distance from the head equal to length of pectoral, its length two sevenths of length of head; anal origin under middle of dorsal base, anal base one fourth the length of head, longest anal ray equal to ventral, last ray one ha‘f the postor- bital part of head; middle caudal rays very short, external rays as long as snout and eye combined; pectoral as long as postor- bital part of head; top of head with minute embedded scales; cheeks and opercles scaly, but interopercle and posterior half of opercle naked. B. VII, D. V—1, 9; A. I, 8; V.1, 5; P.1, 12. Scales 15 to 16-112 to 121-18 to 17. i Color pale green above, soft dorsal yellowish; anal and ventral fins chiefly pale but basal part of ventral dusky; pectoral and caudal dusky at tip; dark punctulations on spinous dorsal and on upper part of body. The specimen described is no. 30015, Jamaica, in the U. S. national museum. . An individual 212 inches long was taken at Woods Hole Mass., and is described by Goode and Bean in Proceedings of the U. S. National Musewn, II, 147, 1880. The species ranges from the West Indies to Florida, and occasionally northward in sum- mer to Cape Cod, FISHES OF NEW YORK Bas 187 Sphyraena borealis De Kay Northern Barracuda Sphyraena borealis DE Kay, N, Y. Fauna, Fishes, 39, pl. 60, fig. 196, 1842, New York; MEEK & NEWLAND, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 75, 1884; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 145, 1888; 19th Rept. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 271, 1890; JorDAN & EXVERMANN, Bull, 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 825, 1896. Sphyraena spet JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 411, 1883; not of Havy. Body moderately elongate and compressed, its greatest depth equal to length of snout, and contained seven and one half times in total length without caudal, its width equaling two sevenths of length of head; caudal peduncle subterete and tapering, its least depth one fifth of length of head. The head is one third of total length without caudal, its width one fourth of its length, the lower jaw projecting a space equal to pupil, top of head slightly convex, a very shallow median groove, the interorbita! space equal to length of eye; maxilla broadly expanded poste- riorly, its greatest width one fourth of its length, its end not reaching front of orbit by a space two thirds as long as the eye; mandible as long as snout and eye combined; preocular ridge two thirds as long as the eye, not very prominent; premaxillary teeth small, smaller anteriorly, about 45 in number, front of the premaxillaries with three large canines on each side, one of them much larger than the others, one third as long as the eye; two © large fangs on one side of the palatines, three on the other, fol- lowed on each side by three smaller teeth; a large, compressed fang ‘at the symphysis of lower jaw, mandible with 10 to 12 teeth, increasing in size and becoming more widely: separated posteriorly; eye equal to interorbital width and its length con- tained six and one fourth times in length of head; dorsal origin at a distance from tip of snout equal to a little more than three times length of snout, base of spinous dorsal ‘nearly one third as long as the head, second dorsal spine longest, about one third length of head, last dorsal spine one half of postorbital part of head, interspace between dorsals one half of length of head, base of second dorsal equal to longest dorsal ray and two sevenths of length of head, last dorsal ray equal to long diameter of eye, 372 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM and one seventhof lengthof head; ventral under the second spine of the dorsal, its distance from the head one half of length of head, and much greater than length of pectoral; anal origin under fourth ray of second dorsal; the anal base two sevenths of length of head, longest anal ray equal to base of anal fin, last ray three fourths of diameter of eye, one third of postorbital part of head; middle caudal rays very short, external rays one half as long as the head; pectoral equal to postorbital part of head; top of head- with numerous minute, embedded scales and with many series of mucous pores; cheeks and opercles scaly and with- out naked spaces. B. VII; D. V-II, 9; A. III, 8; V. I, 5; P. I, 12. Seales 13-126-13. Color greenish above; lateral line yellow; lower parts silvery; iris golden; young with dusky blotches on the back and along the lateral line. This fish seems to have been unknown to the early writers on New York fishes, the species not appearing in any publication earlier than De Kay’s New York Fauna, in 1842. Dr De Kay calls it the northern barracuda, to distinguish it from the southern species. The young barracuda have been taken from Cape Cod to New Jersey, the southern limit being indefinite. Individuals of 1 foot in length have been rarely seen, but examples measuring from 2 to 6 inches are extremely common as far north as Cape Cod annually, in the summer. De Kay makes the following state- ment about the barracuda: “ This is a very active and voracious little fish. A number of them were caught in the harbor of New York and placed in a vessel with several other species. In a few hours they had devoured them all, and then commenced devour- ing each other. It has not been very commonly observed, owing to the difficulty of capturing them; but I have reason to believe that they are not very rare.” In' Great Egg Harbor bay the young were found in abundance. The smallest example seen there by myself was 22 inches long. The species was unknown to the fishermen. In Great South bay a single a was captured at Oak island September 30. =. FISHES OF NEW YORK 373 This barracuda is not seen in our markets, but the adults of more southerly species are considered excellent food fishes. At Key West and on Cozumel island, and in the West Indies, the barracuda is highly prized: Several young barracuda were caught in Gravesend bay in September 1896. The species is not common in that bay. An individual 54 inches long was seined at Sandy Hook, Oct. 8, 1897. The fish does not live long in captivity. Suborder RHEGNOPTERI Family POLYNEMIDAE Threadfins ‘Genus Potypacryius Lacépéde Anal fin not much longer than soft dorsal, of about 13 or 14 rays; vomer with teeth; preoperculum serrate; free filaments of pectorals mostly shorter than body; teeth in villiform bands on both jaws, vomer, palatines, and pterygoids; preopercle sharply serrated on its posterior margin, its angle with a scaly flap; scales rather small, finely ctenoid; first dorsal with seven or eight feeble, rather high spines, the first and last short, soft dorsal and anal fins about equaling each other; pectoral fila- ments three to nine; pyloric caeca in great number. Species numerous, in warm seas. 188 Polydactylus octonemus (Girard) Threadfin Polynemus octonemus GIRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 167,1858, Brazos; San- tiago; Galveston; young; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 320, 1860; GOODE & BEAN, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. II, 128, 1880; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 413, 1883. Polydactylus octonemus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. 8. Nat. Mus. 830, 1896, pl. CX XVIII, fig. 350, 1900; Bran, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 358, 1897. Trichidion octofilis GILL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 280, 1861, New York; adult. Trichidion octonemus GILL, op. cit. 280, 1861. Polynemus octofilis JORDAN & GILBERT, Proce. U. 8. Nat. Mus. 590, 1882; Bull: 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 413, 1883. Body compressed, moderately elongate, its greatest depth from one third to two sevenths of the total length without caudal, its thickness equal to two fifths of length of head; 374 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM caudal peduncle short and stout, its least depth one half the length of head; head short, a little more than one fourth of total length without caudal, its width nearly one half its length; — snout obtusely conical, its length varying with age from one seventh to one fifth of length of head; eye equal to interorbital space and its length contained from four and one third to five and one half times in length of head; mouth inferior, slightly oblique, wide, the lower jaw included, maxilla broadly expanded behind, its end reaching far behind eye, length of upper jaw nearly one half of length of head; hind margin of preopercle with numerous rather coarse spines. Distance of spinous dor- sal from tip of snout equals one third of total length without caudal, base of spinous dorsal one half as long as the head, second spine longest one fifth of total without caudal, last dor- sal spine two ninths as long as the second, interspace between dorsals equal to postorbital part of head, base of second dorsal contained one and three fourth times in length of head, longest dorsal ray equal to postorbital part of head, last dorsal ray one third as long as the head. Anal origin is under the fifth or sixth ray of the second dorsal, the base of the fin equals the second spine of the dorsal in length; the longest ray is one half as long as the head; the last ray is as long as the snout and eye combined. The ventral origin is under the middle of the spinous dorsal; the length of the fin is about one half the length of head. The pectoral reaches beyond the end of the spinous dorsal, but not to the vent, its length equal to length of head without the snout; the pectoral filaments are eight in number on each side, the longest reaching past the vent. Caudal deeply forked, its external rays longer than the head. D. VIII-I, 12; A. III, 13; V.I1,5; P. 1, 15,8; B. VII. Gill rakers, 21 below the angle, the longest nearly equal to eye; scales 6-70-10. Color light oliva- ceous, with dark punctulations; belly whitish; pectoral black in adult, pale in young. The threadfin is found on the east coast of the United States. from New York to Texas, occurring northward in summer only. Sep. 24, 1896, three specimens were obtained by John B. De FISHES OF NEW YORK 31D Nyse in Gravesend bay and sent to the aquarium dead, as they would not endure captivity. The fish agrees in coloration and in every other respect with P. octofilis Gill, and is be- lieved to be the adult form of P. octonemus Girard. This is probably the first record of its occurrence in New York waters for more than 30 years. MEASURIUIMENTS Inches Length, including caudal. DE DLN SiR OLN ay eee, Sahin 834 Length to end of middle exudal TEAS Sitiee go ch ltt SUR Baal al S abadcadvci vin 7% hength. to OTneim or amMmddale Caudal. GAYS. 2). jcc. cre on «lee eee . 6% CE LOREESE COP Uli, Ol c IOC Vie tis 2 ae Gr Soh d4 kav ers © auebaie.S shaees elope See ene 2 WGuisit Cepting oneal WIEMIIIUCLe ie Vales acoade wed eretece alee e 16 SL Sra el oa aR GE aN Gory 5 0)" EE ANA gene eR Rene a Ban a Reet a Bene eae 1% NMSA Oe VS EVO en nae eee estar cen OSS oes iv ae) ohh taal oc a ah id Ts Oa E) Oil ONO gn Metab Me och vas yo edicbeaiN, a ibaa ete salen of elves a> aer busta eile. pce is SPSS fila Ls MANO PMN MH MIU UN Glee We vasa ese sete to les see thn Sa eae wie oShdlele @ bona Slate 34, MSM LINO ke MAAC OLE ete ae ee Bren etree ed cd aah Gee Stale oretetee's 3 Length of longest pectoral filament Bees EA Me ON Spe he reba A elle cy ol atelie 28% Length of upper and lower caudal lobes Laie in Spall esr ee ee Gia ee 214, PSN OM FOL OCUOR UL ye ao rer ale e eudiis oook he wah is ar Seale traeak c ctetahe wea we 1% hewethvotiongest Guird)dorsalispimtes |: ski. vse « «Qe eels 1% - EOS tH IOr SCCOMURMOL SAN WAVE eisai wit d ola aueieca ele crei@iahate Ba al 1% EPS 2 FLA MMe sag 2 OH C22, pln 0 eA 2 eR on a 3 Mee Gas OL JOM eesti ray, bee ce Lt ki shales 44a e clSte elaty Sicllets oo ad ees if: Meas i Olas Semaine ina tha eke ihc ULL aka. gu cand keane bus chplaniole ve lis NGS EH OL DASE) Ol ES HOC OES AM, clei oliye ale lysrake cs eters kos aie alc Helole he 34 ‘Length of base of second dorsal......... CONSEM, So eather ar epatar eta eae 1% The longest pectoral filament reaches to below the inter- space between the two dorsals and slightly past the vent. The diameter of the eye equals the length of the snout and one fifth the length of the head. Group AMMODYTOIDEI Family aMMODYTIDAE Sand Lances Genus ammopytEs (Artedi) Linnaeus Body elongate, lanceolate, the skin with many transverse folds running obliquely downward and backward, the small cycloid scales mostly placed in cross series between them; lat- eral line concurrent with the back; a fold of the skin along each side of the belly; vomer not armed with a bicuspid tooth; color silvery; vertebrae 62 or 63; one pyloric caecum. Carnivorous 376 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM fishes inhabiting sandy shores in cold regions, living in large schools, burying themselves in the sand near the tide mark. Valued as bait and useful as food for salmon and other larger fishes. 189 Ammodytes americanus De Kay. Sand Lance; Sand Eel Ammodytes americanus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 317, pl. 52, fig. 167, 1842, Queens County, New York, and Stratford, Conn.; STorER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 216, pl. XX XIII, fig. 2, 1867; GoopE & BEAN, Bull. Hssex Inst. XI, 20, 1879; JorDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 414, 1883; JorpAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 833, 1896, pl. CXXIX, fig. 351, 1900; Bran, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 359, 1897. Ammodytes vittatus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 318, pl. 60, fig. 197, 1842, New York, apparently based upon a mutilated specimen, fide JORDAN & EVERMANN. Argyrotaenia vittata JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 415, 1888. Body long, slender, subterete, its greatest depth one tenth to one twelfth of total length without caudal, its width two fifths of length of head; head moderately long, with acutely pointed snout, length of head one fifth of total without caudal; snout nearly one third as long as the head; eye small, one sixth as long as the head, and equal to width of interorbital space; lower jaw somewhat projecting, the mandible nearly one half as long as the head, the maxilla reaching back to front of orbit; dorsal origin in advance of tip of pectoral; length of pectoral about one half the length of head; length of anal base nearly one third of total without caudal; dorsal and anal rays about equal in length and not much longer than the eye; intermaxillary pro- tractile; vomer not armed with a bicuspid toothlike prominence, D. 55 to 63; A. 27 to 31. Lateral folds 127 to 141. The specimens examined are from 4{-to 7 inches long, from Nantucket, Woods Hole and Bass Rocks, Mass. Colors as given by Dr Storer: of a dirty greenish brown on the back, the sides and abdomen silvery, the top of the head flesh-colored, the preopercles silvery, operculum cupreous and Silvery, pupils black, iris silvery. The sand lance occurs on sandy shores from Newfoundland to Cape Hatteras. In certain harbors of Cape Cod and Marthas Vineyard it often schools in myriads, so that the entire bottom FISHES OF NEW YORK Sth is covered from:1 to 2 inches deep and appears like an immense sheet of silver. These little fish are a very important source of food for the cod, salmon and other valuable fishes and are excellent for bait. De Kay found the young frequently washed on shore after heavy northerly gales. The sand lance appears in Gravesend bay in July, but is more plentiful in winter. The fish buries itself in sand and some- times, when alarmed, will leap 4 inches above the sand. In captivity it swims continually and soon dies. It will not thrive for want of sand and proper food. Group BERYCOIDEl Family MULLIDAE : Surmutlets Genus munuus Linnaeus Villiform teeth in the lower jaw and on the vomer and pala- tines, none in the upper jaw, the bone forming a hook over the maxillary well developed; opercle without spines; interorbital _ space flat and wide. Otherwise as in Upeneus, the head rather shorter. One species known. 190 Mullus auratus Jordan & Gilbert Red Mullet ; Goatfish Mullus barbatus auratus JORDAN & GILBERT, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 280, 1882, Pensacola, Florida; Bull. 16, U: S. Nat. Mus. 981, 1883. Mullus auratus JORDAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 39, 1884; Bean, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 359, 1897; JornDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U.S. Nat. Mus. 856, 1896, pl. CX XXII, fig. 360, 1900. Body moderately deep and compressed, its width equal to postorbital length of head, its greatest depth nearly equal to length of head and contained three and one half times in total length without caudal; least depth of caudal peduncle equal to postorbital part of head; head two sevenths of total length without caudal; anterior profile rather steep; intermaxilla protractile; mouth small, terminal, the upper jaw one third as long as the head and about equal to length of mandible; eye placed high, interorbital space nearly flat, its width greater 378 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM [ than long diameter of the eye, and about two sevenths of length of head, eye about three elevenths of length of head; barbels — one fifth of total length to end of scales, and equal to length of pectoral. The spinous dorsal begins over the fifth scale of the lateral line, its base one half as long as the head, its longest spine two thirds as long as the head, its last spine scarcely as long as the eye, interspace between dorsals equal to one third the length of head, base of second dorsal one half as long as the head, longest ray slightly more than one half the length of head, last ray as long as the eye. The ventral origin is under the axil of the pectoral, also under the third scale of the lateral line; the length of the ventral is one fifth of total length to end of scales; the ventral fin reaches a little farther back than the pectoral, to a point below the twelfth scale of the lateral line. The anal origin is under about the third ray of second dorsal; the base is as long as postorbital part of head; the long- est ray one half, and the last ray two sevenths of length of head. Caudal deeply forked, the middle rays, from end of scales, two fifths as long as the outer rays, which are three fourths as Jong as the head. Pectoral fin three fourths as long as the head, reaching to below the 12th scale of the lateral line, and end of spinous dorsal base. D. VII-I, 8; A. II, 6; V.1.5;P.16. Scales 34-35-6. Color scarlet; side with two yellow longitudinal stripes; snout and caudal fin scarlet, the latter with about five narrow dusky bands after preservation in spirits; first dorsal fin with an orange band at base and a yellow band higher up, the rest of the fin pale; second dorsal fin with about three narrow bands of scarlet; anal and ventrals pale; pectoral reddish; iris violet or golden; sides of head silvery, iridescent. The red mullet ranges from Cape Cod to Florida; it is found at Woods Hole Mass., occasionally in summer; on the red snap- per banks off Pensacola Fla. it is moderately abundant. The fish grows to the length of 8 inches. It has no economic value, but furnishes food for the red snapper, groupers and other food fishes. FISHES OF NEW YORK 379 Three individuals of Mullus were captured in a seine at Sandy Hook N. J. Oct. 8, 1897, and brought alive to the New York aquarium, where they are now (Nov. 30, 1897) in good con- dition and feed freely on shrimp. As the fish are living, it is uncertain whether or not they are M. auratus; but they agree in the main with the description of that species. Their endurance of water at a temperature of 50° F. is unexpected. Fishermen at Sandy Hook reported that large numbers were seen there in September and October 1897. Recént examination of one of the specimens above referred to (No. 48796, U. S. National Museum) shows its entire agreement with the type of Mullus auratus. Group SCOMBROIDEI Family sSCOMBRIDAE Mackerels Genus scomperR (Artedi) Linnaeus Body fusiform, rather elongate, somewhat compressed; caudal peduncle slender, without median keel, hut with two small keels on each side; mouth wide, with a single row cf rather small, slender teeth in each jaw and on the vomer and palatines; maxillary slipping under the broad preorbital, a fleshy lobe on each side of lower jaw near its junction with maxillary; scales — very small, not forming a corselet; first dorsal of nine to 12 feeble spines, separated from the second by an interspace greater than the base of the fin, second dorsal small, followed by five to nine detached finlets; anal similar to second dorsal, with similar finlets; pectorals and ventrals small, the former placed high, on the level of the eyes; caudal fin small, widely forked; pyloric appendages exceedingly numerous; air bladder small or wanting; vertebrae normally formed, 14417 = 31; gill rakers long and slender. Subgenus scomBER 191 Scomber scombrus Linnaeus Common Mackerel Sconsber scombrus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 297, 1758, Atlantic; GOoDE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 14,1879; JoRnpDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U: S. Nat. Mus. 424, 1888; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 865, 1896, pl. CX X XIII, fig. 363, 1900. 380 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Sconaber vernalis MiTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 423, 1815, Sandy Hook, New Jersey; DE Kay, name omitted from chapter head- ing, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 101, pl. 12, fig. 34, 1842, New York coast; STorER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 54, pl. XI, fig. 2, 1867. bene Scomber scomber, LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 492, 1766; GuNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 357, 1860. Body moderately long, subterete, fusiform, the snout acute and the caudal peduncle much tapering posteriorly, the great- est hight two ninths of total length without the caudal, the least depth of caudal peduncle equal to the short diameter of the eye, the width of body one half the length of head; head conical, pointed, its length one fourth of total without caudal, its width one half its length, the width of the interorbital space one half postorbital length of head; snout rather long, one third as long as the head; lower jaw slightly projecting, the mandible extend- ing behind orbit, its length more than one half the length of head, the maxilla reaching to below front of pupil. The eye is one fifth as long as the head. The spinous dorsal originates over the middle of the pectoral; its base is a little longer than the mandible; the second, and longest, spine is two fifths as long as the head; the last spine is very short, about one third of length of eye; the interspace between the dorsals is about equal to depth of body; the second dorsal base is nearly opposite anal base, slightly in advance, its length two fifths of length of the | head; the longest ray is one fourth as long as the head, the last ray two thirds as long as the eye; the second dorsal is followed by five finlets, each as long as the last ray. The anal origin is under the fourth or fifth ray of the second dorsal; the base of the fin is one third as long as the head; the longest ray is one half of postorbital length of head; the last ray is two thirds as long as the eye; the fin is followed by five finlets which are immediately opposite the dorsal finlets and of about the same size. The middle caudal rays, from end of scales, are equal to one half the greatest depth of body; the external rays are nearly twice as long as the middle rays. The ventral origin is very slightly in advance of the origin of spinous dorsal, its distance from tip of snout equaling the distance from origin of second dorsal to root of caudal fin; the length of the ventral equals three : FISHES OF NEW YORK 381 eighths of length of head. The pectoral is one half as long as the head; the fin reaches to below the sixth spine of the dorsal. No air bladder. D. XI-I, 11-V; A. I, 11-V; V.1, 5; P. I, 16. Color dark blue, or greenish blue, above, the upper parts with 30 or more wavy transverse bands of a darker hue, these extend- ing below the lateral line and nearly to the median line of the body; beneath the ends of these lines and slightly separated from them is a narrow, longitudinal, dark streak running almost the entire distance from the pectoral to the caudal; top of the head very dark; a dark blotch in the axil of the pectoral; gill covers and jaws silvery; sides white with cupreous reflections; belly white. The mackerel is one of the best known food fishes of the north Atlantic, ranging from Norway to Spain in Europe and from Labrador to Cape Hatteras in North America. It reaches the length of 18 inches. The fish is migratory and frequently dis- appears for a short or long period of time from its accustomed localities. On the New York coast the mackerel appears in May and June in great schools, but the number varies greatly in different years. | Two young, 34 to 54 inches long, were taken in Gravesend bay, L. I., May 28, 1896, in John B. De Nyse’s shad fyke. No more . were seen, and these were the first for the year. They come about the time of the appearance of anchovy and weakfish. They are often seen swimming at the surface of the bay in small bunches of 18 or 20, occasionally 100, in the latter part of May or early in June. They are always split up into small bunches, probably by the attacks of weakfish and other predaceous spe- cies which are present at the time. Flukes attack them also in shallow water. Subgenus pyEumMaTorHORUs Jordan & Gilbert 192 Scomber colias Gmelin Chub Mackerel; Thimbleeye Mackeral Scomber colias GMELIN, L. Syst. Nat. 1329, 1788, Sardinia; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 104, pl. 11, fig. 33, 1842; Jornpan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U.S. Nat. Mus. 866, 1896, pl. CX XXIII, fig. 364, 1900; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 360, 1897. - >= 382 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Sconeber pneumatophorus DE LA RocuE, Ann. Mus. Nat. Hist. XIII, 315, 334, 1809, Balearic Islands. Scomber grex M1TcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 422, 1815; Storer, Syn. Fish. N. A. 90, 1846. Scomber dekayi STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 52, pl. XI, fig. 1, 1867; GoopE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 15, 1879. Body fusiform, subterete, moderately elongate, its greatest depth two ninths of total length to base of caudal fin; least depth of caudal peduncle two thirds of the short diameter of the eye, its width more than one half the length of head and equal to snout and eye combined; head conical, pointed, com- pressed, its length contained three and three fourths times in total to base of caudal, its width equal to one half its length, width of interorbital space three fifths of length of postorbital part of head; snout long, pointed, two sevenths as long as the head; lower jaw slightly projecting, the mandible extending to below hind edge of pupil, its length less than one half the length of head; the maxilla reaching nearly to front of pupil. The eye is large, covered in front and behind by an adipose mem- brane, its length three elevenths of length of head or two thirds. of length of postorbital part of head. The spinous dorsal origi- nates over the middle of the pectoral, a little behind the inser- tion of the ventral; the base is as long as the head without the snout and is much longer than the mandible; the second spine longest, one half as long as the head, the last spine minute, about one fifth as long as the eye. The interspace between the dorsals is only two thirds of depth of body. The second dorsal base is chiefly opposite anal base, but more in advance than in Scomber scombrus, its length equal to postorbital part of head; the longest ray is one fourth as long as the head, the last ray one half as long as the eye; the second dorsal is fol- lowed by five finlets, which increase in size posteriorly, the last one larger than last ray of dorsal, and two thirds as long as the eye. The anal origin is under the fifth or sixth ray of the second dorsal; the base of the fin is as long as the postorbital part of the head; the longest ray equals the longest of the dor- | sal; the last ray is one half as long as the eye; the fin is fol- lowed by five finlets of the same size as the dorsal finlets and FISHES OF NEW YORK 383 placed nearly opposite to them. The middle caudal rays are © very short; the external rays are as long as the snout and eye combined. ‘The ventral origin is equally distant from tip of snout and vent; the fin is two fifths as long as the head. The pectoral is one half as long as the head and reaches to below the fifth spine of the first dorsal. Air bladder present. D. IX next ti tod2-Ve NL eV or VIZ OF, 5; P. 1, 19.- Scales nearly 200. Colors essentially the same asin Scomber scombrus, the wavy transverse bands about 30 in number; sides mottled - with small dusky blotches below the median line; about 20 black specks on base of preopercle, usually arranged in more than one series; belly and sides silvery; a black blotch in axil of pectoral. The chub mackerel is found in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, north to England and Maine and to San Francisco; very com- mon in the Mediterranean and in southern California; some- times abundant on our eastern coast and frequently absent for long periods. It reaches the length of 14 inches and is an im- portant food fish. July 25, 1887, the schooner Peter Cooper caught 6000 thimble- eye mackerel off Manasquan N. J. About 50,000 mackerel were taken by the menhaden steamer, A. Morris, near Ocean City, July 19,1887. Some of these were preserved in brine by W. B. Steel- man, and I found them to be 8S. colias. The thimbleeyes usually arrive in August. In 1886 they were often caught. This species was not found in large numbers in Gravesend bay in 1897, but in 1896 it abounded in all the little creeks, and in some instances the fish could be dipped up by the boat load with scoop nets. “The fish reached 10 inches in length before the end of the summer. | | Genus auxis Cuvier Body oblong, plump, mostly naked posteriorly, anteriorly cov- ered with small scales, those of the pectoral region enlarged, forming a corselet; snout very short, conical, scarcely com- pressed; mouth rather small, the jaws equal; teeth very small, mostly in a single series, on the jaws only; tail very slender, 384 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM depressed, with a rather large keel on each side; first dorsal short, separated from the second by a considerable interspace, second dorsal and anal small, each with seven or eight finlets; pectorals and ventrals small; no air bladder; branchiostegals seven; pyloric caeca dendritical; gill rakers very long and slen- der, numerous; vertebrae 39 in number, peculiarly modified, essentially asin Gymnosarda. 193 Auxis thazard (Lacépéde) Frigate Mackerel Scomber thazard LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. III, 9, 1802, Coast of New Guinea. | Auzis vulgaris CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VIII, 139, 1831, Mediterranean. Auxis rochei GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 369, 1860; Jornpan & GIL- BERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 425, 1883. Auxis thazard JORDAN & GILBERT, op. cit. 911, 1883; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 867, 1896, pl. CX XXIII, fig. 365, 1900. Body stout, subterete, fusiform, tapering to a very low caudal peduncle, the greatest depth one fourth of total length without caudal, the width nearly two thirds of the depth; the least depth of caudal peduncle about two fifths of length of iris; head short, conical, pointed, its length one fourth of the total to end of mid- dle caudal rays, its width two thirds of its length, the width of the interorbital space one half postorbital length of head; snout short, as long as the eye, one fifth as long as the head; the lower jaw not projecting when the mouth is closed, the maxilla reach- ing to below middle of pupil, the mandible two fifths as long as the head and reaching nearly to below hind margin of orbit. The eye is as long as the snout and one fifth as long as the head. The spinous dorsal originates a little behind the origin of pectoral and ventral, at a distance from tip of snout nearly equal to one third of total length to caudal base; its base is nearly one half as long as the head; the second spine longest, two fifths as long as the head, the last spine minute, about one sixth as long as the eye. The interspace between the dorsals equals the length of the head without the snout. The second dorsal is in _ advance of the anal; its base is about one fourth as long as the head; its longest ray equals snout, and its last ray is less than aw = —- FISHES OF NEW YORK 385 one half the snout; the fin is followed by eight finlets, which de- crease in size posteriorly. The anal origin is below the inter- space between the end of the second dorsal and its first finlet; the anal base is as long as the second dorsal base; its first ray is as long ag the snout, its last ray is one half the short diameter of the eye; it is followed by seven finlets, decreasing in size poster- iorly. The middle caudal rays, from end of keel, are one fourth as long as the outer rays, which are one half as long as the head; “the caudal lobes form a very obtuse angle with the caudal peduncle. The ventral origin is directly under the root of the pectoral; the fin is as long as the snout and eye combined, the ventral sheath about as long as the fin. The pectoral is falcate, many-rayed, its length four ninths of length of head; the fin reaches to below the last spine of the first dorsal. D. X—12-— eh A NE VL 5s P. 22: Bo Vat. | Color dark blue above with reticulated markings on the back, chiefly in the second half of the length and all above the lateral line; sides, lower parts and head silvery; ventral dark. The frigate mackerel is found in all warm seas and ranges northward occasionally to Cape Cod; it is a rare visitor in our waters, but sometimes appears in immense schools. It has little value as food. It reaches the length of 16 inches. The species was unknown on our shores till 1880, when it arrived in almost countless numbers. Its food is the same as that of the common mackerel. , Genus GymMNosaRDA Gill This genus according to Liitken differs from Thunnus 1)in the absence of teeth on vomer; 2) by the complete absence of scales outside of the corselet (for in Thunnus of the same size the skin is covered with small scales; and the limits of the corselet in the tunny and albicore are obscure, so that it can not properly be said that they have distinct corselets), and 3) by an important osteologic character, namely the peculiar develop- ment, in the form of a network or trellis, of a portion of the | abdominal part of the backbone, between the vertebrae proper and the hemapophyses. Vertebrae 38. Species of smaller size than the tunnies, also pelagic, and of little value as food. oy DP =) NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 194 Gymnosarda pelamys (Linnaeus) Oceanic Bonito Scomber pelamis LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 297, 1758, tropical seas. Thynnus pelamys CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VIII, 118, 1831. Orcynus pelamys Pory, Syn. Pisce. Cubens. 362, 1868; GoopE & BEAN, Proce. U.S. Nat. Mus. I, 24, 1878; Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 15, 1879. Euthynnus pelamys JORDAN & GILBERT, Bulli. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 430, 1883. Gymnosarda pelamis DRESSLAR & FESLER, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 486, 1889; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 868, 1896. Body oblong, abruptly tapering at both ends, stout, short, its. greatest hight one fourth of total length to end of middle caudal rays, its width a little more than one half the length’ of head, equal to postorbital part of head; least hight of caudal peduncle one half the length of eye; keel one fourth as long as the head; head rather long, somewhat compressed, acute in front, conical, its length two sevenths of the total without caudal, its width over the opercles one half its length; snout not long, acute at tip, somewhat compressed, its length two sevenths of length of head; the mandible heavy and prominent, scarcely projecting; the maxilla with rounded extremity extends to below middle of pupil; the mandible extends to below hind margin of eye, its length nearly one half the length of head. The eye is obliquely oblong, its length about one fifth of length of head. The spinous dorsal orginates immediately over the origins of the pectoral and ventral; the base of the fin is four fifths as long as the head; the first and longest spine one half as long as the head, the last spine one fourth as long as the snout. The interspace between the dorsals equals two thirds of length of snout. The second dorsal is equidistant from the upper angle of the gill opening and the base of the caudal fin; the base of the fin is as long as the snout and equal to base of anal; the longest ray is a very little longer than the base of the fin, the last ray is one fourth as long as the snout; the fin is followed by eight finlets, the largest in front, two fifths as long as the snout. The middle caudal rays, measured from keel, one third as long as the outer rays, which are nearly two thirds as long as the head (equal to postorbital part of head). The anal origin is nearly under the end of the second dorsal; the base of the fin is two sevenths as long as the FISHES OF NEW YORK 387 head; the longest ray is as long as the base of the fin, the last ray one third of length of snout; the fin is followed by seven finlets, which are rather broader than those of the dorsal. The ventral origin is directly under the origin of spinous dorsal; the length of the fin is two fifths of length of head; the ventral sheath is bifurcate and less than one half as long asthe fin. The pectoral is scarcely falcate, its length one half the length of head, the fin reaching to below the 11th spine of the dorsal. ee Gor ke Ve Vee An A ADVI; P..283 NV. 1;-5: The corselet is very prominent. Its contour is defined by lines at the edge of the branchial cleft, about midway between the axil of the pectoral and the median line of the belly, extending below, beyond, and around the extremity of the pectoral (which, when normally placed, touches with its tip the outer margin of the corselet), then extending beyond its tip for a distance nearly equal to its length, around up into the lateral line, down which a narrow tract of scales continues to its extremity, though nar- rowed to a single row after passing its curve; passing the lateral line, the contour of the corselet curves forward and inward, then, ascending to a point distant from the median line of the back about the diameter of the orbit, it follows backward in a direc- tion parallel to this line, to a point opposite the posterior extrem- ity of the second dorsal, where it curves upward to the median line of the body, and completes its circuit. When viewed from above, the rows of scales appear to be arranged concentrically about the origin of the first dorsal fin. The scales are largest along the edges of the pectoral arch and the dorsal fin, decreasing rapidly in size as they recede from these regions. There are about 30 rows between the dorsal and the upper margin of the pectoral, normally placed. The upper parts deep bluish in life; the belly and flanks below lateral line, the opercles and throat pearly opalescent white; the lower part of the pectoral arch and tracts at the base of the ventrals and anal, as well as those parts of the opercles where the bone is close to the outer skin, chalky white. The corselet is bronzed brown in the alcoholic specimen. There are four dis- 388 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM tinct bluish lines on the sides, which are nearly parallel with the lateral line, and constitute the most prominent specific character. The first of these begins directly under the tip of the pectoral, the second at the margin of the corselet, at a point in the line from the upper to the lower axillary angles of the pectoral. The third and fourth are rather indistinct anteriorly, but very dis- tinct in the posterior half of the body, and are about as far dis- tant from each other as are the first two, the interval between the two pairs being slightly greater than that between the mem- bers of each pair, and equal to the diameter of the orbit. The first or uppermost line is nearly straight, the others, following the lower contour of the body, curve upward over the anal fin, and all four become lost in the darker color of the caudal peduncle. | If the Japanese fish, which has been referred to this species, be really the oceanic bonito, we must add the following notes on colors; three shorter dark stripes on the middle of the body, be- tween the lateral line and the uppermost of the four long stripes; dark blotches on the membrane connecting the dorsal spines, be- ginning between the sixth and seventh spines and continuing to the end of the fin. It is not at all certain, in my estimation, that the Japanese form is the same as ours, since it appears to have a more compressed body, the spinous dorsal more poster- iorly placed, and the color differences above mentioned. The oceanic bonito is said to inhabit the warmer parts of the Atlantic and Indian oceans and the seas of China and Japan. It is a rare visitor in our waters and has no importance for food. Persons who have eaten it say the flesh is dry and, sometimes, disagreeable. It feeds on flying fish, skipjacks, small cuttle- fish, mollusks, and marine plants. The maximum length re- corded is 30 inches. 195 Gymnosarda alleterata (Rafinesque) Inttle Tunny Scomber alleteratus RAFINESQUE, Caratteri Alc. Gen. 46, 1810, Palermo. Thynnus thunnina CuviER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VIII, 104, 1831, Mediterranean; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 364, 1860. Thynnus brasiliensis CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, op. cit. 110, Mediterranean. Thynnus brevipinnis CuvIER & VALENCIENNES, op. cit. 112, Mediterranean. OO Ee Pee Te RE BIC eR, LY eee ee a =) ‘ : FISHES OF NEW YORK 3389 Orcynus alliteratus GILL, Rept. U. S. Fish. Comm. 802, 1873; GooDE & BEAN, Bull, Essex Inst. XI, 15, 1879. Buthynnus alliteratus JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 430, 1883. Thynnus affinis GUNTHER, op. cit. II, 363, 1860. Thynnus brevirostris GUNTHER, op. cit. II, 365, 1860. ‘Gymnosarda alleterata JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 869, 1896, pl. CX XXIV, fig. 366, 1900. Body fusiform, much tapered at both ends, moderately com- pressed, its greatest hight one fourth of total length without caudal, its width one half the length of the head; least depth of caudal peduncle one third of length of snout; keel well devel- oped, three eighths as long as the head; head moderate, pointed in front, its leneth one fourth of the total to end of middle caudal rays, its width over the opercles equal to eye and snout ‘combined; snout not long, acute at tip, its length two sevenths of length of head; the interorbital space equal to snout; the mandible heavy, not projecting, the maxilla expanded poster- jiorly, extending to below middle of pupil; the mandible extends to below hind margin of orbit, its length nearly one half the length of head. The eye is one fifth as long as the head, and two thirds of width of interorbital space. The spinous dorsal originates directly above the insertion of the ventral and ‘Slightly behind that of the pectoral; the base of the fin is nearly as long as the head; the longest spine is one half as long as the head, the last spine about one half as long as the eye; the interspace between the dorsals extremely short. The sec- -ond dorsal is preceded by a short, stiff spine, which is about one third as long as the eye; the base of second dorsal is one fourth as long as the head; the longest ray is two ninths as long as the head, the last ray one half as long as the eye; the fin is ‘followed by eight finlets, of which the fourth is longest, two thirds as long as the eye. The middle caudal rays, measured from the root of the fin, are two fifths as long as the outer rays, which are two thirds as long as the head. The anal origin is under the first detached finlet; the base of the fin is as long -as the snout; the longest ray two ninths as long as the head, the last ray two thirds as long as the eye; the fin is followed ‘by seven finlets, which are similar to the dorsal finlets. The 390 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM ventral origin is at a distance from tip of snout equal to one third of total length to caudal base; the fin is two fifths as long as the head, extending as far back as the pectoral, to a point below the ninth spine of the dorsal. The ventral sheath is little bifurcate at its tip, its length little more than one half the length of ventral fin. The pectoral is somewhat falcate, its length equal to postorbital part of head. D. XV—I, 12-VII1; Asm, 12-V Tn SPs Pet 26% Color bluish above, sides and lower parts silvery; several wavy, more or less interrupted, dark streaks above lateral line, beginning under the middle of the spinous dorsal; five or six roundish brown spots, about as large as the pupil, between the pectoral and ventral fins; tip of spinous dorsal and inner sur- face of ventral dusky. . The little tunny is common in the Mediterranean and the West | Indies and ranges northward occasionally to Cape Cod. It is. said to reach the length of 4 feet, but no individuals of that size are recorded from our waters. Prof. S. F. Baird collected an: example about 2 feet long at Woods Hole Mass. in 1871. - a ‘ tae pal FISHES OF NEW YORK 563 This genus, like Lagodon,Stenotomusand Otrynter, which show the same character of the procumbent dorsal spine, is confined to American waters. There are two color types in the genus, one group being made up of the species with broad black crossbands, the other of species with golden streaks and inconspicuous crossbands, resembling the species of Lagodon. 3 Subgenus ARCHOSARGUS 275 Archosargus probatocephalus (Walbaum) Sheepshead Sparus probatocephalus WALBAuM, Art. Gen. Pisc. 295, 1792, New York. Sparus ovis MircHitu, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. 1, 392, pl. 2,. fig. 5, 1815, New York. Sargus ovis CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VI, 53, 1830; De Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 89, pl. 8, fig. 23, 1842; HotBrook, Ichth. Sn ct. ool pl) 8, ie, 2, 1856; GuNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 447, 1859. Diplodus probatocephalus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 558, 1883. Archosargus probatocephalus GiL_t, Cat. Fish. East Coast N. ‘A. 27, 1873; Bean, Bulle Bo So eC: VIF, 142; pl. TIT, fie, 10, 1888, Somers Point N.'J., young; 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 262, pl. XV, fig. 19, 1890; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 1X, 366, 1897; Hi. M. Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 101, 1898; JoRDAN & EiVERMANN, Bull.,47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1361, 1898, pl. CCX YI, fig. 554, 1900. Body robust, becoming deep with age, the back compressed and elevated, the greatest depth from two fifths to one half of total length without caudal; the least depth of caudal peduncle equal to eighth dorsal spine, and three eighths length of head. Head one third or nearly one third of total length without caudal; eye placed high, one fifth to one fourth length of head; interorbital space one third greater than diameter of eye; mouth low, horizontal; maxillary reaching nearly to below front of pupil, slightly more than one third as long as the head; incisors entire or slightly notched, serrate in the young, their breadth about one half their length; molars in three series above, in two below; those of the inner series larger; those behind the incisors very small. Gill rakers about 3+6. Cheeks with six rows of scales; scales on breast very small, crowded. Occipital crest broad. Dorsal spines very 564 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Strong, the last considerably shortened so that the outline of the fin is emarginate, the fifth spine longest, four sevenths as long.as the head, the first spine shorter than the eye; the third and fourth soft rays longest, two fifths as long as the head. The second anal spine more than twice as long as the first, very strong, two fifths as long as the head, and as long as the longest soft ray. Pectoral very long, longer than the head, and reach- ing nearly to or, sometimes, beyond the anal origin. Ventral large, one fifth of total length without caudal, pet to be- low 19th spine of the dorsal. D. KAY; 10 to 123A) TN, 10°¢to 113°. 1) 5s Pa ea 7 to 8-45 to 48-15 to 16. Grayish, with about eight vertical black bands, which ces about as broad as the interspaces; dorsal dusky; ventral and anal black; base of pectoral dusky; the dark bands are most distinct in the young. The sheepshead ranges along the coast from Cape Cod to, Texas; it is very rare as far north as Woods Hole Mass., but in southern waters it is still abundant. The species reaches a length of 30 inches and the weight of 20 pounds; it is-one of the most valuable of our food fishes and is highly prized for its game qualities. In August 1887, the sheepshead was known to have bred in Great Egg Harbor bay, N. J., where about 20 young individuais measuring from 1 inch to 14 inches were seined between August 10 and September 9. Adults at that time were present in the bay, but they were scarce. The bottom was covered with algae and convenient hiding places were found under the sod banks. — The fish is very unusual in Gravesend bay, Long Island. A large individual, weighing 13 pounds, was caught September 16, 1897, at Coney Island. That example proved hardy in captivity and the sheepshead generally can be easily kept if the water temperature be properly maintained, . The sheepshead was at one time common in Great South bay. For this statement we have the authority of Mr Erastus Gordon, of Patchogue, and the following account from Dr Mitchill’s 4 FISHES OF NEW YORK 565 Fishes of New York will substantiate the fact: “ The sheepshead swims in shoals and is sometimes surrounded in great numbers by the seine. Several hundreds have often been taken at a sin- gle haul with the long sweeping-nets in use at Raynortown, Babylon and Fire Island. They even tell of a thousand brought to land at a draught. . . This fish is sometimes speared by torch- light in the wide and shallow bays of Queens county and Suffolk. His term of continuance is only during the warmest season; that is, from the beginning of June to the middle of September. * _... 1 have, however, known him to stay later; for one of the most numerous collections of sheepshead I ever saw in the New York market was on October 4, 1814; I have seen them as late as the 17th.” Scott, in 1875, referred to Fire Island as a good locality for | sheepshead fishing, and also mentions superior feeding places in the South bay and about the wreck of the Black Warrior, near the Narrows. 3 We did not obtain the sheepshead in Great South bay, and believe it occurs there very rarely at the present time, though fishermen still seek them in a few localities and, I am informed, occasionally catch one. Dr Smith says not one has been seen or heard of in Vineyard sound or Buzzards bay since 1894; but formerly it was quite common and was often caught while line- fishing for tautog and seup. Family GERRIDAE -Mojarras Genus Evcinostromus Baird & Girard Interhaemal bone of the second anal Spine greatly modified, expanded into a hollow cylinder, into which the posterior end of the air bladder enters. Preopercle and preorbital entire; body comparatively elongate, subelliptic in form; anal spines three; the second anal spine and fourth dorsal spine not greatly enlarged. Species numerous in warm seas, remarkable for the structure of the second interhaemal, which is formed somewhat as in Calamu S, but much more modified than in the latter genus. SS As ST Pha SNS PRR pe le ht a SED ee ON a a a NT CLEMO Beet ene Soro Be eee SE rte > ar SOO ape 7 566 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 276 Eucinostomus gula (Cuy. & Val.) Mojarra de Ley; Silver Jenny, Gerres gula CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VI, 464, 1830, Martinique; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 346, 1859. Eucinostomus argenteus BAIRD & GIRARD, 9th Smithson. Rep. 345, 1855, Beesley’s Point, N. J. Gerres argenteus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 584, 1883; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 188, 1888, Great Egg Harbor Bay, N. J. Eucinostomus gula JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1370, 1898; H. M. SmirH, Bull. U. S: F. ©. 1897, 101, 1898; BEAN, 52d Amne f Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 106, 1900. . Body elliptic, compressed, back moderately elevated, the greatest depth contained two and two fifths times in total length without caudal. Head short, pointed, its length three tenths of total without caudal; mouth small, the maxillary reaching slightly past the vertical from the front of orbit; exposed por- tion of maxillary nearly oblong, its length twice its width, and equal to one fourth or one fifth the length of the head; pre- orbital and preopercle entire; snout two sevenths and interor- bital width one third length of head; eye one third length of head. Gill rakers small and weak, seven below the angle of first arch; premaxillary groove scaly in front, posterior part naked forming a sort of pit. Longest dorsal spine two thirds as long as head. Second anal spine shorter and stronger than third, about three tenths as long as the head. Ventrals reach nearly to vent, five sevenths as long as head. Pectorals reach front of anal, and equal one third of total length without caudal. Second interhaemal hollow and enlarged. D. IX, 10; A. III, 8; scales 5-42 to 45-9; vertebrae 9+15. Color silvery, greenish, darker above; no distinct longitudinal lines except in very young; upper margin of spinous dorsal more or less black; dorsal and anal fins dusky; other fins pale. The silver jenny occurs from Cape Cod to Brazil and the West Indies; only the young come far north in Summer. The species reaches a Jength of 5 inches and is used for bait. At Woods Hole Mass., writes Dr Smith, the species is usually very uncommon. In 1897 five specimens were taken at one seine haul in Quisset harbor on August 14; two in the same FISHES OF NEW YORK 56T locality September 7, and one in Eel Pond on September 23; all of these were 1 to 2 inches long. On October 5 the fish was abundant in Quisset harbor. Young fish of this species were obtained in siinerane at Bees- ley’s Point, Somers Point, and Ocean City N. J. in August 1887. No adults were seen. The only individual observed in Great South bay was. a very small one, seined in Clam Pond cove, Aug. 22, 1898. Diligent search was made for the species in 1901, but no specimens were taken. Family KyPHOSIDAE Rudder fishes Genus KypuHosus Lacépéde Body elongate-ovate, regularly elliptic, moderately com- pressed; head short, with blunt snout; eye large; mouth small, horizontal; maxillary barely reaching front of eye; each jaw with a single series of rather narrow obtusely lanceolate incisors, implanted with compressed conspicuous roots poste- riorly; behind these a narrow band of villiform teeth; fine teeth on vomer, palatines, and tongue. Branchiostegals seven; gill rakers long. Preopercle obtusely serrate; preorbital narrow, covering but little of the maxillary. Squamation very com- plete, the space between and about the eyes being the only naked part; scales smallish, thick, ctenoid, 60 to 70 in the lateral line, which is continuous; similar scales entirely covering the soft parts of the vertical fins, and extending upon the paired fins. Dorsal fin low, with about 11 spines, which are depressible in a groove of scales, the fin continuous, but the last spines low, so that a depression occurs between the two parts of the fin, the bases of the spinous and soft parts about equal; soft dorsal rather low in front, not falcate, pointed behind; anal similar to soft dorsal, with three spines; caudal fin moderately forked; pectoral fins small, ventrals well behind them. Intestinal canal long; pyloric caeca very numerous. Vertebrae 9 or 10415 or BO. = 2 FES OR IS TON Ee en ee ee Le EES ar as ea a NILE OT See Loan ee - Se PPE Eee > sceepr a = nee oa ee -~ —— ee. ee — ices ep a a a ee ee a a a ma SS oS Ee Seen ee ae Cl (on) 06) NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 277 Kyphosus sectatrix (Linnaeus) Bermuda Chub Perca sectatrix LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 486, 1766. Pimelepterus bosciti CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. VII, 258, pl. 187, 1831; Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 100, pl. XX, fig. 56, 1842, copied from Cuv. & VAL.; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus, 561, 1883. | Kyphosus sectatrix JORDAN & FESLER, Rept. U. S. F. C. 1889 to 1891, 525, 1893; Bran, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 366, 1897; H. M. Smiru, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 101, 1898; Jonpan & HvERMANN, Bull. 47, U.S. | Nat. Mus. 1887, 1898, pl. CCXIX, fig. 559, 1900. Body ovate-elliptic, somewhat compressed, its greatest hight » two fifths of the total length without caudal; the least depth of caudal peduncle nearly-one half length of head. Head short, one fourth of total length without caudal; snout short; mouth small, the maxillary reaching to below front of orbit; teeth 35 to 40 on each side, their horizontal process not much longer than the vertical; width of interorbital space two fifths length of head; eye equal to snout, and more than one fourth length of head; top and sides of head finely scaled; interorbital region gibbous; preopercle serrulate; gill rakers long. Longest dor- sal spine equals snout and is nearly one fifth depth of body; longest ray of soft dorsal two sevenths as long as the head. The second anal spine is about two thirds as long as the eye; the longest anal ray is one third as long as the head. Caudal deeply forked, the middle rays about one half as long as the outer, which are nearly as long as the head. Pectoral two thirds as long as the head, and equal to ventral, which reaches to below the ninth spine of the dorsal. Soft dorsal and anal closely scaled; most of caudal scaly. D. XII, 12; A. III, 11; V. I, 5; P. i, 16; scales 10-66-16; ver: tebrae 9416. | Color in life dusky or steel gray, very slightly bluish, not much paler below; the edges of each row of scales on back and sides slightly brassy so that very faint yellowish stripes alternate with bluish ones of about equal width; the stripes thus formed vary from 25 to 34 in number. A diffuse pale stripe below the eye; a yellowish one above and below this; fins all dull grayish; ventrals and anal blackish; edge of opercle slightly darker. 5 let FISHES OF NEW YORK 569 _ The Bermuda chub grows to the length of 18 inches. It ranges from Cape Cod to the West Indies, the Gulf of Mexico, across the ocean to the Canary Islands, and is accidental in the Med- iterranean. Its name of rudder fish refers to its habit of fol- lowing vessels, presumably to secure the waste food thrown from them. The fish is said to have game qualities. At Woods Hole Mass. according to Dr Smith, the species is not rare in summer and fall and has occasionally been found in April; it is sometimes taken among gulf weed at the surface. Only young specimens, up to 6 inches long, have been secured Bierce The Bermuda chub is a rare fish in Gravesend bay, but was found there in October 1896, and in September 1897. It has great endurance in captivity and will survive the winter in artificially heated water. Family SscClAENIDAE Croakers Genus cynoscron Gill Body elongate, little compressed, the back not elevated. Head conical, rather pointed; mouth very large, terminal, not very oblique, the lower jaw projecting, the symphysis produced, the angle at base of maxillary not prominent. Maxillary very broad. Teeth sharp, not closely set, in rather narrow bands; tip of the lower jaw without canines; upper jaw with two long canines, ohe of which is sometimes obsolete; canines tapering from base to tip; lateral teeth of lower jaw larger than anterior. Preopercle with its membranaceous edge serrulate, the bone entire. Lower pharyngeal bones separate, their teeth all pointed. Gill rakers strong, rather long. Vertebrae about 14410 (instead of 10+14 as in sciaenoids generally). Pseudo- branchiae well developed; dorsal spines slender, the fins closely contiguous; anal spines one or two, very feeble, the soft rays seven to 13; second dorsal long and low, more than twice length of anal; ventrals inserted below pectorals, the pubic bene long and strong; caudal fin subtruncate or lunate. Large fishes chiefly of the waters of America, closely related to the Old World genus Otolithus, from which they are distinguished ee es Ht | i 4 | | ‘ , Oe AE Tg) AEA a a ROR ane es Oe ae eee eT ‘ " ; fief * 57 | 70 . NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM by the absence of canines in the lower jaw. All of them rank high as food fishes; the flesh is rich, but in some species tender and easily torn, hence the popular name weakfishes. | Subgenus CyYNOSCcION 278 Cynoscion regalis (Bloch & Schneider) é Weakfish ; Squeteague mn Johnius regalis BLocH & SCHNEIDER, Syst. Ichth. 75, 1801, New York. Roccus Comes MircHiny, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 26, 1814, New York. Labrus squeteague Mrrcwiti, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 396, pl. 2, fig. 6, 1815, New York. Otolithus regalis CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 67, 1830; ~ DE Kay, N. Y¥. Fauna, Fishes, 71, pl. 8, fig. 24, 1842: GunruErR, Cat. Vish. Brit. Mus. II, 307, 1860. Cynoscion regale GILL, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 18, 1862; JorpAN & GIL- BERT, Bull. 16, U. S.: Nat. Mus. 581, 1883; Brean, Bull. U. S| EC. VII, 140, pl. II, fig. 6, 1888; 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 257, pl. XIII, fig. 15, 1890. : | Cynoscion regalis GoopE & BEAN, Bull. Hssex Inst. XI, 17, 1879, Cape Ann; Brean, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. [X, 367, 1897; Jorpan & EvEr- MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1407, 1898, pl. CCXX, fig. 562, 1900; H. M. Smiru, Bull. U. S. F..C., 1897, 101, 1898; Buan, 52d Ammen: N. Y. State Mus. 106, 1900; SHeRwoop & Epwarps, Bull. U. 8. F. C. 190M, 297 LO0d: | - | Body elongate, little compressed, its greatest depth contained four aud one fourth times in the total length without caudal; the least depth of caudal peduncle one third length of head, which is three tenths of total length without caudal. Eye moderate, three fourths length of snout, and one fifth to one seventh length of head. Maxillary reaching to below hind mar- gin of eye, its length nearly two fifths length of head. Teeth sharp, in narrow bands; canines large. Gill rakers long and sharp, 5 above and 11 below the angle of the first arch. The second and longest dorsal spine is two fifths as long as the head; the first spine is one third as long as the head; the last two spines are very short; the longest soft ray of the dorsal is one third as long as the head. Caudal lunate behind, the longest rays equal to the head without the snout. The anal base is as long as the snout and eye combined; the longest ray slightly exceeds the base of the fin. Pectoral about equal to postorbital part of head and about one sixth of total length without caudal. FISHES OF NEW YORK 5T1L Ventral about one half as long as the head, reaching to below the seventh spine of the dorsal. D. X, I, 26 to 29; A. 1, 11 to 13; scales 8—78-17,-about 66 pores in jJateral line. _ Silvery, darker above and marked with many small, irregular dark blotches, some of which form undulating lines running downward and forward; back and head with bright reflections; dorsal and caudal fins dusky; ventrals, anal, and lower edge of caudal yellowish, sometimes speckled. The young show traces of a few dusky bands on the sides, one under the spinous dorsal being most plainly marked, and extending to below the median line. The weakfish, so called in Dr Mitchill’s Fishes of New York, appears also in his report as the squeteague and checouts, the former being a Narragansett Indian name and the latter derived from the Mohegans. The Narragansett name is sometimes spelled scuteeg. Chickwick is the Connecticut name for the Species; on Cape Cod, because of the sound produced by the fish, it is called the drummer; large weakfish in Buzzards bay are termed yellow fins. In Great Egg Harbor bay the name blue- fish is applied to it, notwithstanding the presence of the real bluefish (Pomatomus). On our southern coast we hear the names trout, with its variations gray trout, sea trout, shad trout, sun trout and salt-water trout. The latter name is used to distinguish it from the fresh-water trout of the southern states, which is the black bass. Dr Mitchill thus accounts for the name weakfish: “He is called weakfish, as some say, be- cause he does not pull very hard after he is hooked; or, as others allege, because laboring men who are fed upon him are weak by reason of the deficient nourishment in that kind of food.” De Kay explains the name from the feeble resistance the fish makes on the hook and the facility with which it breaks away from it by reason of its delicate structure. At the time of De Kay’s writing in 1842, and for some years previously, the weakfish was present on our coast in diminished numbers. The blue- fish was then present in abundance and the disappearance of the 572 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM ~* weakfish was supposed to be connected with the reappearance of the bluefish. A similar observation was made by Dr Storer — on the Massachusetts coast. Again, at Woods Hole Mass. in 1900, the weakfish was remarkably abundant, the traps at Men- emsha having taken 10,000 in a single day; the bluefish, on the — other hand, was unusually scarce during the entire season, not over 50 having been recorded from the adjacent bay and sound. The weakfish ranges from the Bay of Fundy to the east coast of Florida. It fluctuates in abundance from year to year. The late Capt. N. E. Atwood is authority for the statement that in 1845 the weekly supply in the New York markets was not above 1000 pounds. The species feeds in the channels upon shrimp, crabs and , | ‘small fish. In Great South bay we found them eating large : Hi quantities of anchovies, and the same observation was made in ; al} one of the inlets of Great Egg Harbor bay, N. J. The fish enters | the mouths of rivers and migrates freely with the tide. The species swims in large schools near the surface and is. very voracious, destroying the young even of its own kind. A specimen of about 4 pounds, taken at Islip October 1, 1890, had in its stomach a weakfish weighing about 6 ounces. Fish of 4 pounds and a little larger were moderately abundant ay this | date. | Weakfish spawn in New York waters in May, ana at Cape Cod about the first of June. The egg is +inch in diameter and hatches in two days at an average temperature of 60° F. Itis ——— — - ~ - See > aa aed Rea aa Oe ae a ne a ne or - z ee ~ oe eS a ~ ~ _ = ee NL ee Pee ee ae mo ——_ ss foe >= Ee buoyant and, under-natural conditions, is subject to the influ-— ence of wind and current. The spawning season is evidently | prolonged in some localities; in Great Egg Harbor bay, for Se example, young weakfish only 14 inches long were taken in Au- gust, that is, several months after spawning began. The earliest arrival in New York was on May 12, 1889, at | Great Hills, Gifford, Staten Island. During the latter part of . i _ August 1889, the west channel of Great South, bay furnished yi great numbers of weakfish. The young were found in Blue | Point cove late in September; also some half grown individuals. FISHES OF NEW YORK p 573 The fish are in their finest condition during the fall migration in September and October. On September 21, 1887, two men caught 200, including some very large ones, on a single tide near the inlet of Great Egg Harbor bay, N. J. The most favorable tide for catching this species is generally considered the latter half of the flood and first half of the ebb. At night the weak- fish runs up the creeks to feed in the salt meadows and will take the hook freely. Some of the best baits for the weakfish are the common shrimp, soft or shedder crabs, pieces of clam and common mus- sel, the white skin of the throat of weakfish, and sometimes the eye of this species; other good baits are silversides and anchovies. In Great South bay the fish are taken extensively in pound nets and gill nets. The gill nets are set in the shape of a horseshoe, and the attending sloop sails back and forth across the open end of the horseshoe, one of the crew mean- while beating the deck with his heels to frighten the fish into the nets. This method, called drumming, is in great disfavor among those who follow other modes of fishing. In 1901, young weakfish were seldom taken in Great South bay and only two localities—Duncan’s creek and Smith’s Point —furnished them in very small numbers. Adult fish, however, were remarkably abundant and were caught in many parts of the bay. The weakfish endures captivity very well and can be kept during winter in water of the proper temperature. The species is said to reach the weight of 30 pounds. 279 Cynoscion nebulosus (Cuy. & Val.) Spotted Weakfish; Sea Trout Labrus squeteague var. maculatus MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y.. I, 396, 1815, New York; not Labrus maculatus Biocu. Otolithus nebulosus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V; 79, 1830: Otolithus carolinensis CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. 1X, 475, 1833, South Carolina; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 72, 1842, extra- © limital; HotBrook, Ichth. S. C. ed. 1, 183, pl. 19, fig. 2, 1856; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 306, 1860, New York. ; Cynoscion maculatum JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 581, 1883. 514 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Cynoscion nebulosus JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1409, 1898, pl. CCXXI, fig. 568, 1900. ! Body elongate, compressed, its greatest depth two ninths of the total length without caudal; the least depth of caudal pedun- cle one half postorbital length of head. Head long, two sevenths of total length without caudal; snout long and acute, about two seyenths as long as the head; eye small, about one seventh as long as head; maxillary reaching to below hind margin of orbit, as long as snout and eye combined; canines strong; lower pharyngeals narrow, each with seven or eight series of short teeth, the inner enlarged; gill rakers short and thick, about 4+7 on first arch; maxillary, preorbital, and lower jaw naked. Spinous dorsal base as long as postorbital part of head; first dorsal spine one half as long as second, which is one third length of head; third and longest spine nearly one half as long as head: spines decreasing rapidly in length from the fifth to the last, which is minute; soft dorsal base one third of total length without caudal; the longest soft ray one third length of base. Caudal shallow concave, the middle rays one half as long as the head. Anal base short, one third as long as the head; longest anal ray one half depth of body. Pectoral short, reach- ing to below sixth spine of dorsal. Ventral longer than pec- toral, one sixth of total without caudal, reaching to below end of spinous dorsal. Ventral appendage nearly as long as the eye. D. X, 1,,24 to 28; A. I, 10 to 12; V. I,.5; P. J, 15; pores im lateral line about 90. Body silvery with bright reflections; numerous black spots on back, beginning under the spinous dorsal; soft dorsal and caudal] similarly spotted, the largest spots smaller than pupil; anal fin dusky. : The spotted weakfish is a better food fish than the common northern species; it ranges from New York to Texas, but is rare north of Virginia. Genus LARimus Cuvier & Valenciennes | Body rather elongate, compressed; skull firm, not greatly cavernous; interorbital space rather narrow; preorbital flattish, not turgid; upper jaw with the usual slits and pores little de- ei Seas eC Lae Moe ae eee Ee ene ee ee Oe Pew ne ee ee oe Pn ee ee ye Le Oy, Oe ey ee es eee Cg ee ee Te Soe ne ew FISHES OF NEW YORK 515 veloped; no barbels; no canines; snout very short; mouth large, terminal, very oblique or even vertical, the lower jaw project- ing; teeth minute, equal, uniserial or partly biserial above; preopercle entire or nearly so, without bony teeth. Scales moderate, subequal. Pseudobranchiae well developed. Fins essentially as in Bairdiella, the second dorsal long, the anal short, its spines moderate or small; fins not thickened by accessory scales. Gill rakers long and slender. Vertebrae 10+14 = 24, Silvery fishes, all American. Subgenus LARIMUS 280 Larimus fasciatus Holbrook Banded Larimus Larimus faciatus HOLBROOK, Ichth. 8S. C. 153, pl. 22, fig. 1, 1856, Charleston; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 269, 1860; Jorpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 578, 1883; Jorpan & EIGENMANN, Rep. U. S. EF. C. for 1886, 376, 1889; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 367, 1897; H. M. SmitruH, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 101, 1898; JorpaAn & EVER- MANN. Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1424, 1898. Body oblong, compressed, ventral. outline nearly straight, dorsal outline considerably arched; the depth of the body is contained about. three times in the length. Snout very short, much less than diameter of the large eye; mouth large, very - oblique, maxillary reaching to posterior margin of orbit; the length of the head is contained three and one half times in that | of the body. Tip of mandible on level of lower part of pupil; second anal spine small; pectoral fin short; caudal subtrunecate. D. X—I, 24; A. IT, 6; Lat. 1. about 62. Silvery gray, clouded above; sides marked with about seven nearly vertical dusky bars, running from back to below the lateral line. South Atlantic coast and southward; rare. An individual was captured in Gravesend bay July 25, 1895, and another one August 2. of the same year. These fed freely, and were kept in a healthy condition till January 16, 1896, when the low temperature of the water killed them. The fish is not com- mon anywhere, and had not before been recorded north of Chesapeake bay, except a single example which was taken at Woods Hole Mass. on August 13, 1889; the specimen was caught in a trap at the breakwater, Buzzards bay. ‘ “ = aan > Se = ah aa. 3S SEES 576 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Genus BAIRDIELLA Gill This genus is characterized by the oblique mouth, little cavernous skull, few rows of small teeth, slender gill rakers, and the preopercle armed with a plectroid spine. It is certainly a very natural group, and worthy of recognition as a distinct — genus, though its relationships with Ophioscion and specially with Stellifer are very close. The numerous Species are all American, all small in size and silvery in colora- tion, and some of them are remarkable for the great size of the second anal spine. In others this spine is quite small. These variations among species unquestionably closely allied show how slight is the systematic Hae, to be attached to the size a this spine. eta Re Subgenus BAIRDIELLA 281 Bairdiella chrysura (Lacépéde) ‘ ‘ Yellowtail; Silver Perch Dipterodon chrysurus LLACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. III, 64, 1802, South Carolina. Bodianus argyroleucus MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 417, pl. 6, fig. 9, 1815, New York. Corvina argyroleuca CuvIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 105, 1830; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 74, pl. 18, fig. 51, 1842, New York; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 299, 1860. Homoprion xanthurus HOLBROOK, Ichth. 8S. C. ed. 1, wy pl. 24, 1856 (not Leiostomus xanthurus LACEPEDE). Sciaena punctata JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 570, 1888. Sciaena chrysura JORDAN & GILBERT, op. cit. 933, 1883. _ Bairdiella chrysura GoopE, Fish. & Fish. Ind. U. S. I, 375, pl. 126, 1884; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 141, pl. I, fig. 9, 1888; 19th Rep. Comm, Fish. N, Y. 259, 1890; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. [X, 367, 1897; JorDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1433, 1888, pl. CCX XII, fig. 566, 1900; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 106, 1990. Body oblong, compressed, rather robust, its greatest depth one third of total length without caudal; least depth of caudal peduncle one eighth of total without caudal. Head compressed, conical, not depressed nor broadened, its length three tenths-of total without caudal; eye equal to snout and about one fourth length of head; interorbital region depressed, transversely con- vex, narrower than the eye; mouth rather large, somewhat oblique, jaws about equal in front, maxillary long, reaching FISHES OF NEW YORK 517 nearly to below hind margin of orbit, its width posteriorly nearly one third of its length; both jaws with stout recurved teeth, behind which, in the upper jaw, are a few series of smaller teeth; mandibulary teeth mostly in one series outside of which ‘are a few smaller teeth; preopercle strongly serrate or spinous at its angle; gill rakers slender, moderately long, 8+16 on first arch; lower pharyngeals small, with sharp teeth. Spin- ous dorsal high in front, triangular, the first spine very short, the fourth longest, equal to postorbital part of head; base of soft dorsal one third of total length without caudal, longest ray equal to snout and eye combined, last ray two thirds as long --as the eye. Caudal concavo-convex, the middle rays equal to longest dorsal spine. Anal base three eighths as long as the head; longest anal ray equal to snout and eye combined; first anal spine very short, second two fifths as long as the head. Soft dorsal and anal fins considerably scaly. Pectoral and ventral of equal length, one fifth of total without caudal, the pectoral scarcely reaching to below end of spinous dorsal. D. XI, I, 22; A. II, 9 or 10; scales 8-50 to 54-11. Greenish above, silvery below, each scale with series of dark punctulations through the center, usually very conspicuous, sometimes obscure, these forming narrow somewhat irregular streaks along the sides; fins plain, the caudal yellowish. Dr Mitchill describes this fish as the silver perch, and De Kay explains the origin of this name from the resemblance which the yellowtail bears in its appearance and habits to the common white perch. At Pensacola Fla. the name mademoiselle is applied to the species. In Great South bay we heard the name lafayette given it, but this belongs more properly to the spot Liostomus xanthurus. The yellowtail occurs on our coast from Gage Cod to Florida. It was a common fish in Great South bay in September 1890, and during the early part of October, occurring at Blue Point eove, at the Blue Point Lifesaving station, Great River beach and Fire Island. It is frequently taken in the pounds. In 1898, the young were found in abundance at Nichols’s Point, Great TS 578 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM South bay, September 1. In 1901, the species was not observed at all during a season extending from the middle of July to the middle of October. The breeding season must continue into early summer as many young fish, from 1 inch to 24 inches long, were obtained in Great Egg Harbor bay, N. J. early in August. The young of the silver perch are found every summer in Gravesend bay, and adults are to be seen occasionally. On Sep- tember 8, 1896, Mr De Nyse took an example 14 inches long with a Shrimp net in eelgrass back of the flats at extreme low tide. Pools containing 2 féet of water are common here, and many species of fish become imprisoned in them. In August Mr W. I. De Nyse has captured a half dozen adult Hippocampus in such localities. On October 5, 1896, and again in the fall of 1897, the silver perch was obtained in the bay. The species seldom exceeds 10 inches in length, but is regarded as an excellent panfish, and is secured in enormous numbers, Genus sScrAENOPS Gill This genus is close to Ophioscion, from which it differs in the loss of its preopercular armature with age, the serrate edge of the bone becoming entire. The caudal fin is truncate or concave, the soft dorsal scaleless; the slits and pores of the upper jaw are well developed and the single species reaches a very large size. The group is not well separated from O phios- c¢ion on the one hand, or from Sciaena on the other, but its retention seems to be convenient. i 282 Sciaenops ocellatus (Linnaeus) Red Drum; Channel Bass Perca ocellata LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 483, 1766, South Carolina. Sciaena imberbis MircuHILyL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 411, 1815, New York. Corvina ocellata CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 134, pl. 108, 1830; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 75, pl. 21, fig. 61, 1842, New York; HOLBROOK, Ichth. S. C. ed. t, 149, pl. 21, fig. 2, 1856. Johnius ocellatus GIRARD, U. S. Mex. Bd. Surv. 14, pl. 8, figs. 1-4, 1859. Sciaena ocellata GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 289, 1860, America; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 571, 1883. anal FISHES OF NEW YORK 579 Sciaenops ocellatus BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 367, 1897, New i Jersey; H. M. Smiru, Bull. U. S. -F. C. 1897, 101, 1898; JorpAaAn & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1453, 1898, pl. CCX XII, fig. 567, 1900. Body elongate; robust, its greatest depth one fourth of total length without caudal, least depth of caudal peduncle about one third of greatest depth; back somewhat arched; profile of head convex. Head rather long, three tenths of total length without caudal; eye small, about one seventh as long as the head; snout obtuse, two ninths as long as the head. Mouth large, nearly horizontal, the lower jaw rather shorter than the upper; the maxillary reaching to below the hind border of the orbit, its length more than two fifths length of head; bands of villiform teeth in both jaws, the outer teeth of the upper jaw much en- larged; lower jaw with subequal teeth. Preopercle strongly serrate on its bony margin in the young, entire in large indivi- duals and with the edge of the bone covered by skin. Gill rakers 5+7 on first arch, shorter than the diameter of the pupil. Spin- ous dorsal triangular, the first spine minute, the fourth, and longest, four ninths as long as the head, the last two thirds as long as the eye; base of soft dorsal twice as long as that of spinous dorsal, the longest ray one third as long as the head. Anal base short, one third as long as the head, two thirds as long as longest anal ray; the end of the anal base is under the 17th ray of soft dorsal, second anal spine about three eighths as long as the head; caudal nearly truncate, the middle rays one half as long as the head. Pectoral equals postorbital part of head, the fin extending to below the end of spinous dorsal. Ventral equal to pectoral, and not reaching nearly to vent. Scales of the breast embedded, cycloid; no scales on soft dorsal except in a very narrow strip at its base. D. X, I, 24 to 25; A. II, 8; scales 4-45 to 55-10 to 12. Color grayish silvery, irides- cent; often washed with coppery red; each scale with a center of dark points forming obscure undulating stripes along the rows of scales; a jet black ocellated spot about as large as the eve at base of caudal above; sometimes two or more such spots are present; the body occasionally covered with ocelli. The red drum is one of the largest of the food fishes of the southern waters, reaching the length of 5 feet and the weight 580 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 2 of 75 pounds. It inhabits the Atlantic coast from New York to Texas, and has once been taken near Cape Cod. A red drum, or spotted bass, weighing 14 pounds, was ob- tained by Mr E. G. Blackford from New Jersey, and was pur- chased alive for the New York aquarium. At the time of writ- ing (December 11, 1897) it is in the central pool, and is, appar- ently, in perfect health. It swims sometimes immediately under the sand shark. Its food consists of large pieces of herring, which it takes readily. The only specimen known to have been taken at Cape Cod was caught in a trap in Buzzards bay at the breakwater in 1894. The example is 34 inches long and weighs about 14 pounds. On account of the ocellated markings at the base of the caudal! fin it has sometimes been called the branded drum. Genus LEeIostomus Lacépéde Body oblong, ovate, the back compressed; head obtuse; mouth small, horizontal, the upper jaw with a band of feeble teeth, the lower nearly or quite toothless; slits and pores of upper jaw weil developed; lower pharyngeals separate, the teeth paved; preopercle with a membranaceous border; dorsal spines 10, slender, rather high, the last connected with the soft rays; soft dorsal and anal long; anal Spines two, the second not large; caudal fin emarginate; gill membranes slightly connected; gill rakers slender. This genus is distinguished from Sciaena chiefly by the obsolescence of the teeth in the lower jaw, and by the more paved teeth of the pharyngeals. The soft rays of the dorsal fin and specially of the anal are more numerous than in related groups. One species. 283 Leiostomus xanthurus Lacépéde . Spot; Lafayette Leiostomus xanthurus LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. IV, 439, pl. 10, fig. 1, 1802, Carolina; CuvirER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 142, 1830; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 70, 1842, extralimital; JoRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 574, 1888; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 141, 1888; 9th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 260, 1890; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 367, 1897; Eugene Situ, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. Y. 1897, 39, 1898; Mrarns, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. X, 321, 1898; H. M. SmirH, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 101, 1898; Jonpan & HVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1458, 1898, pl. COXXIITI, fig. 569, 1900. FISHES OF NEW YORK 581 Mugil obliquus MiTcHILL, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 16, 1814, New York; Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soe. N. Y. I, 405, 1815, New York. Leiostomus obliquus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 69, pl. 60, fig. 195, 1842. Sciaena obliqua GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 288, 1860. Sciaena xanthurus GUNTHER, op. cit. 288, 1860. Body short, deep, compressed, its greatest depth one third, or more than one third, of the total length without the caudal; least depth of caudal peduncle three sevenths length of head; ‘back in front of dorsal compressed to a sharp edge; profile steep, convex, depressed over the eyes; dorsal outline convex, highest at dorsal origin. Head short, its length contained three and one third to three and two thirds times in the total without caudal; snout short and very blunt, about two sevenths as long as the head and slightly longer than the eye. Mouth small, inferior, horizontal; maxillary rather more than one third length of head, extending to below middle of pupil; lower jaw tooth- less in the adult, upper jaw with a series of narrow minute teeth; gill rakers short, slender, 8+22 on the first arch; lower pharyngeals small, with three series of molars poster- iorly and many villiform teeth anteriorly; preopercle entire; preorbital about equal to eye in width. Spinous dorsal trian- gular, put rounded at tip, the first spine very slender and very closely attached to the second, the third and fourth longest, three fifths as long as the head, the last two spines very short, ‘only about as long as the pupil. Soft dorsal long and low, the base twice as long as that of spinous dorsal, the longest ray three eighths as long as the head. Caudal forked, the middle rays one half as long as the head. Anal elevated in front, low behind, the longest ray more than one half as long as the head, the last shorter than the eye; the second anal spine as long ‘as the eye; the first spine very small. Pectoral large, extend- ing to below the sixth ray of second dorsal, nearly as long as the head. Ventral as long as the head without snout, not reaching nearly to vent. Scales small, ctenoid, extending on caudal and base of pectorals, but not on other fins; soft dorsal, ‘however, has a sheath at base formed by a single series of ‘scales; scales below lateral line in oblique series. Lateral line little curved anteriorly. ue 582 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM D. X, I, 30 to 32; A. II, 12; P. I, 17; scales 9-60 to 70-12 to 14. Color bluish above, silvery below; about 18 to 15 narrow dark lines extending from the dorsal fins downward and forward to below the lateral line; a roundish black humeral spot about two thirds as long as the eye; fins plain olivaceous. . This little fish was formerly known on the New York coast as lafayette. Mitchill calls it the little porgee. According to. De Kay its appearance on the New York coast in the summer ofi 1824 happened to coincide with the arrival of General Lafayette and his name was bestowed upon the species. The name spot is derived from the presence of a dark blotch about as big as the eye near the root of the pectoral fin. Other names for the species are goody, oldwife, roach and chub. ; The spot is found from Cape Cod to Florida and is sometimes abundant as far north as New York. In Great South bay several specimens were taken early in October in Great river. A single example was seen among some fishes taken in a pound- net in Islip, Oct. 1, 1890. In 1898 the species was not obtained by the writer, and in 1901 only a few specimens, mostly adylts, were secured at Quantic bay, Duncan’s creek, and Widow’s ereek. | ber tie R Rather common in Gravesend bay from July to as late as: December, and is well adapted to captive life. It is most abund- ant usually in September. Dr Mearns states that the fish, locally known as the sand — porgee, is of frequent occurrence in summer in the Hudson river and its estuaries. H.M. Smith records it as common in the fall in the vicinity of Woods Hole Mass. leaving in October or November, when the water temperature reaches 45° F. All the specimens observed there were about 6 inches long. It is a small fish, seldom exceeding 10 inches in: length, but is one of the favorites among the panfishes. The spot feeds: on the bottom on small invertebrates, and can be taken readily with hook and line. In Great South bay it is caught in seines: and pound nets. It ascends creeks into brackish water and is a common associate of the white perch. In Great Egg Harbor FISHES OF NEW YORK 583 bay it is extremely common in summer and is sometimes known as porgee. Genus micropocon Cuvier & Valenciennes Body moderately elongate, compressed, somewhat elevated; preopercle strongly serrate; teeth in villiform bands, the outer row in the upper jaw enlarged; lower jaw with a row of minute barbels on each side; gill rakers short, thickish; spinous dorsal rather short of 10 or 11 stoutish spines; second anal spine moderate; caudal fin double truncate; lower pharyngeals nar- row, distinct, with sharp, conical teeth; air bladder with long horns. A well marked genus, the species all American, allied to Ophioscion and Sciaenops, but distinguished by the presence of barbels; species all closely related, similar in form, Size, and color. 284 Micropogon undulatus (Linnaeus) Croaker Perca undulata LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 483, 1766, South Carolina. Bodianus costatus MiTcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 417, 1815, New York. Micropogon lineatus CuvIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 215, pl. 119, 1880, New York. Juicropogon costatus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 83, pl. 72, fig. 230, 1842. Micropogon undulatus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 219, 1830; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 84, 1842, extralimital; HoLBROoOoK, Ichth. S. C. ed. 1, 145, pl. 21, fig. 1, 1856; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 271, 1860, in part; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 575, 1883; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 368, 1897; H. M. SmMitTH, Bull. U. 8S. F. C. 1897, 101, 1898; Jonpan & EVERMANN, Bull. - 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1461, 1898, pl. CCXXIV, fig. 570, 1900. Body rather elongate, little compressed, its greatest hight equal to length of head, and two sevenths of total length with- out caudal; caudal peduncle short, its least depth eaual to snout, and about one third length of head. Head long, two sevenths of total length without caudal, the snout prominent, obtuse, nearly twice as long as the eye, which is one fifth as long as the head. Mouth rather large, nearly horizontal, the maxil- lary reaching to below front of eye. Preopercle strongly ser- rate, the spines near angle diverging. Dorsal fins nearly sepa- rate, the spinous dorsal triangular, the first and last spines 584 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM shorter than eye, the third and fourth longest, equal to snout and eye combined, the base of the fin as long as the ventral. ‘Soft dorsal long and low, one fourth longer than head, the longest ray one third as long as head. Caudal slightly produced in the middle, the middle rays one half as long as head. Anak base three eighths as long as head; the first spine minute, sec- ond spine one fourth as long as head, first ray about one half length of head, last ray two ninths as long as head. Pectoral long, reaching beyond origin of soft dorsal. Ventral one sixth of total length without caudal, not reaching nearly to vent. Interorbital width somewhat exceeds diameter of eye. bikie D. X, I, 27 to 30; A. II, 8; V. I, 5; P. I, 16; scales 9-60-12; pyloric caeca eight; gill rakers 7+16. Color grayish silvery, with bright reflections; sides and back with narrow, irregular, undulating lines of dots; dorsal fins with three lines of dots along base. The croaker inhabits the east coast of the United States, ranging from Cape Cod to Texas; it is not very common north of the Chesapeake. It grows to the length of 15 inches and. is an important food fish. The fish was described by Mitchil} but was unknown to De Kay from personal observation. Though known in Gravesend bay, the species is a very uncommon one there. The only specimen recorded at Woods Hole Mass. is. 15 inches long; it was taken in a trap at the breakwater im Buzzards bay on Sep. 9, 1893. ; Genus MENTICIRRHUS Gill Body comparatively elongate, little compressed; head long, subconic, the bluntish snout considerably projecting beyond the mouth; mouth small, horizontal, both jaws with bands of villi- form teeth, the outer teeth in the upper jaw more or less en- larged; chin with a single stoutish barbel; preopercle with its membranaceous edge serrulate; gill rakers short and tubercular or obsolete; dorsal spines high, slender, 10 or 11 in number (13 in Cirrimens); second dorsal long and low; caudal fim with the lower angle rounded, the upper sharp; anal fin with a single weak spine; no air bladder. Lower pharyngeals separate, FISHES OF NEW YORK D8D the teeth varying from sharp to very obtuse. This genus is one of the most strongly marked in the family. It has been confounded by all European writers with Umbrina, with which it has not very much in common except the presence of the barbel at the chin. All the species are American, and all bottom fishes. The low, elongate body, the large pectorals, and the obsolete air bladder are all characters related to this pecul- larity of habit. Subgenus MENTICIRRHUsS Gill 285 Menticirrhus saxatilis (Bloch & Schneider) Kingfish; Whiting; Sea Mink Johnius saxatilis BLocu & SCHNEIDER, Syst. Ichth. 75, 1801, New York. Sciena nebulosa MiITcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 408, pl. 3, fig. 5, 1815. Umbrina alburnus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 78, pl. 7, fig. 20, 1842. Umbrina nebulosa GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 275, 1860; SroreEr, Hist. Fish. Mass. 46, pl. IX, fig. 4, 1867. Menticirrhus nebulosus GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. IX, 17, 1879; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 577, 1883. Menticirrhus saxatilis BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 141, pls. HU, III, figs. 7 and 8, 1888; JoRDAN & EIGENMANN, Rep. U. S. F. C. for 1886, 4381, 1889; BEAN, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 259, pl. XII, fig. 16, 1890; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. [X, 368, 1897; H. M. Smitru, Bull. U. S. EF. C. 1897, 101, 1898; Jornpan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1475, 1898; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus, 106, 1900. Body robust, elongate, its greatest depth about two ninths of total length without caudal; the least depth of caudal peduncle one third length of head. Head one fourth to two sevenths of total length without caudal; snout one fourth as long as the head; eye small, two thirds as long as snout. Mouth large, the maxillary reaching to below middle of eye. Outer teeth of upper jaw not much enlarged. Spinous dorsal elevated, the third spine — longest, two thirds as long as the head, reaching slightly past origin of soft dorsal; first spine minute, last two spines very short. Base of soft dorsal one third of total length without caudal; the longest ray less than one third length of head. Caudal concave above, convex below, the middle rays about one half as long as the head. Anal base under the middle portion of the soft dorsal, its length about equal to least depth of caudal peduncle, the spine one third as long as the pectoral, the longest 586 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM ray equal to snout and eye combined. Pectoral large, nearly as long as the head, reaching past origin of soft dorsal. Ventral one half as long as the head. Seales all ctenoid. D. X, I, 26 or 27; A. I, 8; scales 7-53-14. | Co'or dusky gray above, sometimes blackish, the back and sides with distinct dark oblique cross bands running downward and forward, the anterior one at the nape extending downward, meeting the second and thus forming a V-shaped blotch on each side; a dark lateral streak bounding the pale color of the belly, most distinct posteriorly, and extending on lower lobe of caudal; inside of gill cavity scarcely dusky; pectorals dark. The kingfish, according to De Kay; was so named by the early English colonists because of its excellent flavor. The name hake is given to it in New Jersey and Delaware; in the Chesapeake it is sometimes called black mullet; in North Carolina, the sea mink; in the south it is the whiting or Bermuda whiting; on the Connecticut coast it is known as the tomcod. The kingfish occurs northward to Cape Ann and south to the Gulf of Mexico. Large individuals are not common as far north as Cape Cod, but the young may be seen in moderate numbers in the summer months. They occur in abundance throughout Great South bay and near the inlet their number is increased. We have collected them at the mouth of Swan creek, in Blue Point cove, at the Blue Point Lifesaving station, Oak Island and Fire Island. An individual was obtained October 7, in the bay, and others were found during September. Adult kingfish used to be com- mon in Great South bay, but in 1884 they were rare, according to Mr Erastus Gordon, of Patchogue. In 1898 only one adult was taken by the writer and that was found in Clam Pond cove, August 26. Young were seined at Fire Island inlet, Nichols’s Point, Howell’s Point, Blue Point cove, and in Peconic bay. In 1901, large kingfish were not uncommon in Great South bay, but ! the young were unusually rare, only two specimens measuring from 32 to 4 inches having been obtained; these were seined at ~ Duncan’s creek, September 14. The kingfish was formerly abundant in Gravesend bay, but it seldom occurs there now. FISHES OF NEW YORK 587 ‘The species evidently breeds at Woods Hole Mass. Dr Smith ‘says that adults full of spawn are common there in June and un- common after July 15. The young about an inch long appear in -the middle of July,and the young are numerous on sandy beaches during the summer and till early October, when they leave, ‘haying attained a length of 4 or 5 inches. Some of the young -are almost entirely black, while others of the same size taken at the same time show the color markings of the adults. The maxi- mum weight there is about 2 pounds. . The species is a favorite in New York waters and well merits ts reputation as a choice food fish. It takes the baited hook very readily. Hard clam, cut small, shedder crab, black mussels -aad various kinds of fish are good baits. It goes in schools and -associates with the weakfish. The name kingfish is said to have been given it in honor of ‘the king by colonial New Yorkers, who esteemed the fish highly. Genus Pocontas Lacépéede Body short and deep, the dorsal outline much elevated, the ventral nearly straight. Mouth moderate, the upper jaw long- est; teeth small, in villiform bands, the outer not enlarged; lower pharyngeal bones large, fully united, armed with strong paved teeth; lower jaw with numerous barbels, each about one half as ong as the eye; preoperculum entire, with a membranaceous edge. Dorsal fins slightly connected, the spines high and strong; -caudal fin subtruncate; first anal spine short, the second exceed- ingly large, nearly as long as the soft rays; pectorals and ventrals long; gill rakers short and bluntish. Pseudobranchiae large. Marine species, reaching a very large size, among the largest of the Sciaenidae, two species known. 286 Pogonias cromis (Linnaeus) Drum .Labrus crémis LinNAEwvs, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 479, 1766, Carolina. .Pogonias fasciatus LACEPEDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. III, 137, 1802; Cuvier & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 210, pl. 118, 1830; Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 81, pl. 14, fig. 40, 1842; GuNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 270, 1860. . _ ‘Mugil grunniens MiITCHILL, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 16, 1814, New York. .Mugil gigas MITcHILL, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 16, 1814, New York. 588 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Labrus grunniens MircnHiLy, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 405, 1815. Sciena fusca MITcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y¥. I, 409, 1815, New York. Sciena gigas MITcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 418, 1815, New York. Pogonias chromis CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. V, 206, 1830; Dr Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 80, 1842; HoLsBrook, Ichth. S. C. ed. 1, 112, pl. 16, fig. 2, 1856; GunTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. Ij 270, 1860; JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 568, 1888; BEAN, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N, Y. 261, pl. XIII, fig. 17, 1890. Pogonias cromis BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. LX, 368, 1897, Gravesend Bay; H. M. Smitu, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 101, 1898; JornpAn & HVER- MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1482, 1898, pl. CCXX\V, fig. 578, 1900. Body oblong, compressed, heavy forwards, its greatest depth. two fifths to one third of total length without caudal; least hight of caudal peduncle one third length of head. Head large, its length about two sevenths of total without caudal; snout short, strongly declivous, a very shallow depression over the eyes, nape much arched. Lower jaw slightly shorter in front than upper; maxillary reaching to below middle of eye. Teeth in broad bands, the outer series in maxillary scarcely enlarged; lower pharyngeals large, completely united, covered with many blunt molars and a small patch of conical teeth at the outer posterior corner. Gill rakers 4+12 on first arch, very short and slender. Spinous dorsal triangular, the fourth and fifth longest, two fifths as long as the head, the spines rapidly diminishing in size to the front and rear, the first one being minute; the base of spinous dorsal as long as the head without the snout. Soft dorsal lower than spinous, the longest rays one third as long as the head. Anal base short, under second half of soft dorsal, the first spine minute, the second about one third as. long as the head, the longest ray twice as long as the last ray and one half as long ag the head. Caudal truncate, the middle rays about one half as long as the head. Pectoral long, reaching to below the fourth ray of soft dorsal, as long as the head. Ven- tral equal to postorbital part of head, reaching to below the origin of soft dorsal. Scales on breast small, others large. D. X; 1, 2h40.22;.A.11,.5 to 6; Pi, 17; V.1,,5: Scales 7-47 to baa Color grayish silvery, with five broad dark bars three of which extend upon the dorsal fins, these bars disappearing with age; FISHES OF NEW YORK : 589 usually no oblique dark streaks along rows of scales above; fins. dusky. Dr Mitchill describes the drum under the names, black drum: and red drum. The black drum which he described weighed 34. pounds. He hada specimen of 80 pounds, and states that he was credibly informed of one that weighed 101 pounds. The species, according to Dr Mitchill, was taken abundantly during the sum- mer with line and net. The name drum, he says, is derived from the drumming noise made by the fish immediately after being” taken out of water. ‘“ He swims in numerous shoals in the shal-- low bays on the south side of Long Island, where fishermen dur- ing the warm season can find them almost like a flock of sheep; is a dull sort of fish.” The red drum he considered merely a variety of the black drum. Dr De Kay says of the species, which he calls the big drum: “They are gregarious, and frequently taken in great numbers by the seine during the summer along the bays and inlets of Long Island.” De Kay adopted a different specific name for the young of this species, and called it the banded drum. Other names for this stage given by De Kay are: grunter, grunts, young drum and young sheepshead. He saw the young in September, and states that it is found in New York waters also in October and November. The adults, according to: De Kay, are a coarse food, but the young are considered a great delicacy. The drum is occasionally taken on our coast as far north as. Cape Cod; southward it extends to the Gulf of Mexico. The drum is an occasional summer visitor in Gravesend bay. In the fall of 1896, 14 young individuals, 8 inches long, were brought from there alive to the aquarium, and lived till February 10, 1897, when the low temperature of the water (38°) killed them. In the fall of 1897 none were seen in the bay. In the vicinity of Woods Hole Mass. the drum is very rare.. Dr Smith records the first one as having been taken May 7, 1874, and it has been observed only three or four times since. The recent specimens have been caught in traps at Quisset Harbor, in the latter part of September or early in October; 590 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM these specimens weighing each 44 or 5 pounds. The largest drum recorded was taken at St Augustine Fla. and weighed 146 pounds. The large fish are not much valued for food, but small ones are said to be excellent. Genus AaPLopiInotTus Rafinesque Body oblong, the snout blunt, the back elevated and com- pressed; mouth rather small, low, horizontal, the lower jaw included; teeth in villiform bands, the outer above scarcely enlarged; no barbels; pseudobranchiae rather small; gill rakers short and blunt; lower pharyngeals very large, fully united, with coarse, blunt, paved teeth, as in Pogonias; preopercle slightly serrate; dorsal spines strong and high, with a close fitting scaly sheath at base, the two dorsals somewhat con- nected; second anal spine very strong; caudal double truncate; air bladder very large, simple, with no appendages; pyloric ‘caeca seven; vertebrae 10+14— 24. Fresh waters of the United States; large, coarse fishes, feeding chiefly on crustacea and mollusks. The genus is apparently allied to Pogonias, and both may be descended from allies of R oncador , which is intermediate between them and Sciaena. 287 Aplodinotus grunniens Rafinesque Fresh-water Drum; White Perch Aplodinotus grunniens RAFINESQUE, Jour. de Phys. Paris, 88, 1819, Ohio River; Brean, Fishes Penna. 135, pl.-35, fig. 73, 1898; JorDAN & HVER- MANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1484, 1898, pl. CCX XVI, fig. 574, 1900. Sciaena oscula LE SuEUR, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 252, pl 18, 1822, Lake Ontario. Amblodon neglectus GIRARD, U. S. Mex. Bd. Surv. Fish. 12, pl. 5, figs. 6-10, 1859. Amblodon grunniens GIRARD, U. 8S. Pac. R. R. Surv. Fish. 96, pl. 23, 1858. Haploidonotus grunniens GiLu, Proce. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 104, 1861; JorRDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 567, 1883. Corvina oscula DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 73, pl. 21, fig. 68, 1842, Lakes Erie & Ontario; GunTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. II, 297, 1860. The shape of the fresh-water drum is similar to that of the salt-water species, the body being moderately elongate, its greatest hight one third of its length without the caudal; the sides are moderately compressed and the back very much so. FISHES OF NEW YORK DOL The least depth of the tail is less than one third of the depth of the body. The head is rather short, its length contained three and two thirds times in the total without caudal. The eye is about four fifths as long as the snout and one sixth length of head. Snout obtuse. The maxilla reaches to below the middle of the eye; the lower jaw is shorter than the upper. The pec- toral is nearly as long as the head and reaches to below the beginning of the soft dorsal. The ventral is about two thirds. length of head. The third dorsal spine is the longest, nearly one half as long as the head. The second anal spine is much the longer and stouter, its length two fifths that of head. The rays of the soft dorsal are longest near the end of the fin. The scales are very irregularly placed, about 55 in the lateral line.’ DX, 1, 30-315 A. II, 7. The color is grayish, darker on the back; lower parts silvery. Young specimens have dark spots along the rows of scales, form- ‘ing oblique lines. The fresh-water drum has received a great number of common names. In the Ohio valley and South it is known as the white perch; in the Great Lake region it is called sheepshead or fresh- water drum on account of its resemblance to the salt-water drum. At Buffalo and Barcelona, New York, it is known as. sheepshead. The name crocus, used on lakes of northern In- diana is a corruption of croaker, a name of a marine fish of the same family. In the southern states the name drum is gen- erally applied to the species, and in addition the terms thunder pumper, gaspergou and jewel head are used. Gaspergou is a term used in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. The names drum, croaker and thunder pumper have reference to certain sounds. produced by the fish either by means of its air bladder or by grinding together the large molarlike teeth in the pharynx. The name jewel head probably refers to the otoliths or ear- bones, frequently called lucky stones, which are found in the skull of this species. In Texas, adjacent to Mexican territory, occurs the name gaspagie, a variation of the name gaspergou. The fresh-water-drum is widely distributed; it occurs in Lake 592 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM ‘Champlain and the entire Great lakes region, the Ohio and Mississippi valleys southward to Texas. The U.S. Fish Commis- sion obtained a specimen at Point Breeze N. Y. on Lake Ontario. De Kay reported it as very common in Lake Erie and called ‘sheepshead at Buffalo. At the time of his writing the fish was scarcely ever eaten. It is found principally in large streams and lakes and rarely enters creeks and small rivers. In western Texas the species is rare. In the wilds of Texas, New Mexico and northern Mexico Mr Turpe has found this fish in clear limestone streams emptying into the Rio Grande. This species is usually found on the bottom, where it feeds chiefly on crustaceans and mollusks and sometimes small fishes. It is specially fond of crawfish and small shells such as Cyclas and Paludina. Mr Turpe mentions water plants as forming part of its food and states that it will take a hook baited with worms or small minnows. The fresh-water drum grows to a length of 4 feet and a weight of 60 pounds, but the average market specimens rarely exceed 2 feet in length and in many parts of the West much smaller ones are preferred. Nothing is recorded about the breeding habits of this species, and as to its edible qualities there is the greatest difference of opinion. Some writers claim that its flesh is tough and coarse with a disagreeable odor, specially in the Great lakes. Individuals from the Ohio river and from more southern streams are fairly good food. fish, while in Texas Mr Turpe considers it one of the most excellent of the fresh-water fishes, comparing favorably with black bass. Mr Robert Ridg- ‘way of the National Museum at Washington, pronounces the species from the Wabash river in Indiana, a fine table fish though, he says, other people there consider it inferior. Rich- ardson described what is supposed to be a deformed specimen of this drum under the name of malashegany, which he had from Lake Huron. He described it as a firm, white, well-tasting fish, Dut never fat and requiring much boiling. BS FISHES OF NEW YORK ee 593 Suborder PHARYNGOGNATHI sales Labroid Fishes Family LABRIDAE Wrasse Fishes Genus TAUTOGOLABRUs Ginther Body oblong, not elevated, comparatively slender and com- pressed; head moderate, more or less pointed, but the jaws not notably produced; teeth in the jaws in several series, the outer- most very strong; the teeth unequal, conical and pointed; no posterior canines. Cheeks with small scales; opercles with large ones; interopercles naked; preopercle with the vertical limb finely serrated. Branchiostegals five. Gill membranes consid- erably united, free fromthe isthmus; gill rakers short. Scales moderate, 35 to 50 in the lateral line; lateral line continuous, abruptly bent opposite posterior part of second dorsal; dorsal long and low, the spinous portion much longer than the soft, of 18 or 19 low, subequal, rather strong spines; soft dorsal slightly elevated; anal fin similar to soft dorsal, with three strong graduated spines; caudal truncate; pectorals short, the ventrals inserted behind their axils. Species two, both Amer- ican. This genus is very close to the European genus Cteno- labrus, differing in the less perfect squamation of the head and in the greater number of dorsal spines and vertebrae. 288 Tautogolabrus adspersus (Walbaum) Bergall; Cunner; Chogset; Nipper Labrus adspersus WALBAUM, Art. Gen. Pisce. 254, 1792. Tautoga Caerulea MiITCHILL, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 24, 1814, New York. Labrus chogset MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 402, pl. 8, fig. 2, ‘1815, New York. Labrus chogset fulva MITcHILL, 1. c. 408, 1815, New York. COtenolabrus uninotatus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XIII, 239, 1889, New York, young; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 174, pl. 29, fig. 90, 1842; GunrHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. IV, 90, 1862. Ctenolabrus burgall GUNTHER, |. c. 90, 1862, Canada. Ctenolabrus chogset CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XIII, 287, 1839. Ctenolabrus ceruleus DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 172, pl. 29, fig. 93, 1842. Ctenolabrus adspersus JORDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 599, 1883; BEAN, 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N, Y. 251, pl. IV, fig. 6, 1890. 594 | NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Tautogolabrus adspersus GOODE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 14, 1879; BEAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 87, 1880; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. IX, 368, 1897; H. M. SmitH, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 102, 1898; Jorpan & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1577, 1898, pl. CCXXXVI, fig.. 595, 1900; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 107, 1800; SHERWOOD & EDWARDS, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1901, 30, 1901. Body fusiform, stout, its greatest depth nearly one third of total length without caudal, the profile much less convex than in the tautog; least depth of caudal peduncle one half of great- est depth of body. Head one third of total length without caudal, the snout pointed, and forming one third of the length of head; eye placed high, its diameter one fifth length of head; preorbital bone not equal in width to the eye; jaws equal, with thick lips; mouth moderate, the maxillary nearly reaching to vertical from front of eye; five canines in front of upper jaw, about four in lower, the teeth on sides of jaw largest in front; bands of small concave teeth behind canines; gill rakers very short, about 6+11 on first arch; scales rather small; top of head, preorbital, maxillary, mandible, interopercle, and pos- . terior edge of preopercle and opercle naked; preopercle with about five rows of small scales; opercle with four or five rows of larger ones; fins naked. Base of spinous dorsal two and one half times as long as that of soft dorsal; the spines gradu- ally increasing in length up to the seventh, from which they are about equal, the seventh about three eighths as long as the head, the first only one sixth as long as the head. Soft dorsal a little higher than spinous, the longest ray one half as long as the head. Caudal rounded, its middle rays about one half as long. as the head. . Anal under the second half of the dorsal, its base as long as the head without the snout; the spines stout and sharp, the first equal to the eye in length, the second and third nearly equal and a little more than one third length of head; the fourth and fifth soft rays equal, longest, one half as: long as the head. Pectoral broad, short, one half as long as the head. Ventral slightly longer than pectoral, not reaching to vent. : D. XVIII, 9 or 10; A. III, 9; scales 6-47-13; vertebrae 17+19- FISHES OF NEW YORK 595 Color bluish or brownish, usually with a brassy luster on sides; head and back sometimes spotted with brassy; young with darker blotches and markings, and: often with a black blotch near the middle of the dorsal fin. Some individuals are yellow- ish and the young are often green. The cunner is known also as chogset and bergall (this changed to bengal in Great Egg Harbor bay, N. J.). Mitchill gives the name of bluefish as in use in New York in 1815; perch, sea perch and blue perch are New England names given for this fish. Names used with reference to its bait-stealing propensities are: nipper and bait-stealer. The cunner is common from Labrador to at least as far south as New Jersey. | The bergall is found in Gravesend bay throughout the year. In 1898, the writer found it in Peconic bay and the adjacent Scallop pond; south side of Great South bay opposite Patch- ogue; Fire Island inlet; Blue Point cove; and Duncan’s creek. In 1899, young examples were taken at Water Island ocean beach, June 6. In 1901, young of a yellow color and only 13 inches long were seined in a creek near Fire Island inlet, August 15. Half grown and adults were caught at a wreck on Tobey’s Flat, August 14, and at Smith’s Point, August 23. At Woods Hole Mass. the cunner is very abundant and remains during the entire year. Thousands perish from cold every win- ter. The fish spawns in June. The egg is about syinch in _diameter, buoyant, and has been hatched in the tidal cod-jar in five days in water of a mean temperature of 56° F. By August 1 the young an inch long are observed. Outside of Gayhead and Cuttyhunk the fish reaches a weight of 24 pounds, but the usual weight is from + to 4 pound. In February 1901, thousands of cunners were killed by extreme cold at Woods Hole. The cunner endures captivity very well, individuals having been kept three years or longer. The species is usually asso- ciated with the tautog or blackfish; in many places it proves a great annoyance to fishermen. In some parts of New England the fish is highly esteemed, but farther south it is not in high AEN RTT LO NT Res. a ee s. SPF TAR EG OTOP ae CE OF nay ORO LAE 7 a os - ae Saeatiiny hp aad ae ace ae aaa vor as Se eS LY ST 596 NEW YORK STATE MUSBUM repute, the hard scales and stiff, sharp spines making it incon- venient to prepare for cooking. Dr Mitchill describes a yellow variety of the cunner, and De Kay has considered the young, which has a black spot on the anterior portion of the dorsal fin, as a distinct species, named by him the spotted bergall. ~ The young vary greatly in color. We have seen some dull brown, others that were yellowish, and still others of a bright green. Dusky bands are characteristic, also, of the young stages. Examples were taken at Blue Point cove and at Fire Island. The cunner igs a, permanent resident, and does not retreat into deep water except in very cold weather. Its spawn- ing takes place in June and July. The species is fished for with the hook, and is taken in nets, which are baited and set among the rocks. The catch of the Irish cunner boats of Boston has been estimated at about 300,000 pounds annually. Genus rautroea Mitchill Body long, not elevated nor greatly compressed. Head large, nearly as deep as long, with a convex profile. Mouth rather small. Teeth very strong, conical, in two series; the outer somewhat incisorlike; the two anterior teeth in each jaw strong; the posterior teeth small, without canines. Eye small, high up. Cheeks with small scales; interopercle naked; opercles naked, except above; scales on body rather small, in about 60 transverse series, those on ventral region reduced in size; lat- eral line continuous, abruptly decurved opposite the end of the soft dorsal. Dorsal fin long, low, continuous, the spinous part much the longer, with about 16 low, strong, subequal spines, each with a small cutaneous appendage at tip; soft dorsal higher than spinous; anal similar to soft dorsal, with three stout, graduated spines; pectorals broad and rather short; caudal short, truncate, with rounded angles; the soft parts of the ver- tical fins with the membranes somewhat scaly; ventrals con- spicuously behind pectorals. Branchiostegals five. Gill rakers very short and feeble; gill membranes somewhat connected, free from the isthmus. Vertebrae 16+18=—34. This genus contains a single species, a large Labroid, abundant on the Atlantic coast of the United States. | FISHES OF NEW YORK 597 289 Tautoga onitis (Linnaeus) Blackfish ; Tautog Labrus onitis LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, 286, 1758; ed. XII, 478, 1766. ' Tautoga niger MitcHILL, Rep. Fish. N. Y. 23, 1814, New York. Labrus tautoga MiITcHILL, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. N. Y. I, 399, 1815, Long Island. Tautoga americana DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 175, pl. 14, fig. 39, 1842; STORER, Hist. Fish. Mass. 110, pl. XX, fig. 2, 1867. Tautoga onitis GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. IV, 88, 1862; GoopE & BEAN, Bull. Essex Inst. XI, 14, 1879; JorDAN & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 600, 1883; BEAN, Bull. U. S. F. C. VII, 187, pl. ITI, fig. 3, 1888; 19th Rep. Comm. Fish. N. Y. 252, pl. V, fig. 7, 1890; Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. [X, 368, 1897; H. M>SmirTu, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1897, 102, 1898; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1578, 1898, pl. CCXXXVII, fig. 596, 1900; BEAN, 52d Ann. Rep. N. Y. State Mus. 107, 1900; SHERWOOD & HpwArps, Bull. U. S. F. C. 1901, 30, 1901. Body deep, moderately compressed, the outline of head and jack convex, the greatest depth three eighths to one third of total length without caudal, the least depth of caudal peduncle equal to postorbital part of head. Head short, blunt, its length contained three and one fourth to three and one half times in total without caudal; profile of snout very steep; preorbital very wide, wider than the eye; mouth small, with very thick lips, the maxillary reaching the vertical from anterior or posterior nos- tril; eye one fifth as long as the head; snout one third as long as the head; jaws nearly equal in front, with two or three large canines and smaller ones on the side, gradually diminishing in size backwards. | larger with age. oo Sa > ea : : ’ ¥ { eer FISHES OF NEW YORK 607 293 Teuthis hepatus Linnaeus Surgeons ; Doctor Fish; Tang Teuthis hepatus LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. XII, 507, 1766, Carolina; MEEK & HoFFMAN, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 229, 1884; BEAN, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. [X, 368, 1897; JoRDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1691, 1898. Acanthurus phlebotomus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. X, 176, 1835, New York, etc.; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 139, pl. 73, fig. 234, 1842. : Acanthurus chirurgus CUVIER & VALENCIENNES, Hist. Nat. Poiss. X, 168, ' 1835; GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. 329, 1861; Jorpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 617, 1883. Acanthurus nigricans JORDAN & GILBERT, 1. c. 941, 1883. Body ovate, its greatest depth one half of total length with- out caudal; anterior profile moderately convex, forming an angle of 45° with axis of body. Caudal lunate, its inner rays about two thirds length of outer rays; caudal lobes subequal, the upper never filamentous. Head rather short, two sevenths of total length without caudal. D. IX, 26; A. III, 24. Color dark olive brown, more or less distinctly greenish; middle of sides paler; sides with about 12 distinct blackish vertical bars, rather narrower than the interspaces, most dis- tinct over front of anal; a brownish stripe along base of dorsal; spinous dorsal with alternate stripes running upward and back- ward, of dark blue and bronze olive, the two colors of about equal width; soft dorsal with a bluish streak on the anterior side of each ray, and a bronze stripe behind it; fins very dark, often almost black. } The surgeon is common in the West Indies and from Florida to Bahia and northward in summer to Cape Cod. A young individual, about 3 inches long, was caught in Mr John B. De Nyse’s pound, Gravesend bay, Oct. 22, 1897. The species had not been certainly known before to occur north of Charleston 8. C. De Kay described and figured it as a New York species solely on the authority of Cuvier and Valenciennes. Dr Smith records the capture of a few specimens in the vicinity of Woods Hole Mass. during the summer of 1900. It was last observed on October 3 when one example was taken. \ ee 608 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Group PLECTOGNATHI Suborder S = ae om IE 6 Ee hat ee r 223 SS ae = * mousefish. He refers to the descriptions of Cuvier and Valen- ‘ ciennes, and Storer. He states that the geographic range of | the species at that time was known to extend from Charleston { to Boston. +] This species is not uncommon in summer in floating masses of ‘| . gulf weed brought near our shores by the Gulf Stream and other ‘| currents. An example was caught off the ocean shore of Long ‘FISHES OF NEW YORK (es: Island in August 1897. At Woods Hole Mass., according to Dr Smith, it was taken in 1877. In November 1885, 12 specimens were seined in Quissett harbor. From that year till 1897 none were observed, but in 1897 the fish were comparatively common in Vineyard sound. During July there was an unusual preva- lence of southerly winds, and a large quantity of sargasso weed was blown in from the Gulf Stream, and with it this fish, which he calls the marbled angler. In Vineyard sound, a few miles from Woods Hole, 50 individuals were taken July 24, 1897. Probably not less than 100 specimens were taken during that year. Many were kept alive in aquaria for several weeks. Some remain under or among the gulf weed at the surface, some con- ceal themselves in the algae on the bottom, some hide behind stones and other objects, and some seek crevices among rocks. While clumsy in their movements, they were adept in approach- ing and capturing other fishes. They were cannibalistic, one about 6 inches long swallowing another 4 inches long, and they frequently bit off the fleshy dermal appendages of their fellows. In August several spawned in the aquarium. The eggs are con- nected in long bands, like those of the angler. It is reported that in the summer of 1889 the fish was not uncommon off Nan- tucket, and in 1897, eight specimens were taken in gulf weed off ‘that island. Family 0GCOCEPHALIDAE Batfishes Genus oGcocEPHALUsS Fischer Body stoutish, tapering backward; head very broad and de- pressed, triangular in form, the forehead elevated and produced; eyes large, lateral; mouth rather small, subinferior under the ‘snout; villiform teeth in bands on jaws, vomer and palatines; skin covered with rough, bony tubercles; dorsal and anal fins ‘very small; rostral tentacle present, retractile into a cavity under a bony prominence on the forehead; ventrals present, I, 5, well separated; pectorals large, placed horizontally; gills 24; no air bladder; no pyloric caeca. Tropical America, in shallow water. Small fishes of singular form, often regarded by the ignorant as venemous. Se Sees erates mes a ee eee Se ee eee ee oe ees = > Pe —_— —2> ~. >= 738 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM ol Ogcocephalus vespertilio (Linnaeus) Batfish; Malthe Lophius vespertilio LINNAEUS, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 236, 1758. Malthaea vespertilio CUVIER & ee anny Hist. Nat. Poiss. XII, 440;. 18387; DE Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 167, 1842. Malthe vespertilio GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. III, 200, 1861; Jorpan & GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 850, 1883. Ogcocephalus vespertilio JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. III, 2787, 1898; IV, pl. CCCXCII,. figs. 958, 958a, 958b, 1900; BEAN, Science, N. S. IX, no. 211, 8, 1899. Anterior half of body (the head), between eyes and gill open- ings, much depressed and broadened, the greatest width in front of gill openings equaling distance from tip of rostral process to gill openings or about half length of entire fish; from gill open- ings to caudal the body is rounded, tapering to the tail; the width of the body at the vent equals one third of the width at gill openings; forehead produced in a subconic process of vary- ing length, its length measured from eye being contained six and one half times or more in total length without caudal; mouth small, inferior; jaws, vomer, and palatines with bands of villi- form teeth: 1. 4; A.'4;'V. I, 5. Color dark gray and brown, — varying from almost black to light gray and orange. The batfish is a West Indian species, ranging north to the Florida Keys, and has been taken at least once in the harbor of New York. It grows to a length of 12 inches. De Kay did not meet with this fish on the coast of New York, but he copies the description of Cuvier and Valenciennes. In the midsummer of 1854 or 1855, Dr Theodore Gill saw an individual of this species, which was recently caught at a wharf at the foot of 27th st. East river, New York. No record of its occurrence was pub- lished, but the writer noted this circumstance in Science, Jan. te, tSOOo So yes. FISHES OF NEW YORK RECORDED DISTRIBUTION OF NEW YORK FISHES 1 Petromyzon marinus....-......- 2 P. marinus unicolor...........- 3 Ichthyomyzon concolor 4 Lampetra wilderi.............- 5 Pseudotriakis microdon.....-..- 6 Mustelus canis... -.. 0s... --<. 7 Galeocerdo tigrinus 8 Prionace glauca.... 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 24 25 26 7 AE( 28 29 30 =) | boat 33 34 35 36 A. rubicundus D. hastata - D. sa Polyodon spathula BAe breviTOsthisiccce Loe. scerebe soe ioe les 9 Carcharhinus obscurus. .-.-..---. Ae eMMENEIG Wares secs tclom ents cen 11 Aprionodon isodon.-..-.....----- 12 Scoliodon terrae-novae......--. ts ophyrna, tibUro ....2. ++. ----<- Sa ZV MACHA 8 oe e nie cee a nes 2 PMIGDIAS VIE PES! -:scic cnc ein sce bese Carcharias littoralis.....-...--.. Iisurus idekayt 2.055. ..3c60 5. - Lamna cornubica -........---.- Carcharodon carcharias .-..-...- Cetorhinus maximus ........... Squalns acanthias....'.. .....-.- Squatina squatina..-....--...... Ao mieajerinaCeas..ssi2s.05--+ 4-- eeocewlata cif co cele a sce ws soe Lived Ai 8 2 ee a Site wis. eee eo eee Tetranarce occidentalis ....---. Dasyatis centrura .--..-.--.---- Pteroplatea maclura ........--. Myliobatis freminvillei.....-.... Khineptera bonasus. .-: o.sfaeee Rhinichthys cataractae.......- PeparOMasns ot st se Hybopsis: dissimilis ......°....2. ASO IG PS. ole aio. wa et ie SEOrortanUs: 52). << eee oe Hp wentouckiensis. 6... oss. cece Couesius pluimbeus.... .....-.-- Exoglossum maxillingua ...... CArassite aUbatus.~ 2.2.5 'oeee CV PUMUS) COLPIO 5. 6... seas 3's Anguilla chrysypal..........:. Great lakes Tnterior lakes t T.awrence | Adirondacks xX | X/} X |--- OX (9) OX SEA See eee Kesey | Lake Champlain -- =--eleee -- ee -ler oe, ee eles ooe ee ee x) OAs * Recorded also from the Walkill, Passaic and Hackensack. 2 Recorded also trum the Passaic and Hackensack. x MM | Ohio basin Susquehanna basin DEN e Gali 6 x deified x | xX SOS Mis ce Delaware basin Hudson basin SGayh iesS =m alo s8 Long Island streams arine "| Anadromous | a DON cielo SS nace eleen er leore FISHES OF NEW YORK Recorded distribution of New York fishes (continued) | Great lakes ‘bts | St Lawrence 102 Leptocephalus conger ..--..-..-.|--- aoc earpon atianticus..... 52 ...<,-- 20) L272 Hae BOS SAUTES. 2220 ooo. cco eeekes | bee 0a) Albala valpes)----...5-. 24----4-|-2- ae. Hiodon tecaisus.. 25. 2.222526) X Bie le LOBOINE S25) acon wp nr gces Ih 108 Dorosoma cepedianum ....----- x MOS piorumeus: betes... i. 5- J2s~seen) 2. IO Clhipea harengus. 5-2. .55 .000%5|22- 111 Pomo!lobus chrysochloris -....-.| x ME MCUINETIS <5 ce as ae wan nse - 113 P. pseudoharengus -....-......-- x MAE eyAnOonoton <..... .564 2. 2- (24 ee- 115 Alosa sapidissima --..-.......... p< iMG piarensula sp. --..5-2.- --2-5--- 117 Opisthonema oglinum .. ......-.|...|--- HSebrevoortia tyrannus 2. 2.2.<-2- |... 119 Stolephorus brownii............|..- 120 Saabs yroprabus... .c-.---- ---.|-~.}-2 - ai wePeriasciatus, 03. .50. os55 02-2 caf. ULE SATE 10 a 123 Coregonus quadrilateralis ...-.. x Ae Cl PeiLGrmis is... <2 < sone sees x 125 Argyrosomus osmeriformis...-...|-.. Pe AG Looe Son nae eke cas ose x Le] ik OL ASUS ies Re AL Te Weare presnathus.o. 2... 2c---- | X UAE) ETE Ce) ae ge ea) FS 130 Oncorhynchus chouicha -..-.-.---| x Sl Salmo (Salat oo joc ces wwe a Peep asdiat Se0ACO.. 2425 to oa. se pak se REM SRW (ota ccc chk ecw Soe Ne WSO AIANET: oo. tink so abiew Leni x Bee MID ne ha ote ae ie Se aa 136 S. trutta levenensis ........---.|-.. Pee IR OEHHA 2). 2 etc. oe Coe e reas Mee TEMAS. 2300 ooce foc ccese See feed 139 Cristivomer namaycush ........ x 140 Salvelinus fontinalis! ..........|... Pris alpee?. 22) 5. be de wo ok howe 142 S. alpinus aureolus?........-..--|--- 143 Osmerus mordax..>...-...-----|--- fr SyHOGus fOCLONS.-.- ..~-<--.s-o0}-ac 2 CTT Rs ee a 5 Sab aWe pyemaeds 55652 oo ces ooo Sawn fete my Duems americanus. .-...--. -<<<|2.- MS. vyermiculatuss... 2-22-00 x digele-sreticulatusl. 2. 0.25 uke x Meats MI eos a hoe ok eth iol We masquinonsy =... <= 32-2022 x 4 Recorded also from the Walkill and Passaic. 2 Introduced into Sterling lake. ° Introduced into Lake George. * Recorded from the Passaic and Hackensack. Interior lakes | Adirondacks | Ohio basin Susquehanna basin Delaware basin Pid Lake Champlain Long Island streams Hudson basin i} | | I Mh MM | Marine - -|ees ee i 7 (ose /- check fo. Toe Sele mio raciurops crumenophthalmus.. |... )\-<-|.s.)2.|-2.).--]2--|2 22] 2 Ome MMC OSI i oc ate ss] .ks |= ees fe ssqc el he ve fee] Se ee POM BeEVISOS oo lU ly Sout wik dent |S oe Sei (ee tl betes a arse ee, Pile Chis CHIATISt loses bo'sSoe Se). sey s ssf. 22 [ee See Re WA pee PiGiniel SCuINIMNIS coe saeeess seliee | ses |aeale esis st lhsels este ect ee PSP SeleMeNVOMED 2-2! cuso. Ge tee nels... arse tice lb Ns | kanes Hees 219 Chloroscombrus chrysurus....-:|---}---|---|--- Perl Reae eee eg ool p= PPOP MeN MObUSAlCHbUS s-coe- 2 So fees sos [lL ee STS Oe ee) ee Pa pevleran te MUCUS? mcs een cine of oot!) 2 ae oho |S odie ope es [eee Sole ee Pee MERC ALOMMUS sean 54 eee SSS raphe See |e [oats Lene (eosin eh deed 223 Pomatomus saltatrix ...--....-- = ag Ie Sra fay tt a ese bea ce |. < 224 Rachyceutron canadum..-....... Spa 295 Be elles oi saes <=) 28 clasetl e2.< Pease ony Racha MUP PULUS! 22 cso feet paee | obo (oe PCS cleans PPO MC GUISELIS(. ese le Ska oft epee of Bguha P Se toN ahr rst | 2 227 Palinurichthys perciformis .-.-..- SA ES ve ae eS eas ey book ah Pee MOnMUIUS Palen seo soos ae oe cst. Solas e ioe loo fie [oo ees > [Seabee LIS). J Bye) TENOR TONG IN | SUR at eat Pe aed aoa FeQea a ose (ge ache Fe (Se be 236 Pomoxis annularis.....-..----.. DG ee | (octal les ear (te fee cae LP pe a SPL OP ATOMUES “cca. Uae eset rion aets| Xo |) Xi | ees soo /s. eee RS 232 Acantharchus pomotis!......... SSS A eee. sre cilh eh ae | ee O 233 Ambloplites rupestris? -........ SOR a Keg de | Se NCE he RS otal eae PZote CHacnobry tts CulOsus: 95~).ch 02) K IS he Solon ape PAO UNeCACAMLNUS OVESUS). Ssboss os.) S7i foc 5] 62 tee | anf [e ed OS ee Za WO PTOELOSUS 2 Saosin soos DELS es TA es Rage om seal gue Rp nS aha af 237 Apomotis cyanellus....---.---..] X | KX |---/---|---]---]---]---|--. 238) Aue poms auritus: 25-25 4222 52. ek PS ee Aer a ape aha Loc Pome AUS= eae ie ee sone Wl ali Re SO oo) Saeed ee ewe 240 Eupomotis gibbosus4 .......--- DG e< Long Island streams i MMMM MMMM MMM MM dd | © Marin6 Ko fe Ses Ro parece |e Xi a eee [44 x NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Recorded distribution of New York fishes (continued) : | reat lakes Interior lakes ‘St Lawrence Adirondacks Lake Champlain Ohio basin Susquehanna basin Delaware basin Hudson basin Long Island streams ; Anadromous 252 Diplesion blenniodes .......-... x 253 Boleosoma nigrum ....---.---- x 254 3B. nigrum olmstedi? -......... x |x fx |e.) tesco loe ie gee 255 Etheostoma cveruleum .-.....-.. > ee ee ei eee s Seo) kf | Baap Oreale: ators) oes cole p-al Poardl Wp aa Meg recs bere ee Fil SS ee x 256i a habellare ene oo. case's eos. XP =e 257 + Boleichthys fusiformis ..--..-... Mwai oils Se ee eee 258 (BOcUSMORMISs 60s. 2) 522.) 2.5. RHA Cie eee 259 Roceusechrysops3 .........---. Ky] ea bil Geer baltsaees eee x rly FY Boas TPE I A ok file Bd A ee es ele ar Me Re ec 261 Morone americana -.-.......-.- od hat St ote ee ah eee epee 262 Polyprion americanus -.....--. ee) earn rena) ee te) 263 HvinepHelus niveatus .......2.|---|-.-(.--|--- ahs 264 Centropristes striatus ......... Sill ach ee ee Zoo» Mules Buble asco sell obs Oe | taatopte ZUG. LMP CUS DISHISMLNUS: 2.236 8st So) Sho eo ators 267 Lobotes surinamensis ......... fo til 7s, Soh ae ial ee 268 Priacanthus arenatus ......-.-. » dig (Ss ally ed 269 Pseudopriacanthus altus-....... pig Praag foc a ee te RS 270 Neomaenis griseus ..-....----- Papeaie Weare ieee yea er) ne bg MR | ALP gi 190) 8-2 C6 C00 10 eh pr ae gpa ed eae (Nea Zio Orpnopristis elrysopverus .. 2) o.|.2 2/2 ete sles Soe eee 273 Stenotomus chrysops..-...-...].-- a cS BES eS eee 274 Lagodon rhomboides.-.--.....-.|--- baipey (eer epee eee Zio. Arcéhosargus probatocephalus...}...)-s.).4--|-23|teeloee 276 Eucinostomus gula........ CEE al ci AS bee eee ee wii) Ky phosus seebatrix - 2.55.5 24. ae ics ef a ee ete * “s218, Gynoseionregalis 2005 2425 266) sich asain ae ere Sab ta PD re MOM UIORUR 2h oe Slee RA | Rome epee a 250 Lanimus fasciatus. 2225-6. .k aes eee eed iets roe, Yen: er mlamistr arta GHly stra cer so. Sos | Pe Po lb eles oa eal ele | | | i cal | | el ipl I! eel OSE gen Fag ee Ce a a 2 | CUMe ed oe | re : (KKK AK KKM KM KKK KM KM WK R MM RAG anal et > es 7 Seca 2%. 22S. ae Je |e | cere) oe eth eo ae a 294. Balistes Cavolitiensis... ---.2:2+|-.-|}-+-| +) -|-.'|<<2|-2-|2e4)-i-2—9 een A 295 | A VGTIED) eo i Sale wale noo wine's 'o- =| eae | oo cs = obese | eee tee arlene a 296, Monacantinsihispwls. joo0< 22. [ 2.0 y-).% 1] oe beta aioe Re cee . 257) Sen BEIMe UIs niet ccc die o(e~ oeot| ox. ae A eee eee 2 ee 4 298 > Lactopnrys thiconus:..--- 2. s...|---|---).- |< les chesie| soe tee eee B ys 299. Liazocephalus laevigatus --.-..|..:|2--|...|-- 2] gecle-n le )epo le. ope er ; 300° Spheroides maculatus. . 22 225. [seo |---|} ed ons sete ate gone ete ee eee BOL BS. TEStMGIMEMB iS oe. eee ce cican oe tee fee sce eee veel appli 1 Recorded from the Passaic, Hackensack and Bronx. ; y 2 Recorded from the Hackensack. . ‘ Introduced into Greenwood lake. i a Ai) Rit Ry } f 7 BT FISHES Reeorded distribution of ee . 7Recorded also in the Hackensack and Passaic. OF NEW YORK New York fishes (continued) eee | N eae | n E = 5 q i i o|o| 2 te ee wn i glzieleleis/ai=l2/2| |2 | fale elelel2le)alzlel: Sei an Os | one eae tie [) s/o /Slelsleleial2|=|al/z | . 2 cel ae ee es e fe Slal2{a|as| 42/4 jal [als : | 12 BUS BOTIC MOCO URANUS. G2 ae ~ ae be Selle [an BES cal we! 2 ace) |iocerelll a mioins |e Seog See Me Blam TA ChOUIOd ON! PLIOSUS-o.c2 oes | -u-|=a-|22[ >< | se el} ors lowe ea were leer oe 304 Chilomycterus schoepfii ........|--- WES Saas os Sill ae/eil eeel oan 3 5 ee ea POEUN TO MO SUG tee eet eens alot ill sie e |r| wet allie =| ess Pa aloo eller ata a es Sm LOlRIN Ola eee eet ci cnimces leetclel Ne foal colts. dle, oulloel aoe, eminem BUM SSUASLON MMAR YNUS e 2S oye ot Satins el oles flee ol ae ee tees Viaienall paral lees ole oul ieee 308 Helicolenus dactylopterus....-.{..-|.--|---|---|.--|---]--- a ey oa OER 309 Cottus ictalops ..-.-..----.---- ns Seale Keore, seca ge, seb Peek res | crcley Sel oe lee: Sid euiiramucaenaeiich. «Aber fos. Ose Me Ko) Se | Oe sll oe [ar oe a ee ee MUP ROEIMOSA oe ca cicoe bemiwice ceecet (zeeiees |e ci. lee |b F Se eas | yer mee s 312 Myoxocepbalus aeneus -..-.----|---|=--|---|---|-..]-- BE Wes es ae e Dla OCLAMECIMESPINOSUS 2-2-0515 20|-'o heen howe |e endo t.| col. Bh al ell We ee Sie MMe KOeMANGICUS! 45 ooo Woe cisei| ee |e |25 S)e< =|. ote he sie Klee 315 Triglopsis thompsoni......+..-- Oe. pA a eee S Ss = 2a et oo ae: 316 Hemitripterus americanus.-.----.|---|--.|- Phe 2 Vines es fecs Hetcetl A e 317 Aspidophoroides monopterygius|...|--.|-..|---|---|-.-|---|---]---|---| X |--.- Momo ycropterus: Mimpus.2-..--...2-.)-!e}-2<]e. lose]. ef-s ese ole ae Moe VeOMMAliS UlAMtEUS,. 2.002 eee | fe eles aloe leo foe ec cl Seclee alas asl ON pare aAmbnoatS Wi paris. Avsoessec cc. oes. | ele Seeilhee de ae eache BC hae SIG OnOsOMma DOSE! ..---.6--22s52c2} lo cle hel eeses eaten lee 322 Astroscopus guttatus.......-.-.|- : ae pat Re Ae tS Pe MOSAMUES AW See oh ene fac us |ehe les olee leet eeedene eel eee ey ho Be a24 Blennius fucorum ....-.-...----.|- Bere ell a acteetarne aa é Koo 325 Chasmodes bosquianus. ....----|-- Be aes ey Bat ey ten pc pepe LNOls CUMNOlUS. . 204.2 eden len = |eote as |ae ze 3 s see ee a2f Ulvaria subbifureata....--.-:--|--.|--- | NE et BS sa on|) Soae0| esac one ene Sloe richaeus punctatus -.o2 1... le.: Mee Sif ke hee ese 2 SE eee, | SP eine. ei 329 Lumpeuus lampetraeformis.-....|...|---|--.|--- Sialiee i lhe is 330 Cryptacanthodes maculatus --...|-.-|--- oe te Eaten ci dot; Anarhichas lupus ....------.--. rN ee Sey ae Ry ee see ere ake mc moe Meee | deo Jo wAOATCeS ABOUIIATIS: noc sh-c cn ble. c\Se eo. lee clon ol) Sect enc |e Shiny ae leet Sooumissolanmareinata. 2:2 50... ....|2o-|-shess| ee --|-- at es ae see Sea MO MOMS CATOMMUS) soa s. sss wees |au Hl scl cele ee loe eel hss eee slipeXG tems DS) | LE PREP On | EASA ec) : Pree Behe ell cas ee pram suploalas. i. 6.0002. 2oe. ee POP aS orca ate eos sy eel eet Penne || 8 Deteriena CUCULUS. 2. 2 s.cs6% Los 255 aieira: fa taiso aetna ia eks colenters a Sabha See eonalacanthus), VOlWtANS _.. 225.) 9.s)>se (Gael tenes ole Sets. le Piles cat ei ce 339 Echeneis naucrates.....--....-. fit Sense ais etre jes can Stee MEM a CMACe ONES: ec .c eo secs s wis woleemamelice ese lam > |eae Weemoe cls acefae a]. Nev eee SPeMeMmMOra TEM OLA... enna arse ic. ee [en |ae bees 2 pes eee ea oneal ees Bee OEACMY PUCIA) li cec. 25's aces [oot onla| Sen a tales Nees) cs oS. 343 Rhombochirus osteochir. -...---|---|-.-|-.-|-..!--.|- ; shel eee Pee MeElcitts DLWMOAPIS: \.lvcGs soe sfatsipoc le oleae lene. eee ets Lae PAC MUUES: VALENS -ie' seis seen | oot leetelleee tae all em aie e ee mera pee a 346 Microgadus tomcod .....-..----|+.-|--- beak eee Seap R eee | ye ex ee AOS GOMES oh Ste ee ea la rate oe ove MGR ce ee | th sto Melanosrammus aeelifinus...5--;--.|.--|-- =] -- <2. |---) ee Peeve Kent ee Seo ote maen los. 2.. 6-2. eee 2 -- Kf sat osc eae Sed lig So ee ct ee SIUM UC opNy Cis VOCUS). 255 /.c cio siee ou oes [Se oot ee Rares seals SP Aree pe UPRHORILES S98tu 9 bo S S55 dois 27a sass!) shee (eee eae Pees | oe Sf ase elie ete Sf, SE GETS SI oa ree eee (Gl ai ce ese Sea ssllbee Bed he. oe SoplOmOropsarus- argent Abus... = <<] <6 = |-—-|2- -een a — ~ | as -lane fee Xe Sel (Sl CILST EArt A og PRIS Sec | A cal nee eee | A ema eb --|2e0[e-- | ose |e ee PI IEOSMIMIS DLOMME RS eisee seo weee =| sete - [Se cls eos sot Coelorhynchus carminatus. ..-.|---|-2s|22-/... 2-2 358 Hippoglossus hippoglossus. .--.].--|---|---!.-.|.-- 359 Hippoglossoides platessoides...|...|.-.| --|.-.)--- SOU) Partcienysidembabus.. cc s.c5)-6-|2 ts (ec se tease Sol > Weuuonmemdeae owes. wa coe cel soe ee eee Dee OL OHSMS ere eee shoe's wont | o's 2) ns oc m> eau 363 Lophopsetta maculata.....---.|-..|--.|-..|---|..- sot tropusmucrostomus-.. 0.2 -5-.|. 2). 26)... Bete 300 dimendal Terrnueined...--5-22-55|--6|--<122.(oseleee - 366 Pseudopleuronectes americanus.|.-.-|.--.|.--|-..|--- sai flatoplinys: Ocelladlis. 0.05.2. (222) 42242 2o\eoal eee Soe ACMILUs MT aASCIAbUS] oo ce gue eee ehil so |eeele ole selene Boo Luephins PIscalOrius._ J. -. so05|- a-|+ 2 (oe | oes HO LE tetophryne shistrigs..- 5.2 .25.|5-0/ s.r caer eee: 371 Ogeocephalus vespertilio.....:.|---|---|2--|.--|.-- ce eeleee le ee le ee | Ohio basin | Susquehanna basin © | Delaware basin eererle cele eelaoecele oe MMMM AM MMMM KH MM MH ce eceleae | eee 1 Recorded also from the Hackensack. INDEX : Abramis, 132-34 americanus, 132 chrysoleucas roseus, 134 erysoleucas, 132-34 Smithii, see Cyprinus (Abramis?) Smithii versicolor, 182 Acadian bullhead, 646 Acantharchus, 464-66 pomotis, 464-66 Acanthias americanus, 438 vulgaris, 43 ~ Acanthocottus, 639-44 aeneus, 639 anceps, see Cottus (Acanthocottus) anceps groenlandicus, 643 octodecimspinosus, 641 variabilis, 643 virginianus, 641 Acanthopteri, 351-608 Acanthosoma carinatum, 629 Acanthurus chirurgus, 607 nigricans, 607 phlebotomus, 607 Acara aya, 554 Achigan, 487 Achirus, 731-33 fasciatus, 732-33 lineatus, 732 mollis, 732 Acipenser, 63-69 brevirostris, 68 brevirostrum, 68-69 maculosus, 66 oxyrinchus, 64 rubicundus, 66-67 Sturio, 63-65 var. oxyrrhynchus, 64 Acipenseridae, 63-69 Aelurichthys marinus, 77 Agonidae, 647-49 Agoninae, 647-49 Albula, 181-83 conorhynchus, 182 erythrocheilos, 182 Parrae, 182 vulpes, 182-83 Albulidae, 181-83 Alburnellus amoenus, 150 rubrifrons, 149, 150 Alburnops blennius, 138 heterodon, 137 Alburnus rubellus, 147 rubrifrons, 149 Aleby trout, 702 Alectis, 481-33 ciliaris, 432-33 crinitus, 4382 Alewife, 5, 199-201, 441 river, 192 Alligator, 71 Alligator gar, 71 Alopecias vulpes, 33 Alopias, 32-34 vulpes, 33-34 4 Alopiidae, 32-34 Alosa, 203-8 alosa, 204 chrysochloris, 195 eyanonoton, 202 lineata, 197 mattowaca, 197 menhaden, 211 praestabilis, 204 sapidissima, 204-8 teres, 189 tyrannus, 199 . Alutera, 613-15 : schoepfii, 613 schoepfii, 613-15 Aluteres cuspicauda, 613 Alvordius, 507-9 aspro, 507 Amber fish, 416-18 Amber jack, 418 . / TAS NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Amblodon grunniens, 590 neglectus, 590 Ambloplites, 466-70 rupestris, 467-70 Ameiurus, 81-90 catus, 85-86, lacustris, 81-83 melas, 90 natalis, 84 : nebulosus, 85, 87-89 marmoratus, 89 vulgaris, 84-85 American angler, 735 American cod, 699 American codling, 706 American hake, 692 American shad, 204 American sole, 732-33 Amia, 73-76 calva, 74-76 occidentalis, 74 Amilidae, 73-76 Amiurus albidus, 86 borealis, 81 catus, 87. cauda-furcatus, SO dekayi, 84 marmoratus, 87, 89 natalis, 84 nigricans, 82 ponderosus, 82 pullus, 90 vulgaris, 84 Ammocoetes branchialis, 16 concolor, 14 niger, 16 unicolor, 13 Ammodytes, 375-77 americanus, 376-77 vittatus, 376 Ammodytidae, 375-77 Ammodytoidei, 375-77 Amphiodon alosoides, 185 ?Amphiprion americanus, 532 Anacanthini, 691-714 Anarhichadidae, 672-74 Anarhichas, 672-74 lupus, 673-74 — vomerinus, 673 Anchovies, 213-19, 359 banded, 217-18 Silvery, 216-17 striped, 214-15 Angel fish, 45-46, 57, 602-4 Angel sharks, 45-46 Angler, 734-35 American, 735 . marbled, 787 Anguilla, 169-74 blephura, 170 bostoniensis, 170 chrisypa, 170 chrysypa, 170-74 conger, 175 macrocephala, 170 oceanica, 175 rostrata, 170 tenuirostris, 170 tyrannus, 170 vulgaris, 170 Anguillidae, 169-74 Antennariidae, 735-37 Antennarius histrio, 736 Apeltes, 342-44 ° quadracus, 342-44 Aphredoderidae, 352-54 Aphredoderus, 352-54 gibbosus, 353 sayanus, 353-54 Aplodinotus, 590-92 grunniens, 590-92 Apodes, 169-77 Apomotis, 475-77 cyanellus, 475-77 Aprionodon, 28-29 isodon, 28-29 punctatus, 28 Archosargus, 561, 562-65, 563-65 - probatocephalus, 563-65 Argentinidae, 282-85 Argyreiose, hairfinned, 436 Argyreiosus capillaris, 435 setipinnis, 433 » vomer, 435 Argyreus atronasus, 154 ‘nasutus, 152 Argyriosus vomer, 435. 4 Argyrosomus, 230-41 ; artedi, 233-35, 241 hoyi, 235-37, 237, 241 | osmeriformis, 230-33, 241 . prognathus, 237-38, 241 tullibee, 238-41 A! Argyrotaenia vittata, 376 Arius equestris, 78 felis, T8 milberti, 78 Aspidophoroides, 647-49 monopterygius, 648-49 Aspidophorus monopterygius, 648 Asterospondyli, 17-43 Astroscopus, 658-60 anoplus, 658 guttatus, 658-60 | Atherina brownii, 214 menidia, 357 . mordax, 282 notata, 357 viridescens, 357 -Atherinichthys gracilis, 355 menidia, 357 notata, 357 Atherinidae, 354-62 : Atherinopsis notatus, 357 . Atlantic salmon, 244-48 Autumnal herring, 197 Auxis, 383-85 rochei, 384 thazard, 384-85 vulgaris, 384 Aya, 9, 554 Bachelor, 460 Bachforelle, 255 Baione fontinalis, 272 Bairdiella, 576-78 chrysura, 576-78. Bait-stealer, 595 Balaos, 323-27 Balistes, 608-11 aurantiacus, 613 broccus, 611 capriscus, 608 ‘ carolinensis, 608-10 cuspicauda, 613 fuliginosus, 608 hispidus, 611 INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK TAD | Balistes (continued) schoepfii, 613 yetula, 610-11 Balistidae, 608-11 Balloonfish, spot-siriped, 628 it unspotted, 628-29 ii Banana fish, 182-83 _ Banded anchovy, 217-18 Banded blenny, 644-65 Banded dace, 146 Banded drum, 589 Banded Ephippus, 603 Banded garfish, 318 Banded gurnard, 680 Banded larimus, 575 Banded mummichog, 809 Banded pickerel, 292-94 Banded pilot, 415 Banded rudder fish, 414-16, 428-2 Banded sucker, 104 Banded sunfish, 471-73 Bank lake bass, 462 Barfish, 463 Barndoor skate, 50-51 Barracuda, 368-73 long, 369-70 northern, 371-73 Barred killifish, 311, 312 Barred maskalonge, 304-7 Basking shark, 41-48 Bass, bank lake, 462 bayou, 491 big, 487 big-fin, 462 black, 537 a brown, 487 calico, 462-64 channel, 578-80 dark, 487 gold, 487 grass, 462, 463 green, 491 hog, 488 lake, 462, 468, 487 Lake Erie, 462, 463 large-mouthed black, 490-93 little, 488 minny, 487 moss, 491 Oswego, 491, 492 A ea “ Bin chy . oi uh ey) ie rat Bs at 750 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Bass (continued) Billfish, 61, 70-72, 317-19, 349, Ena Otsego, 225. — . Bitter head, 463 y Yiver, 491 aii Black bass, 537 rock, 467-70, 537 Es large-mouthed, 490-93 ruddy, 529 : small-mouthed, 486-90 sea, 522-42 a ' | Black bullhead, 90 silver, 185, 462, 523 : Black croppie, 463 © es small mouthed black, 486- aU | Black drum, 589 spotted, 487, 580 x Black grunt, 543 ss stone, 5382 Black lamprey, small, 16-17 3 strawberry, 462-64 . Black mullet, 586 nee streaked, 525 ; . Black-nosed dace, 5, 154-56 striped, 528, 524-27 Black-nosed sucker, 108 striped sea, 525. : Black perch, 488, 529, 537 white, 522-23. ay Black pilot, 454-55 yellow, 487 slide ah iawe alban Black pollack, 694 , Bass fry, 309 Black salmon, 267 Bass killy, 307-9 . ; Black sea bass, 5387 + Bass mummy, 309 ud Black-sided darter, 507-9 —- Bass sunfish, 466 Black sucker, 104 Basse, striped, 525 Vos i Black wall, oor Bat fishes, 737-38 Blackfin whitefish, 228 Batoidei, 46-60 Blackfish, 536-39, 597-99 Batrachoididae, 660-62 sbi Blackharry, 537 . Batrachus celatus, 661 aula Blackhead minnow, 118-19 — tau, 661 | 1 Blennies, 662-65 7 ‘ Bayou bass, 491 eee banded, 664-65 . Bellows fish, 734-35 eel, 670-71 Belone caribbaea, 322 Ups Seaweed, 663-64 crassa, 319 arate snake, 671 gerania, 319 spotted, 668-69 jonesi, 322 SaOEy, a Blenniidae, 662-65 latimana, 322 . mie Blennioidei, 662-74 melanochira, 319 Blennius, 662-64 : Me raphidoma, 319 anguillaris, 674 truncata, 317 bosquianus, 664 nae Bengal, 595 chuss, 707 ae Bergall, 593-96 ciliatus, 674 spotted, 596 fucorum, 663-64 Bermuda chub, 568-69 . gunnellus, 665 Bermuda whiting, 586 - labrosus, 674 Berycoidei, 377-79 as , lampetraeformis, 670 a Bessy corka, 610-11 | oceanicus, 663 Bigeye, 544-45 pholis, 664 short, 546-47 Beihai punctatus, 668 Big-eyed herring, 199 regius, 704 Big-eyed scad, 426-27 serpentinus, 670 Big-fin bass, 462 : Blenny darter, 508 Big-mouthed cat, 86 . peas Blennylike fishes, 662-74 Billed eel, 318, 348 bike aie Blepharichthys crinitus, 432 INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK Blepharis crinitus, 432 Bloater, 237-38 Blob, 635-37 Bloody stickleback, 3438 Blower, 621 Blowfish, 622-24 hairy, 624 Blue bream, 482 Blue cat, 80 great, 82 Blue darter, 517-18 Blue herring, 195-96 Blue Johnny, 518 Blue perch, 595 Blue pike, 303, 494, 497 Blue shark, 39 great, 25 Blue snapper, 446 Blue-spotted sunfish, 473-75, 477 Blue-striped trigger fish, 610-11 Blue sunfish, 480-82 Blueback, 202-3 Bluefin, 228 Bluefish, 445-48, 537, 571, 595 Bluegill, 480-82 Blunt jaw, 117 Blunt-nosed minnow, 120-21 Blunt-nosed shiner, 434 Bodianus argyroleucus, 576 aya, 554 bistrispinus, 541 costatus, 583 flavescens, 500 rufus, 528 rupestris, 467 triurus, 542 Boleichthys, 520-21 eos, 521 fusiformis, 520-21 eos, 521 Boleosoma, 513-16 fusiformis, 520 maculatum, 513 nigrum, 513-14 olmstedi, 514-16 olmstedi, 514 tesselatum, 509, 514 Bone fish, 182-83 Bone shark, 43 Bonito, 393-95 oceanic, 386-88 Bonnet skate, 48 Bonnethead, 30-31 Bony fishes, 76-212 Bony gar, 71 Bony pike, 71 Bony-scaled pike, 6 Bony sturgeon, 66 Bothrolaemus, 439 pampanus, 443 Bothus, 723 maculatus, 723 Bowrfins, 73-76 Boxfish, spiny, 626-28 Brail, 719 Branch herring, 199-20 Branded drum, 580 Brassy sculpin, 639-41 Brazen bullhead, 640 Bream, 133, 484 blue, 482 copper-nosed, 482 salt water, 562 Brevoortia, 211-13 tyrannus, 211-13 Bridge perch, 460, 487 Bridled minnow, 135-36 Brier ray, 49-50 Bristly dory, 434 Broad shiner, eryptous, 45S Brochet, 299 Bronze backer, 488 Brook lamprey, 16 Brook minnow, 154-56 Brook silversides, 361-62 Brook Stickleback, 335-37 Brook sucker, 101 Brook trout, 6, 255, 272-15 Brosme, 711-12 brosme, 711-12 Brosmius brosme, 711 flavescens, 711 vulgaris?, 711 Brotula, 676 Brown bass, 487 Brown catfish, 90 Brown tomcod, 696 Brown trout, 254-57, 488 son Oe ee ed SL esi arene re i ay ee a a, WETS Ma aoe i BS a ete eos ) 752 + y oa a rf 402 NEW YORK STATH MUSEUM Bryttus fasciatus, 471 gloriosus, 473 longulus, 475 Buffalo fish, 71 Bugfish, 212 Bullhead, 87-89, 636, 642 Acadian, 646 : black, 90 brazen, 640 ° smooth browed, 640 Bullhead shark, little, 46 Bullpout, 87 Bumper, 437-38 Bunker, 212 Burbot, 701-4 Burfish, 626-29 Burn stickle, 341 Butirinus vulpes, 182° Butter chub, 163 ; Butterfish, 444, 457-59, 665-66 humpbacked, 434 Butterfly fishes, 604-6, 678 Butterfly ray, 56-57 Calico bass, 462-64 Calico flounder, 733 Calico sole, 732 Calliurus formosus, 475 longulus, 475 Campbellite, 460 Campostoma, 112-14 anomalum, 113-14 dubium, 113 Cantharus nigromaculatus, 462 | Capelin, 359 Capriscus, 608-10 Carangidae, 410-44 Carangus hippos, 428 Caranx, 427-31 carangus, 428 chrysos, 430 chrysus, 430 crumenophthalmus, 426 erysos, 430-31 defensor, 428 hippos, 428-29 hippus, 428 macarellus, 423 pisquetus, 430 punctatus, 421 Caranx (continued) spotted, 422 sutor, 482 trachurus, 425 yellow, 429 Carassius, 164-66 auratus, 164-66 Carcharias, 34-387 — americanus, 34 atwoodi, 40 caeruleus, 26 glaucus, 25 > ' (Prionodon) glaucus, 25 isodon, 28 (Aprionodon) isodon, 28 littoralis, 34-37 (Prionodon) milberti, 26 obscurus, 25 (Prionodon) obscurus, 25 punctatus, 28 terrae-novae, 29 : (Scoliodon) terrae-novae, 29 vulpes, 33 Carcharidae, 34-37 Carcharinus, 25-28 glaucus, 25 milberti, 26-28 obseurus, 25-26 Carcharodon, 40-41 earcharias, 40-41 Cardonniera, 634 Carp, 112-69 golden, 165 lake, 98 leather, 168 mirror, 167 scale, 167 Carpe blanche, 101 Carpiodes, 97-98 thompsoni, 98 Carplike fishes, 97-169 Casabe, 437-38 Catalufas, 544-77 Catfishes, 76-97 big-mouthed, 86 blue, 80 brown, 90 channel, 80-81, 85-86 chubby, 84 common, 87 INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK Catfishes (continued) filannel-mouth, 82 Florida, 82 great blue, 82 great fork-tailed, 82 lake, 81-83 long-jawed, 84-85 marbled, 89 Mississippi, 82 mud, 82 Schuylkill, 86 sea, 77-78, 78-79 silver, 80 Spoonbill, 61-63 spotted, 80-81 stone cat, 91-92, 93-94 white, 80, 85-86 yellow, 84 — a Catonotus fasciatus, 518 flabellatus, 518 \ Catostomidae, 97-112 GCatostomus, 99-104 anisurus, 109 aureolus, 110 carpio, 109 catostomus, 99-101 commersoni, 101 commersonii, 101-3 communis, 101 ¢yprinus, 98 duquesnii, 110 fasciatus, 108 hudsonius, 99 longirostris, 99 melanops, 108 nanomyzon, 99 nigricans, 103-4 oneida, 110 pallidus, 101 sucetta, 105 teres, 101 tuberculatus, 105 Cavalla, 401 Cayuga lake shad, 200 Cayuga lake sticklebacks, 337 Centrarchidae, 459-93 Centrarchus aeneus, 467 gulosus, 470 hexacanthus, 462 pomotis, 464 viridis, 470 Centrolophidae, 454-55 Centronotus gunnellus, 665 spinosus, 449 Centropristes, 535-39 atrarius, 536 nigricans, 536 striatus, 536-39 Cephalacanthidae, 683-85 Cephalacanthus, 683-85 spinarella, 684 volitans, 684-85 Cephalus brevis, 629 Ceratacanthus, 613-15 Ceratichthys biguttatus, 159 eataractae, 152 dissimilis, 157 lucens, 158 micropogon, 159 plumbeus, 161 prosthemius, 161 Cernier, 532 Cero, 398-400 spotted, 400 Cetorhinidae, 41-43 Cetorhinus, 41-438 maximus, 42-43 Chaenobrytus, 470-71 antistius, 470 gulosus, 470-71 Chaetodipterus, 601-4 faber, 602-4 Chaetodon, 604-6 alepidotus, 456 bimaculatus, 604 faber, 602 maculocinctus, 605 ocellatus, 604-6 oviformis, 602 Sheepshead, 603 Chaetodontidae, 604-6 Chaetodontops, 604-6 Chain pickerel, 6, 296-98 Channel bass, 578-80 Channel cat, 80-81, 85-86 Chasmodes, 664-65 | boscianus, 664 bosquianus, 664-65 Chatoéssus cepedianus, 187 ellipticus, 187 signifer, 209 753. eet ee ee SE Se eS _———— Tee Se Se ade ast Sra ee = (a4 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Checouts, 571 Cheilichthys, 622-24 Chelidonichthys, 682-83 Chickwick, 571 Chilomycterus, 626-29 fuliginosus, 628-29 geometricus, 626, 629 ‘subsp. (?) fuliginosus, 628 schoepfi, 626-28 Chinook salmon, 241-44 Chinquapin perch, 460, 463 Chironectes laevigatus, 736 Chirostoma beryllinum, 356 notatum, 357 | sicculum, 361 vagrans, 359 Chivey, 221 Chivin, 122-23. Chloroscombrus, 436-38 caribbaeus, 437 chrysurus, 487-38 Chog-mummy, 310 Chogset, 593-96 Chondrostei, 63-69 Chonerhinidae, 618 Chorinemus occidentalis, 410 Chrosomus, 114-16 ; erythrogaster, 114-16 Chub, 123-26, 168, 491, 582, 598 Bermuda, 568-69 ; butter, 163 day, 163 horned, 159-60 Indian, 160 lake, 161-62 nigger, 160, 162-64 river, 159-60 salt-water, 598 Silver, 122-23 Chub eel, 702 Chub mackerel, 381-83 Chub sucker, 105-7 northern, 106 Chubby eat, 84 Cichla aenea, 467 Cigar fish, 287 Ciliata argentata, 708 Circharra, 427 Cirrimens, 584 - 4 Cisco, 180, 233-35, 241 | mooneye, 235-37 Citharichthys, 724 microstomus, 725 - Clear-nosed skate, 49-50_ Clinostomus, 128-29 margarita, 130 — Clinus punctatus, 668 Cliola analostana, 144 hudsonia, 140 procne, 139 storeriana, 142, 158 whipplei, 144 Clupea, 192-94 aestivalis, 202 alosa, 204 chrysochloris, 195 coerulea, 192 cyanonoton, 9 elongata, 192 halec, 192 harengus, 192-94 heterurus, 187 hudsonia, 140 mattowaca, 197 © mediocris, 197 menhaden, 211 pseudoharengus, 199° pusilla, 192 sadina, 190-91 sapidissima, 204 tyrannus, 211 vernalis, 199 virescens, 197 - vittata, 214 Clupeidae, 188-219 Coachman, 539-40 Coalfish, 694 Cobbler, 310 Cobblerfish, 4382-33 Cobia, 449-50 Cobitis heteroclita, 309 majalis, 307 Cock-paddle, 651 | Cod, 698-99 American, 699 common, 699 fresh-water, 702 rock, 699 Codfishes, 693-712 Lo INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK Codling, 706, 707 American, 706 spotted, 704-5 ‘ Coelocephalus, 712 Coelorhynchus, 712-14 earminatus, 713-14 Conger eels, 174-77 Conger niger, 175 occidentalis, 175 vulgariy, 175 Copelandia, 471 Copeland’s darter, 509-10 Copper-nosed bream, 482 Coregonus, 220-80 albus, 224 artedi, 233 clupeiformis, 224-30, 233, 240 harengus, 233 hoyi, 230, 236 labradoricus, 9, 224 latior, 224 novae angliae, 221 osmeriformis, 230 prognathus, 237 quadrilateralis, 221-24, 240 sapidissimus, 224 tullibee, 239 Cornet fishes, 344-46 Corvina argyroleuca, 576 ocellata, 578 oscula, 590 Coryphaena, 450-54 equisetis, 452-54 globiceps, 451 hippuris, 451 hippurus, 451-52 perciformis, 454 punctulata, 452 sueuri, 451 sueurii, 451 Coryphaenidae, 450-54 Cottidae, 635-47 Cottinae, 635-47 Cottogaster, 509-11 cheneyi, 510-11 copelandi, 509-10 putnami, 509, 510 Cottus, 635-37 aeneus, 639 (Acanthocottus) anceps, 639 ‘ aa Ot Ot Cottus (continued) Bairdii, 635 formosus, 638 gracilis, 637 groenlandicus, 642 hispidus, 646 ictalops, 635-37 bairdi, 636 mitehilli, 639 monopterygius, 648 octodecimspinosus, 641 Richardsoni, 635 Scorpio, 639 scorpius groenlandicus, 643 virginianus, 641 Couchia argentata, 708 Couesius, 160-62 dissimilis, 161 plumbeus, 161-62 prosthemius, 161 Cover, 732 Cover clip, 732 Cow-nosed ray, 59-60 Crab-eater, 449-50 Cramp fish, 51-52 Cranberry, mountain, 85 Craniomi, 676-85 Crappie, 459-62 Crawl-a-bottom, 104, 505 Creek chub, 125 Creek fish, 106-7 Crevalles, 410-44 Cristivomer, 266-71 namaycush, 266-71 Croakers, 569-92 Crocus, 591 Croppie, black, 463 lake, 463 7 timber, 460 white, 460 Cryptacanthodes, 671-72 maculatus, 671-72 Cryptacanthodidae, 671-72 Cryptous broad shiner, 458 Ctenolabrus, 593 adspersus, 5938 burgall, 593 ceruleus, 593 chogset, 593 uninotatus, 593 a Oe ees 756 NEW YORK STATR MUSEUM Cuckold, 616-17 Cuckoo fish, 678 Cucumberfish, 626-28 Cunner, 593-96 Cusk, 711-12 lake, 702 little, 676 Cut-lips, 162-64 Cutlas fishes, 402-3 Cybium caballa, 400 eavalla, 400 maculatum, 396 © regale, 398 Cyclichthys, 626-29 Cycloganoidea, 73-76 Cyclopteridae, 649-52 : Cyclopterinae, 649-52 Cyclopterus, 649-52 coeruleus, 649 liparis, 654 lumpus, 649-52 Cyclospondyli, 48-46 Cylindrosteus, 72 Cynoperea, 498-99 — Cynoscion, 569-74 maculatum, 573 nebulosus, 573-74 regale, 570 regalis, 570-73 Cyprinella whipplii, 143 Cyprinidae, 112-69 Cyprinodon, 315-17 parvus, 314 variegatus, 315-17 Cyprinus, 166-69 atromaculatus, 123 atronasus, 154 auratus, 164 — bullaris, 122 s Ue? carpio, 167-69 catostomus, 99 i commersonnii, 101 cornutus, 145 corporalis, 122 crysoleucas, 132 hemiplus, 132 idus, 131 maxillingua, 162 ; megalops, 145 oblongus, 106 t a Cyprinus (continued) (Abramis?) Smithii, 184 sucetta, 105 teres, 101 tinea, 126 vittatus, 154 Cypselurus, 331-35 furcatus, 333 | Dab, rusty, 727 Sand. 1iy(26-20 Dace, 122-238, 146 banded, 146 | black-nosed, 5, 154-56 horned, 123-26, 160: long-nosed, 152-54 mud, 288 red-bellied, 114-16 Dactylopterus volitans, 684 | Daddy sculpin, 642-44 Dark bass, 487 Darter, black-sided, 507- 9 blenny, 508 blue, 517-18 Copeland’s, 509-10 fantail, 518-20 greensided, 512-13 Johnny, 513-14 manitou, 506-7 rainbow, 517-18 tessellated, 514-16 Dasibatis hastata, 54 Dasibatus centrura, 53 _ Dasyatidae, 53-57 - Dasyatis, 53-56 centrura, 53-54 hastata, 54-55 say, 55-56 Dasybatis sayi, 55 Day chub, 163 Daylight, 724 Decapterus, 420-24 macarellus, 423-24 | punctatus, 421-22 Deep water sculpin, 646. Diodon carinatus, 629 fuliginosus, 628 hairy, 625 hystrix, 626 maculostriatus, 626 ~I INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK Eagle rays, 57-60 Eastern pickerel, 297 Eeaille, grande, 177-79 Echeneididae, 686-90 ’Echeneis, 686-88 albacauda, 686 albicauda, 686 brachyptera, 689 Diodon (continued) nigrolineatus, 626 pilosus, 625 rivulatus, 626 schoepfi, 626 Diodontidae, 624-29 Diplesion, 511-18 blennioides, 512-13 Diplodus argyrops, 558 holbrooki, 687 probatocephalus, 563 | naucrateoides, 687-88 rhomboides, 561 : naucrates, 686-87 Dipterodon chrysurus, 576 neucrates, 686 Discocephali, 686-90 osteochir, 690 Distribution of New York fishes, quatuordecimlaminatus, 689 739-46 - yremora, 688 Doctor fish, 607 | Kel blenny, 670-71 Dog shark, 23 Eelpouts, 674, 702 Dogfishes, 48-45, 75, 288-89, 702 | Hels, 169-77 horned, 44 billed, 318, 348 smooth, 23 chub, 702 spined, 43-45 . eonger, 174-77 Doliodon, 489 lamprey, 11-13, 67 Dollardee, 482 rock, 665-71 Dollarfish, 434, 458 sand, 376-77 Dolphin, 450-54 | Sea, 175-77 common, 451-52 ; true, 169-74 small, 452-54 _ Kegfish, 621 \ Doré, 495 | Elacate atlantica, 449 Dorosoma, 186-88 | Canada, 449 cepedianum, 187-88 | nigra, 449 notata, 187 Elagatis, 418-20 Dorosomidae, 186-88 | pbipinnulatus, 419-20 Dory, bristly, 434 | pinnulatus, 419 hair-finned, 436 Ezectrie ray, 51-52 rostrated, 436 Elephant shark, 42-43 spinous, 489 Kilwhop, 199 Dotted scad, 422 Ei!lwife, 199 Drum, 98, 587-90, 591 ' Elopidae, 177-80 banded, 589 | Elops, 179-80 big, 589 | inermis, 179 black, 589 | saurus, 179-80 fresh-water, 590-92 | Emerald minnow, 147-49 red, 589 Emphycus, 705-8 young, 589 Enchelycephali, 169-77 Drummer, 571 Enchelyopus, 710-11 Duck-billed cat, 61 - eimbrius, 710-11 Dules, 539-40 Engraulididae, 213-19 auriga, 539-40 Engraulis argyrophanus, 216 Dusky shark, 25-26 brownii, 214 Dwarf salmon, 246 | mitchilli, 218 Pah 1b aaa! a 758, Engraulis (continued) perfasciatus, 217 vittata, 214 vittatus, 219 Enneacanthus, 471-75 eriarchus, 473 gloriosus, 473-75 obesus, 471-738 simulans, 473 Ephippidae, 601-4 Ephippus, 602 banded, 603 - faber, 602 gigas, 602 ~ Epinephelus, 533-35 niveatus, 533-35 Erimystax, 157-58 Erimyzon, 104-7 goodei, 105 sucetta, 105-6 oblongus, 106-7 HWsocidae, 317-23 Hsox aflinis, 296 _ americanus, 292 boreus, 299 crassus, 294 cypho, 294 estor, 299 fasciatus, 292 flavulus, 307 immaculatus, 304 — longirostris, 317 lucius, 5, 298 f americanus, 292 marinus, 317 masquinongy, 302 immaculatus, 304 niger, 292 nobilior, 302 osseus, 6, 70 ovinus, 316 phaleratus, 296 pisciculus, 309 pisculentus, 309 porosus, 294 raveneli, 292 reticulatus, 296 salmoneus, 286, 294 saurus, 327 scomberius, 292 \ Bee , ; g ee es sit i ; as é . no 0 Se NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Su Nae Esox (continued) tridecemlineatus, umbrosus, 294 vermiculatus, 294 ‘ vulpes, 182 zonatus, 307 Eitheostoma, 516-20 aspro, 507 1 La AE a plennioides, 512 gta ‘ (Diplesion) blennioides, se ; caprodes, 505 coerulea, 517 Sie nest coeruleum, 417-18 be pagar tago _ flabellare, 518-20 | flabellaris, 518. hes fusiforme, 520 rug lihy linsleyi, 518 nigrum, 513 olmstedi, 514 olmstedi, 514 Etropus, 724-26 | microstomus, 725-26 Htrumeus, 189-91 fas 7 a sadina, 8, 189 IF; te _ teres, 189-91 : Hucalia, 335-37 _inconstans, 333-34, 336 eayuga, 337 Eucinostomus, 565-67 argenteus, 566 gula, 566-67 Eugomphodus littoralis, 34 Hulamia milberti, 26 Euleptorhamphus, 325-27 longirostris, 326 velox, 326-27 Vt SaaS 4 HKumesogrammus subbifurcatus, 60F Hupomotis, 482-86 aureus, 483 ae: a gibbosus, 483-86 ts Huthynnus alliteratus, 389 a pelamys, 386 on 7 a Eventognathi, 97-169 5 Exocoetidae, 330-35 Exocoetus, 330-35 affinis, 330 comatus, 332 exiliens, 330 furcatus, 333, 335-37 gibbifrons, 334-35 \ 296 i ye . i, * anes : me Saati ele eae ray ee ee INDEX TO FISHES OF Bxocoetus (continued) heterurus, 331-32 melanurus, 330 noveboracensis, 332 nuttalli, 333 rubescens, 330 volitans, 330-31 Exoglossum, 162-64 annulatum, 162 dubium, 113 (Hypentelium) macropterum, 103 maxillingua, 162-64 nigrescens, 162 vittatum, 162 ‘Fairmaid, 559, 562 _ Fall herring, 197-98 Fall shad, 197 Fallfish, 122-23 smaller, 125 Fanegal, 634 Fantail darter, 518-20- Fantail mullet, 367-68 Fario gairdneri, 252 lemanus, 264 Fatback, 364 Fathead, 118-19 Fathead minnow, 118 Federation pike, 297 Felichthys, 76-78 marinus, 77-78 ‘Fiddlefish, 46 Filefish, 611-15 orange, 613-15 Fishing frogs, 733-35. ‘Vistularia, 344-46 neoboracensis, 345 serrata, 345 tabacaria, 345-46 Fistulariidae, 344-46 Flannel-mouth cat, 82 Flasher, 542-43 Flatfish, 714-33 rusty, 727 toothed, 719 Florida cat, 82 Wlounders, 714-31 calico, 733 fourspotted, 721-22 oblong, 721 759 NEW YORK Flounders (continued) rusty, 717 sand, 724, 730-31 small-mouthed, 725-26 southern, 720-21 spotted, 731 summer, 717-20 turbot, 719 watery, 724 winter, 727-29 Tluke, 719 Flying fishes, 330-35, 678, 680 Flying gurnards, 683-85 Flying robin, 684-85 Fork-tailed cat, 82 Four-bearded rockling, 710-11 Fourspotted flounder, 721-22 Fresh-water cod, 702 Fresh-water drum, 590-92 I'resh-water killy, 311-138 Fresh-water salmon, 246 Fresh-water silversides, 356-57 Friar, 357-59 Frigate mackerel, 384-85 Frost fish, 221-24, 240, 692, 695-97 Fundulus, 307-13 diaphanus, 311-13 fasciatus, 307 fuscus, 289 heteroclitus, 309-11 macrolepidotus, 309 majalis, 307-9 multifasciatus, 311 pisculentus, 309 swampina, 311 viridescens, 309 zebra, 3209 Gadidae, 676, 693-712 Gadus, 697-99 aeglefinus, 699 albidus, 691 arenosus, 698 brosme, 711 eallarias, 698 cimbrius, 710 compressus, 701 | lacustris, 81, 701 longipes, 707 maculosus, 701 " si * im mit Ra bey 760 : NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM — Gadus (continued) Giri ace (continued) — merlucius, 691 occidentalis, 338 i morhua, 698 pungitius, 338 — morrhua, 698-99 ea) quadracus, 342 — pruinosus, 695 7 saltatrix, 445 punctatus, 704 - cB : Gerres argenteus, 566 purpureus, 693 . gula, 566. rupestris, 698 : Gerridae, 565-67 tau, 661 Ghostfish, 671-72 © tenuis, 705 . Gizzard shads, 186-88 tomeod, 695 > Glasseye, 494 tomcodus, 695 — “ Glassfish, 361-62 virens, 693 a Globefish, 622-24 Lat Ne eee Gaff topsail, 77-78 Glossodon harengoides, 184 _ Gaidropsarus, 708-10 . Glut herring, 9, 202-3 argentatus, 708-9 “fas titted | Goatfish, 377-79 | ensis, 709-10 fig i —Gobies, 656-58 ~ Gairdner’s trout, 252-54 — naked, 656-58 Galeichthys felis, 78 | of variegated, 657 ay 3 marinus, 77 ree Gobiidae, 656-58 a Siang. Galeidae, 22-30 — Gobiinae, 656-58 | OPER eis Galeocerdo, 23-24 ah Gobio cataractae, 152 tigrinus, 24 | yg plumbeus, 161 | : Ganoid fishes, 60-76 Rives Gobioidei, 656-58 Ganoidei, 60-76 ea oc aes Gobiosoma, 656-58 Gar, alligator, 71 roe ata alepidotum, 656 bony, 71 é ‘bosci, 656-58 ee short-nosed, 72-738. 99) ) / 1). Gobius alepidotus, 65649) /) nan silver, 317-19 ig . bosei, 656 soft, 318 Bie bal -viridi-pallidus, 657 ye 7am Gar pikes, 69-73 Nanya ‘vividipallidus, 656 th Garfish, banded, 318 | Goggle-eye, 460, 463, 468, 470- TE Gascon, 425-26 Goggle-eye perch, 463 . Gaspagie, 591 ue Goggle-eyed jack, 427 Gaspereau, 200 : Tecra Goggler, 426-27 © ' Gaspergou, 591 es i Gold bass, 487 ' * Gasterosteidae, 335-44 speiot Gold nerfling, 131 Gasterosteus, 340-42 Gold shad, 195-96. aculeatus, 340 . ok Golden carp, 165 biaculeatus, 340 . if Golden ide, 131-32 ; bispinosus, 340-42 Soa fey Pays | Golden mullet, 111 canadus, 449 Golden red horse, 111 carolinus, 443 ities Golden shiner, 132-34 cataphractus, 341 tele | Golden sueker, J111 concinnus, 338 ; Golden trout, 278-82 ductor, 412 =i MEE Goldfish, 164-66 inconstans, 335 Goody, 582 millepunctatus, 342 ; Goosefish, 734- 35 nebulosus, 338 wey BS Grand-oranchee, 516 neoboracensis, 340 eae | | Grass bass, 462, 463 esis INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK TOL Grass pike, 300, 494 . Hadropterus, 507-9 Gray-back, 200 aspro, 507-9 Gray pike, 498, 499 ; Haemulidae, 555-57 Gray snapper, 548-50 Haemulon fulvomaculatum, 556 Gray sucker, 101 Hair-finned argyreiose, 436 Gray trout, 267 _| Hair-finned dory, 486 Grayling, 246 Hairtail, 402-3 Greenback, 198 Hairy back, 188 Green-backed shark, 30 Hairy blowfish, 624 Green bass, 491 _ Hairy diodon, 625 Green pike, 296-98, 494, 498 Hairy porcupine fish, 625-26 Green pollack, 694 Hake, 586, 692, 705-7 Green-sided darter, 512-13 American, 692 Green sunfish, 475-77 silver, 691-93 Greenfish, 446 spotted, 704-5 Greenhead, 525 squirrel, 706, 707-8 Grenadiers, 712-14 white, 705-7 ea Grey trout, 571 Halatractus zonatus, 414 Grilse, 246 Half-gills, 335-46 Grindle, 75 Halfbealz, 324-25 Ground shark, 35 slender, 326-27 Grouper, snowy, 533-35 Halibut, 714-15 spotted, 533-35 Hammerhead, 104 Growler, 487 ware Hammerheaded shark, 30-32 Grubber, 183 y Hanna hills, 537 Grubby, 639-41 Haploidonotus grunniens, 590 Grunt, 589 Haplomi, 287-317 thornbacked, 444 Harvestfishes, 455-59 3 Pah Grunters, 555-57, 589, 678, 680 SoD ee Ee oueil aoe Guardfish, 319-21 Headfishes, 629-31 Hecht, 299 Gudgeon, 142-43 New York, 309 Niagara, 152-54 Gunnellus mucronatus, 665 - punctatus, 668 Gurnard, 676-83 banded, 680 common, 678 flying, 683-85 red, 682-83 Gymnodontes, 617-31 Gymnosarda, 385-90 alleterata, 388-90 pelamis, 386 pelamys, 386-88 Hedgehog ray, 47-48 Helicolenus, 633-35 dactylopterus, 634-35 Hemdurgon, 633: Hemibranchii, 335-46 Hemioplites, 471 ; simulans, 473 Hemirhamphidae, 323-27 Hemirhamphus longirostris, 326 (KHuleptorhamphus) longirostris, 326 macrorhynchus, 326 roberti, 324 unifasciatus, 324 Hemitremia bifrenata, 135 heterodon, 137 Hacklehead, 641-42 Hemitripterus, 645-47 Haddock, 699-700 acadianus, 646 Norway, 631-33 “ios americanus, 646-47 ; at i Ue a But if fy i Hit i is ate iy mt ph! pti) ii TAR at bth ai a a ei} wri ia if | i i i 4 % val alt 762 NEW YORK STATHD MUSEUM Hen-paddle, 651 Herring, 188-219, 241 autumnae, 197 big-eyed, 179-80, 199 blue, 195-96 branch, 199-201 fall, 197-98 glut, 9, 202-3 lake, 283-35, 241 Long Island, 197 river, 199 round, 8, 189-91 satin striped, 215 sea, 192-94 shad, 197-98, 203, 209-11 sprat, 209-11 spring, 199 Staten Island, 197 summer, 203 thread, 188, 209-11 toothed, 184-85 wall-eyed, 199-200 Heterosomata, 714-33 Hexanematichthys, 78-79 felis, 78-79 Hickory shad, 9, 188, 197-98 Hicks, 198 Hiodon, 183-86 chrysopsis, 185 clodalus, 184 tergisus, 184-85 Hiodontidae, 183-86 Hippocampinae, 349-51 Hippocampus, 349-51 heptagonus, 350 hudsonius, 349-51 Hippoglossoides, 715-17 dentatus, 716 elassodon, 715 platessoides, 716-17 Hippoglossus, 714-15 hippoglossus, 714-15 vulgaris, 714 Hippos mackerel, 422 Histiophorus americanus, 404 belone, 406 Hog bass, 488 Hog mullet, 104 Hog sucker, 103-4 Hogchoker, 732-33 pm we a) Hogfish, 505, 556-57 Hogmolly, 104, 505-6 Holocentrus surinamensis, 542 Hololepis fusiformis, 520 Homoprion xanthurus, 576 Horned chub, 159-60 Horned dace, 123-26, 160 3 Horned dogfish, 44 Horned pout, 87-89 Hornfish, 495 Horny head, 160 Hors, 425 Horse mackerel, 391-98, 446 Horsefish, 349-51, 483-34, 498 Houndfish, 28, 319-21, 322-23 Hoy’s whitefish, 241 Hudsonius amarus, 142 Humpbacked butterfish, 434 Huro nigricans, 490 Hybognathus, 116-18 nuchalis, 116-18 osmerinus, 116 _ procne, 1389 me regius, 116 Hybopsis, 156-60 bifrenatus, 135 dissimilis, 157-58 heterodon, 137 hudsonius, 140 kentuckiensis, 159-60 procne, 139 storerianus, 142, 158-59 Hyborhynchus notatus, 120 Hybrid trout, 5, 257-59 Hydrargira atricauda, 288 diaphana, 311 fusca, 288 limi, 288 multifasciata, 311 Hydrargyra fusca, 288 majalis, 307 swampina, 311 Hyodon alosoides, 185-86 amphiodon, 185 claudalus, 184 clodalis, 184, 185 Hypentelium macropterum, see Exoglossum (Hypentelium) ma- ' ecropterum Hyperoartii, 11-17 ot INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK. Hyporhamphus, 323-25 roberti, 3824-25 Hyporthodus flavicauda, 533 Hypsilepis cornutus, 145 gibbus, 147 diplaemia, 151 kentuckiensis, 144 Hypsoblennius, 664 Hypsolepis frontalis, 147 Ice fish, 282-85 » Ichthyomyzon, 14-15 argenteus, 15 eoncolor, 14-15 Ictalurus, 79-81 albidus, 85 lacustris, 81 lophius, 85 nigricans, 81 punctatus, 80-81 Ide, golden, 131-32 Idus, 131-32 idus, 131-82 melanotus, 131 Indian chub, 160 Indian remora, 687 inomi, 285-87 Irish roach, 134 Isospondyli, 177, 285 Isospondylous fishes, 177-285 Istiophoridae, 403-7 Istiophorus, 403-5 nigricans, 404-5 Isuropsis dekayi, 38 Isurus, 37-39 dekayi, 38-39 Jack, 297, 299, 495 goggle-eyed, 427 salt-water, 446 Jack salmon, 495 Jenny, silver, 566-67 Jerker, 160 Jewel head, 591 John-a-grindle, 75 John demon, 460 John dories, 600-1 Johnius ocellatus, 578 regalis, 570 saxatilis, 585 Johnny, blue, 518 Johnny darter, 513-14 Jorobado, 434 Jugular fishes, 691-714 Jumper, 488, 491, 492 Jumping mullet, 364 Kenoza, 292 Killifishes, 307-17 barred, 311, 312 big, 311 sheepshead, 317 striped, 309 white-bellied, 311 yellow-bellied, 311 Killy, bass, 307-9 fresh-water, 311-13 Ixing, silver, 177-79 Kxking salmon, 241-44 Kingfish, 400-1, 585-87 Kingston, 46 Kiouk, 203 Kirtlandia, 359-61 laciniata, 9, 360 vagrans, 9, 359-61 Wit, 54-55 Kyphosidae, 567-69 Kyphosus, 567-69 sectatrix, 568-69 La quesche, 185-86 Labeo elegans, 106 esopus, 105 gibbosus, 105 oblongus, 106 Labidesthes, 361-62 sicculus, 361-62 Labrador whitefish, 9, 224-30 Labrax albidus, 522 lineatus, 524 nigricans, 528 notatus, 522 pallidus, 528 rufus, 528 Labridae, 593-600 Labroid fishes, 593-601 Labrus adspersus, 593 appendix, 478 auritus, 478 chogset, 593 764 - NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM " Labrus (continued) fulva, 593 cromis, 587 faleatus, 439 fulvomaculatus, 556 griseus, 548 grunniens, 588 onitis, 597 pallidus, 480 salmoides, 490 sparoides, 462 squeteague, 570 var. maculatus, 573 striatus, 536 tautoga, 597 versicolor, 558 Lactophrys, 615-17 trigonus, 616-17 yalei, 616 Ladyfishes, 181-83 Lafayette, 458, 577, 580-83 Lagocephalus, 617-19 laevigatus, 618-19 lagocephalus, 618 | Lagodon, 561-62 rhomboides, 561-62 Lake bass, 462, 468, 487 Lake blob, 6388 Lake carp, 98 Lake catfish, 81-83 Lake chub, 161-62 Lake croppie, 463 Lake cusk, 702 Lake Hrie bass, 462, 463 . Lake herring, 233-35, 241 Lake lamprey, 15-14 Lake minnow, 158-59 Morse, 161-62 Lake mullet, 111 Lake pike, 300 Lake sculpin, 644-45 Lake shiner, 236, 241 Lake sturgeon, 66-67 Lake Tahoe trout, 250-52 Lake trout, 266-71 Swiss, 263-66 Lamna, 39-40 caudata, 27 cornubica, 39-40 punctata, 38 Lamnidae, 37-41 Lampetra, 15-17 wilderi, 16-17 Lamplighter, 463 Ras) Lamprey eel, 11-18, 67 Lampreys, 11-17 JS brook, 16 great sea, 11-13 lake, 13-14 mud, 16 Silver, 14-15 small black, 16-17 | Lampugus punctulatus, 452, 453: Lances, sand, 375-77 — Landlocked salmon, 246, 248-50 Lantern fishes, 285-87 4 Larimus, 574-75 ey banded, 575 Us fasciatus, 575 aa ‘Lawyer, 75, 701-4 - Leather carp, 168 Shen . Leather jacket, 410-12, 608-10 Lebias ellipsoides, 316 ovinus, 316 sheepshead, 316 . Leiostomus, 580-83 obliquus, 581 xanthurus, 580-83 Leopard shark, 24 | Lepidsosteus osseus, 71 — platystomus, 72 Lepisosteidae, 69-73 Lepisosteus, 69-73 _ bison, 70 Pe osseus, 70-72 ~ platostomus, 72-73 platyrhineus, 72 - Lepomis, 477-82 auritus, 478-80 cyanellus, 475 elongatus, 478 gibbosus, 483 mystacalis, 478 pallidus, 480-82 Leptoblennius, 670-71 serpentinus, 670 Leptocephalidae, 174-77 =| Leptocephalus, 174-77 conger, 175-77 Leuciseus, 114, 127-31 INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK Leuciscus (continued) atromaculatus, 123 atronasus, 154 biguttatus, 159 chrysopterus, 122 ecornutus, 145 elongatus, 128-29 erythrogaster, 114 frontalis, 147 heterodon, 137 hudsonius, 140 tidus, 131 leuciscus, 128 margarita, 130-31 nasutus, 152 nitidus, 122 procne, 1389 proriger, 128 pygmaeus, 289 rubellus, 147 rubrifrons, 149 spilopterus, 143 storerianus, 142, 158 vittatus, 145 Leucosomus corporalis, 124 Lichia carolina, 443 Licorne de Mer, 651 Limanda, 726-27 ferruginea, 726-27 Ling, 674-75, 701-4 Liparididae, 652-56 Liparidinae, 652-56 Liparis, 653-56 lineata, 654 liparis, 654-56 montagui, 652 vulgaris, 654 Lirus perciformis, 455 Lizard fishes, 285-87 Lobotes, 542-43 auctorum, 542 emarginatus, 548 surinamensis, 542-43 Lobotidae, 542-43 Loch Leven trout, 259-61 Log perch, 505-6 Long-eared sunfish, 478-80 Long Island, species from, 5-6 Long Island herring, 197 Long jaw, 237-38, 241 Long-jawed catfish, 84-85 Long-nosed dace, 152-54 Long-nosed sucker, 99-101 Long-tailed porbeagle, 27 Lookdown, 435-36 Lophiidae, 733-35 Lophius, 733-35 americanus, 734 bufo, 661 histrio, 736 piscator, 734 piscatorius, 734-35 vespertilio, 738 Lophobranchii, 347-51 Lophopsetta, 722-24 maculata, 723-24 Loricati, 631-56 Losh, 702 Lota, 701-4 brosmiana, 701 compressa, 701 inornata, 701 maculosa, 701-4 Lucania, 314-15 parva, 314-15 Luccio, 299 Luciidae, 291-307 Lucioperca americana, 495 canadensis, 498 grisea, 499 pepinus, 499 vitrea, 494 Lucius, 291-307 americanus, 292-94 lucius, 298-301 immaculatus, 304 masquinongy, 302-4 immaculatus, 304-7 reticulatus, 294, 296-98 vermiculatus, 294-96 Lumpenus, 669-71 lampetraeformis, 670-71 Lumpfish, 649-52 Lumpsucker, 649-52, 652-53 Lumpus anglorum, 649 Lunge, 267 Lutianidae, 547-55 Lutjanus aya, 554 blackfordi, 551 Blackfordii, 550 = oy Cr EE ey eat nme en st atin ——————— a a es SS — ---— a —s 766 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Lutpanus (continued) caballerote, 548 campeachianus, 551 campechianus, 553 griseus, 548 stearnsii, 548 vivanus, 554 Luxilus, 145-47 , dissimilis, 157 elongatus, 128 erythrogaster, 114 kentuckiensis, 144, 159 lucidus, 151 Mackerel, 379-401, 446 chub, 381-83 common, 379-81 frigate, 384-85 hippos, 422 horse, 391-93, 446 ; skip, 446 7 snap, 445-48 snapping, 446 Spanish, 396-98 thimbleeye, 381-83 yellow, 430-31 Mackerel midge, 708-9 Mackerel pike, 292 Mackerel sead, 423-24 Mackerel shark, 37-41 Mackinaw, 267: Macrozoarces, 674 Macruridae, 712-14 Macrurus carminatus, 713 (Coelorhynchus) carminatus, 713 Mademoiselle, 577 Maiden, 559 Mail-cheeked fishes, 631-56 Makaira nigricans, 404 Malashegany, 592 Malthaea vespertilio, 738 Malthe, 738 vespertilio, 738 Man-eater, 40-41 Mangrove snapper, 548-50 Manitou darter, 506-7 Marbled angler, 737 Marbled cat, 89 Margined stone cat, 95-96 Marse banker, 425 Marsipobranchii, 11-17 Marthy, 702 Mascalongus, 301-7 Maskalonge, 302-4 barred, 304-7 spotted, 302-4 unspotted, 304-7 Maskinonge, 3038 Masticura, 53-59 Mayfish, 309: Megalops atlanticus, 177 cepediana, 187 elongatus, 177 _ notata, 209 oglina, 209 thrissoides, 177 Melanogrammus, 699-700 aeglefinus, 699-700 Melanura annulata, 289 pygmaea, 289 Meletta suoerii, 195 Menhaden, 5, 211-13 © Menidia, 354-59 beryllina, 356-57 gracilis, 355-56. beryllina, 356 laciniata, 360 notata, 357-59 vagrans, 359 - laciniata, 360 | Menominee whitefish, 221 Menticirrhus, 584-87 nebulosus, 585 saxatilis, 585-87 , Merit fish, 359: \ Merlangus carbonarius, 693 leptocephalus, 693 purpureus, 693 Merluciidae, 691-938 Merlucius, 691-93 albidus, 691 bilinearis, 691-93 Mesoprion caballerote, 548 griseus, 548 \ Methy, 702 Microgadus, 694-97 proximus, 694 tomcodus, 695 Micropogon, 583-84 costatus, 583 INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK ~ T6T Micropogon (continued) Mitchill’s perch, 525 lineatus, 583 Mixed tomcod, 696 undulatus,. 583-84 Mojarra de Ley, 566-67 Micropterus, 486-93 Mojarras, 565-67 dolomieu, 486-90— Mola, 629-31 pallidus, 490 mola, 629-31 salmoides, 490-93 rotunda, 630 Micropteryx chrysurus, 437 Molacanthus, 629 Milbert’s shark, 26-28 Molidae, 629-31 Miller’s thumb, 635-37, 637-38 Moll, 598 Minister, 87 Molva maculosa, 701 : Minnilus blennius, 138 Monacanthidae, 611-15 cornutus, 145 Monacanthus, 611-13 var. frontalis, 147° aurantiacus, 613 dinemus, 148 broccus, 612 diplaemius, 151 hispidus, 611-13 notatus, 120 massachusettensis, 612 : percobromus, 149 setifer, 612 plumbeolus, 145 Mongrel whitefish, 238-41 rubellus, 148 Monk, 46 rubrifrons, 149 Monkfish, 45-46, 735 Minnow, blackhead, 118-19 Mooneye, 183-86 bluntnosed, 120-21 / - northern, 185-86 bridled, 135-36 Mooneye cisco, 235-37 brook, 154-56 Moonfish, 483-34, 435-36, 602-4 emerald, 147-49 Morone, 527-31 fathead, 118 americana, 528-31 lake, 158-59 flavescens, 500 Morse lake, 161-62 maculata, 483 mud, 287-91 pallida, 528 pearl, 130-31 , rufa, 528 plumbeous, 161-62 Morrhua aeglefinus, 699 red-bellied, 115 americana, 698 rosy, 147-49 americanus, 698 rosy-faced, 149-50 pruinosa, 695 fi salt-water, 310 Morse lake minnow, 161-62 i! | sheepshead, 315-17 Moss bass, 491 P| silvery, 116-18 Mossbunker, 211-13 +] spotted, 120-21 3 Motella argentata, 708 steel back, 113 . caudacuta, 710 ensis, 709 straw-colored, 138-39 striped mud, 289-91 toothed, 312 top, 307 Minny bass, 487 Minytrema, 107-9 Mother-of-eels, 702 Mountain trout, 488 Mousefish, 736-37 smooth, 736 Moxostoma, 109-12 anisurum, 109-10 melanops, 108-9 aureolum, 110-12 Mirror carp, 167 crassilabre, 112 Mishcuppauog, 559 macrolepidotum, 111 Mississippi cat, 82 oblongum, 106 ii ‘i ‘Mud sunfish, 464-66° Mudfish, 74-76, 310 Mufile-jaws, 686 Mugil, 9, 362-68 albula, 363 brasiliensis, 866, 367 cephalus, 363-66 curema, 366-67 gigas, 587 grunniens, 587 lineatus, 363 obliquus, 581 petrosus, 366 trichodon, 9, 366, 367-68 Mugilidae, 362-68 Mullet, 106, 111, 362-68 black, 586 , fantail, 367-68 golden, 111 jumping, 364 lake, 111 red, 377-79 striped, 363-66 ~ i summer, 367 \ whirligig, 367-68 white, 366-67 Mullidae, 377-79 Mullus, 377-79 auratus, 377-79 barbatus auratus, 377 Mummichog, 309-11 banded or striped, 309 spring, 312 Mummy, 310 porgy, 316 Muraena bostoniensis, 170 conger, 175 rostrata, 170 Muraenoides gunnellus, 665 Muscalonge, 303 Muskallunge, 303 768 : NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM ae Mud cat, 82 Muskellunge, 303. “Mud creeper, 656-58 Mustelus, 22-23 — Mud dace, 288 canis, 23 Mud eel, 15 Muttonfish, 674-75 Mud lamprey, 16 Myliobatide, 57-60 ) Mud minnow, 287-91 Myliobatis, 57-58 PEN it. striped, 289-91 acuta, 58 Mud shad, 188 freminvillei, 58 Mud sucker, 104 , ? say, 59 Myoxocephalus, 639-44 aeneus, 639-41 groenlandicus, 642-44 octodecimspinosus, 641-42 Myxostoma anisura, 109 Myxus harengus, 365 Naked goby, 656-58 Namaycush, 266 Narcobatidae, 51-52. Nauclerus, 412 Naucrates, 412-14 ductor, 412-14 - indicus, 412 noveboracensis, 412 Needle-fishes, 317-23 — Nematognathi, 76-97 | Neoliparis, 652-53 atlanticus, 652-53 * montagui, 652 Neomaenis, 547-55 aya, 551 blackfordi, 9, 550-55 griseus, 548-50 Nerfling, gold, 181 New York gudgeon, 309 New York pollack, 694 New York shadine, 190-91 Newligut, 460 Niagara gudgeon, 152-54 Nigger chub, 160, 162-64 _ Nipper, 593-96 Nocomis, 159-60 Northern barracuda, 371-73 Northern chub sucker, 106 Northern mooneye, 185-86. Northern pickerel, great, 299 Northern sucker, 99, 100 Norway haddock, 631-83 Notemigonus, 132-34 chrysoleucas, 132 lucidus, 151 INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK 769 Notropis, 135-52 Oncorhynchus, 241-44 amarus, 141, 142 amoenus, 150-51 anogenus, 136 atherinoides, 147-49 bifrenatus, 135-56 blennius, 138-39 cayuga, 136-37 cornutus, 145-47 frontalis, 147 dilectus, 149 dinemus, 149 heterodon, 137-38 hudsonius, 140-42, 143 amarus, 142-438 lythrurus, 151 megalops, 145 frontalis, 147 photogenis, 151 procne, 139-40 rubrifrons, 149-50 umbratilis lythrurus, 151-52 whipplei, 144 whipplii, 148-45 Noturus, 91-92 flayus, 91-92 gyrinus, 93 insignis, 95 lemniseatus, 95 marginatus, 96 miurus, 96 Numbfish, 51-52 chouicha, 242 orientalis, 242 quinnat, 241 tschawytscha, 241-44 Oneida sucker, 111 Onos cimbrius, 710 ensis, 709 reinhardti, 708 rufus, 709 | Ophidiidae, 675-76 Ophidioidei, 674-75 Ophidium barbatum, 676 marginatum, 675 mucronatum, 665 Ophioscion, 576, 578, 583 Opisthonema, 209-11 oglina, 209 oglinum, 209-11 Opsanus, 660-62 tau, 661-62 Orange filefish, 613-15 Orcynus alliteratus, 389 pelamys, 386 thynnus, 391 Orfe, 131 Orthagoriscus analis, 630 mola, 630 chrysopterus, 556-57 duplex, 556 Osmerus, 282-85 mordax, 282-85 viridescens, 282 Ostariophysi, 76-738 Oblong flounder, 721 - Oceanic bonito, 386-88 Oceanic sucker, 689 Odontaspis americanus, 34 Ogcocephalidae, 737-38 Ogcocephalus, 737-38 vespertilio, 738 Ohio golden shad, 192 Ohio river sturgeon, 66 ; Okow, 495 Oldwife, 582 ‘Oligocephalus, 517-18 Oligoplites, 410-12 occidentalis, 410 saurus, 410-12 Oncocottus, 644, 645 Ostraciidae, 615-17 Ostracion, 615 trigonus, 616 yalei, 616 Ostracium trigonum, 616 trigonus, 616 Ostracodermi, 615-17 Oswego bass, 491, 492 Otolithus, 569 carolinensis, 573 nebulosus, 573 regalis, 570 Otsego bass, 225 Ouananiche, 249 Ovate pompano, 439-41 Oysterfish, 598, 656-58, 661-62 770 NEW YORK STATR MUSEUM Paddlefishes, 60-63 Pagrus argyrops, 558 Painted tail, 487 Pale sucker, 101 Palinurichthys, 454-55 perciformis, 454-55 Palinurus perciformis, 454 Pammelas perciformis, 455 Panhagen, 212 Pappyfish, 456-57 Paralichthys, 717-22 dentatus, 717-20 lethostigma, 720 lethostigmus, 720-21 oblongus, 721-22 ophryas, 718 Paratractus, 480-31 pisquetus, 480 Parche, 604-6 Parr, 245 Pastinaca hastata, 53, 54 maclura, 56 Pearl minnow, 130-31 Pearl roach, 134 Pediculate fishes, 733-38 Pediculati, 783-88 Pegedictis, 635-37 ictalops, 635 Peixe carago, 18-22 Pelamys sarda, 393 Perea, 500-4 acuta, 500 © americana, 500, 528 atraria, 536 chrysops, 522 chrysoptera, 556 flavescens, 500-4 fluviatilis, 500 gibbosa, 483 gracilis, 500 granulata, 500 marina, 631 mitchilli, 524 alternata, 524 interrupta, 524 ocellata, 578 saltatrix, 445 schrenckii, 500 sectatrix, 568 septentrionalis, 524 Perea (continued) serrato-granulata, 500 undulata, 583 varia, 536, 537 vitrea, 493 Percesoces, 354-73 Perch, 488, 493-521, 529, 595. black, 488, 529, 537 blue, 595 bridge, 460, 487 chinquapin, 460, 463 goggle-eye, 463 log, 505-6 Mitchill’s, 525 pike, 493-97 pirate, 352-54 red, 529 red-eyed, 468 red sea, 633 ring, 500-4 river, 529 sand, 463 sea, 595 Silver, 4638, 576-78 speckled, 460 strawberry, 460, 463 striped, 502 tin, 460 trout, 351-52, 488 white, 528-31, 590-92 yellow, 6, 488, 500-4, 529 Perch pike, 494 Perchlike fishes, 459-599 Percidae, 4938-521 Percina, 504-6 caprodes, 505-6 var. manitou, 506 zebra, 506-7 manitou, 506 Percoidea, 459-599 Percopsidae, 351-52 Percopsis, 351-52 guttatus, 351-52 hammondi, 351 Petromyzon, 11-14 americanus, 11 appendix, 11 concolor, 14 marinus, 11-18 subsp. dorsatus, 13 INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK Petromyzon (continued) unicolor, 13-14 nigrum, 16 Petromyzontidae, 11-17 Pharyngognathi, 593-601 Pholis, 665-66 gunnellus, 665-66 subbifurcatus, 667 Photogenis spilopterus, 143 Phoxinus, 114, 1380-31 elongatus, 128 margaritus, 130 Phycis chuss, 707 filamentosus, 707 punctatus, 705 regalis, 704 regius, 704 tenuis, 706 Picarel, 495 Pickerel, 5, 298-301, 495, 498, 505 banded, 292-94 chain, 6, 296-98 eastern, 297 great, northern, 299 little, 294-96, 505 trout, 295 ‘ Pickering, 498 Pigfish, 556-57, 642 Pigmy sculpin, 639-41 Pike, 291-307, 493-97 blue, 303, 494, 497 bony, 71 bony-scaled, 6 common, 298-301 federation, 297 gar, 70-72 grass, 300, 494 gray, 498, 499 great, 303 green, 296-98, 494, 498 lake, 300 long-jawed fresh-water, 318 rock, 499 sand, 498-99 sea, 318 wall-eyed, 493-97 yellow, 494 Pike perch, 493-97 Pikelike fishes, 287-317 Pileoma semifasciatum, 505 zebra, 506 Pilot, banded, 415 black, 454-55 shark’s, 416 Pilot-fish, 221, 412-14 Pilot sucker, 687-88 Pimelepterus boscii, 568 Pimelodus atrarius, 85 catus, 87 cupreus, 84 flavus, 91 insigne, 95 lemniscatus, 96 livrée, 96 marmoratus, 89 natalis, 84 nebulosus, 87 nigricans, 81 pullus, 90 vulgaris, 84 Pimephales, 118-21 notatus, 120-21 promelas, 118-19 Pinfish, 562 Pipefish, 347-49 common, 347-49 spotted, 346 Pirate perches, 352-54 Pisces, 17-738 Plaice, 724 Platessa dentata, 716 ferruginea, 726 oblonga, 717, 720 ocellaris, 717 plana, 727 pusilla, 728 quadrocellata, 721 rostrata, 726 Platophrys, 730-31 nebularis, 730 ocellatus, 730-31 Plectognathi, 608-733 Plectospondyli, 97-169 Pleuronectes, 727 americanus, 727 aquosus, 723 dentatus, 717 ferrugineus, 726 hippoglossus, 714 SO a 772 - NEW YORK STATP MUSEUM Pleuronectes (continued) _| Pomolobus, 195-203 maculatus, 723 / aestivalis, 202 melanogaster, 717 _ chrysochloris, 195-96 mollis, 732 iat tot cyanonoton, 202-3 mediocris, 197-98 _ pseudoharengus, 199-201 vernalis, 199 yi Pomotis appendix, 478 _ auritus, 483 oblongus, 721 planus, 727 platessoides, 716 Pleuronectidae, 714-31 Plumbeous minnow, 161-62, gibbosus, 480 ; Puneumatophorus, 381-83 — gulosus, 470 _ Poecilia macrolepidota, 309 ¢ guttatus, 472 ean =: 3 Poecilichthys coeruleus, 51 hexacanthus, 462 eos, 521 | incisor, 480 - fusiformis, 520 longulus, 475 ‘ Poeciliidae, 307-17 obesus, 471 ae - Pogonias, 587-90 Fe dad a _ rubricauda, 478 =e chromis, 588. speciosus, 480 vulgaris, 4838 eg cromis, 587-90 fasciatus, 587 Gd Pogy, 559 ak Pollachius, 693-94 _ carbonarius, 693 virens, 693-94 Pollack, 693-94 black, 694 green, 694 New York, 694 Polydactylus, 373-75 Pomoxis annularis, 459-62 nitidus, 459 sparoides, 462-64 | Pomoxys, 459-64 — sparoides, 462 . Pompano, common, 443-44 ovate, 439-41 — round, 439-41 shore, 441 silvery, 441-43 Pompeynose, 444 wien: cae, Ee Pondfish, 484 COD BEETS bane | _ | Porbeagle, 39-40 Polynemidae, 373-75 long-tailed, 27 FATHENY Polynemus octofilis, 373° Porcupine fishes, 624-29 octonemus, 3873 hairy, 625-26 man ‘Sexradiatus, 684 Porgee, 583 f Polyodon, 60-63. big, 559 feuille, 61 . little, 582 folium, 61 rhomboidal, 562 spathula, 61-63 sand, 558-61, 582 Polyodontidae, 60-63 | ‘three-tailed, 603 Polyprion, 531-83 — Porgies, 557-65 — / americanus, 532-33 Porgy mummy, 316 aa cerhium, 532 Poronotus, 457-59 oxygeneios, 532 — ? triacanthus, 458 oxygenius, 532 Pout, horned, 87-89. Pomadasys fulvomaculatus, 556 Priacanthidae, 544-47 Pomatomidae, 445-48 Priacanthus, 544-45 Pomatomus, 445-48 altus, 546 saltator, 445 arenatus, 544-45 Saltatrix, 445-48 coy macrophthalmus, 544 INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK Prickly skate, 47-48 Pride, 16-17 Prionace, 24-25 glauca, 25 Prioncdon glaucus, see Carcharias (Prionodon) glaucus milberti, see Carcharias don) milberti obscurus, see Carcharias (Priono- don) obseurus Prionotus, 676-82 carolinus, 677-78 evolans, 679 var. lineatus, 679 lineatus, 679 palmipes, 677 strigatus, 679-81 tribulus, 681-82 Pristipoma fasciatum, 556 fulvomaculatum, 556 Promicropterus, 541-42 Psetta, 723 Pseudopleuronectes, 726, 727-29 americanus, 727-29 Pseudopriacanthus, 545-47 altus, 546-47 Pseudorhombus dentatus, 717 oblongus, 721 ocellaris, 717 Pseudotriakidae, 17-22 Pseudotriakis, 17-22 microdon, 18-22 Pterophryne, 735-37 histrio, 736-37 Pteroplatea, 56-57 maclura, 56-57 Ptyonotus thompsonii, 644 Puckermouth, 719 Puffers, 617-24 smooth, 618-19 Pug-nosed shiner, 434 Pumpkin seed, 458, 483-86 Pygosteus, 337-40 © pungitius, 338-40 sinensis, 338 Querimana, 9, 365 gyrans, 9, 366, 368 harengus, 366 Quinnat salmon, 241-44 Rabbitfish, 618-19 Rachycentridae, 448-50 Rachycentron, 448-50 canadus, 449-50 Radiated shanny, 667-68 Raia eglanteria, 49 laevis, 50 ocellata, 48 Rainbow darter, 517-18 Rainbow trout, 261-63 Rainwater fish, 314-15 Raja, 46-51 bonasus, 59 centroura, 53 diaphanes, 49 eglanteria, 47, 49-50 erinacea, 47-48 erinaceus, 47 laevis, 50-51 maclura, 56 ocellata, 48-49 Say, 55 torpedo, 51 Rajidae, 46-51 Rakehead, 32 Ray, 46-60 brier, 49-50 butterfly, 56-57 common sting, 53-54 cow-nosed, 59-60 eagle, 57-60 electric, 51-52 hedgehog, 47-48 southern sting, 55-56 spotted, 48 sting, 53-57 whip, 55 whip sting, 55 whip-tailed, 53-59 Razor back, 463 Red-bellied dace, 114-16 Red-bellied minnow, 115 Red drum, 578-80, 589 Red-eyed perch, 468 Red gurnard, 682-83 Red horse, 110-12 golden, 111 Red mullet, 377-79 Red perch, 529 Red sea perch, 633 ~~ 774 Red-sided shiner, 128-29 Red-sided sucker, 100 Red snapper, 9, 550-55 Red sturgeon, 66 | Redtail, 160 Redthroat trout, 250-52 Red trout, 267 Red-winged sea robin, 678, 679-81 Redeye, 467-70, 475-77 Redfin, 145-47, 151-52 Redfish, 634-35 Remora, 686-90 brachyptera, 689-90 Indian, 687 jacobaea, 688 remora, 688-89 white-tailed, 687 Remoropsis brachyptera, 689 brachypterus, 689 Reniceps tiburo, 30 Requiem sharks, 22-30 Rhegnopteri, 373-75. Rheocrypta copelandi, 509 Rhina squatina, 45 Rhinichthys, 152-56 atronasus, 154-56 cataractae, 152-54 marmoratus, 152 nasutus, 152 obtusus, 155 Rhinonemus cimbrius, 710 Rhinoptera, 58-60 bonasus, 59-60 quadriloba, 59 Rhombochirus, 690 osteochir, 690 ' Rhomboganoidea, 69-73 Rhomboidal porgee, 562 Rhomboidichthys ocellatus, 730 ROMIDUS, 455-59 aquosus, 723 longipinnis, 456 — ocellatus, 730 paru, 456-57 triacanthus, 457-59 Rhypticus decoratus, 541 maculatus, 541 Richardsonius, 128 Ring perch, 500-4 NEW YORK STATP MUSEUM | uP, Et -Rissola, 675-76 st ‘Round herring, 8, 189-91 Ruddy sturgeon, 66 marginata, 675-76 r River alewife, 192 eae River bass, 491 ‘ River chub, 159-60 River herring, 199 River perch, 529 Roach, 6, 182-34, 582 Irish, 184 pearl, 134 Robin, flying, 684-85 Roccus, 522-27 americanus, 528 chrysops, 522-23 comes, 570 : lineatus, 524-27 striatus, 524 Rock, 525 Rock bass, 467-70, 537, Rock cod, 699 ; Roek eels, 665-71. Rock pike, 499 . Rock sturgeon, 66 Rock toadfish, 646 — . Rockfish, 155, 505, 524-27, 631- 85. Rockling, 709-10 four-bearded, 710-11 silvery, 708-9 me Roncador, 590 Rosefish, 631-33 Rostrated dory, 486 Rosy-faced minnow, 149-50 Rosy minnow, 147-49 Rough dab, 716-17 Rough-head, 146 — Rough silversides, 359-61 Round pompano, 439- pale Round robin, 421-22) Round whitefish, 221-24 Rounded sucker, 106 Roundfish, 221, 222 Rudderfish, 454-55, 457, 567-69: banded, 414-16, 428-29 Ruddy bass, 529 Runner, 419-20, 598 Rusty dab, 727 ° Rusty ‘flatfish, 727 Rusty flounder, 717 _ INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK TT Rutilus anomalus, 113 storerianus, 158 Rypticus, 540-42 bistrispinus, 541-42 Sac-a-lait, 460, 463 Saibling, 275-78 Sailfishes, 403-7 Sailor’s choice, 561-62 Salar ausonii, 254 Salmo, 244-66, 257-59 adirondacus, 266 alpinus, 275, 278 amethystinus, 266 amethystus, 266 ascanii, 275 canadensis, 272 clarkii henshawi, 250 clupeaformis, 224 colii, 276 confinis, 266 erythrogaster, 272 fario, 254-57 ausonii, 254 foetens, 286 - fontinalis, 272 gairdneri, 252-54 gairdnerii, 252 gloverii, 248 _grayi, 276 (Coregonus) harengus, 238 henshawi, 250-52 hocdii, 266 immaculatus, 272 irideus, 261-63 shasta, 261 killinensis, 276 (Coregonus) labradoricus, 224 lemanus, 263-66 levenensis, 259 mykiss, 250 henshawi, 250 namaycush, 266 pallidus, 266 perisii, 276 purpuratus, 252 var. henshawi, 250 (Coregonus) quadrilateralis, 221 quinnat, 241 rivalis, 276 or Salmo (continued) salar, 244-48 sebago, 248-50 var. sebago, 248 salmarinus, 275 salvelinus, 275 sebago, 248 Siscowet, 266 trutta, 263 levenensis, 259-61 tshawytscha, 241 (Coregonus) tullibee, 238 umbla, 275 willughbii, 276 Salmon, 61-62, 219-82 Atlantic, 244-48 black, 267 chinook, 241-44 dwarf, 246 fresh-water, 246 jack, 495 king, 241-44 landlocked, 246, 248-50 Quinnat, 241-44 Susquehanna, 494 white, 495, 497 Salmon killer, 341 Salmon shark, 40 Salmon trout, 180, 252-54, 266-71 Salmonidae, 219-82 Salmoperca pellucida, 351 Salmopereae, 351-52 Salt water bream, 562 Salt-water chub, 598 Salt-water jack, 446 Salt-water minnow, 310 Salt-water trout, 571 Salvelinus, 271-82 alpinus, 275-78 aureolus, 276-82 aureolus, 278 fontinalis, 272-75 namaycush, 266 Sand dab, 717, 726-27 Sand eel, 376-77 Sand flounder, 724, 730-31 Sand lances, 375-77 Sand perch, 463 Sand pike, 287, 498-99 Sand porgee, 558-61, 582 776 | NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM poet ss Sand rollers, 851-52. - Sand shark, 34-37 Sand smelt, 359 Sand sucker, 108-9 Sareura, 46-52 Sarda, 393-95 mediterranea, 393 pelamys, 393 sarda, 393-95 Sardine, scaled, 209 Sardinella, 208-9 sp., 209 Sargus ambassis, 558 arenosus, 558 ovis, 563 |, rhomboides, 561 Sarothrodus maculocinctus, 605 Satin striped herring, 215 ‘Sauger, 498-99 Sie Saurel, 425-26 Sauries, 327-29 — Saurus foetens, 286 mexicanus, 286 Sawbelly, 200 Scabbard fish, 402-3 Scad, 421-22, 425 big-eyed, 426-27 dotted, 422 mackerel, 423-24 Scale carp, 167 Scaled sardine, 209 Scaly fins, 601-8 Schilbeodes, 92-97 _ gyrinus, 93-94 insignis, 95-96 miurus, 96-97 Schoodice trout, 246 Schuylkill cat, 86 Sciaena, 578, 590 caprodes, 505 chrysura, 576 imberbis, 578 lineata, 524 nebulosa, 585 obliqua, 581 ocellata, 578 oscula, 590 punctata, 576 xanthurus, 581 : Sciaenidae, 569-92 \ neh, Sciaenops, 578-80, 583 — ocellatus, 578-80 Sciena fusca, 588 gigas, 588 Sclerodermi, 608-15 _ Scoliodon, 29-30 Scoliodon terrae noyae, 29-30 Scolopsis sayanus, 353 Scomber, 379-83 alleteratus, 388 echrysurus, 437 colias, 381-83 crumenophthalmus, 426 crysos, 430 dekayi, 382 ductor, 412 grex, 382 - hippos, 421, 428 > maculatus, 396 pelamis, 386 plumbeus, 445 — plumieri, 426 - one pheumatophorus, 382 regalis, 398 a garda, 393 saurus, 410 scomber, 380 scombrus, 379-81 thazard, 384 — thynnus, 391 trachurus, 425 vernalis, 380 | zonatus, 414 Scomberesocidae, 327-29 Scomberesox, 327-29 equirostrum, 327 saurus, 327-29 scutellatum, 327 storeri, 328 Scomberomorus, 395-401 cavalla, 400-1 maculatus, 396-98 regalis, 398-400 Scombridae, 379-401 Scombroidei, 379-459 Scombroides occidentalis, 410 Scorpaena americana, 646 dactyloptera, 634 flava, 646 purpurea, 646 rufa, 646 ¥ _ a a es ig ee a pai tain cia INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK Lek Scorpaenidae, 631-35 Scorpoena, yellow, 646 Sculpin, 635-47 brassy, 639: daddy, 642-44 deep water, 646 18-spined, 641-42 lake, 644-45 pigmy, 639-41 Sea, 646 Scup, 558-61 Scuppaug, 559 Scuteeg, 571 Sea basses, 522-42, 536-39 striped, 525 Sea catfish, 77-78, 78-79 Sea devil, 735 Sea eel, 175-77 Sea herring, 192-94 Sea horse, 349-51 Sea lamprey, great, 11-13 Sea mink, 585-87 Sea owl, 651 Sea perch, 595 red, 633 Sea pike, 318 Sea poacher, 648-49 Sea raven, 646-47 Sea robin, 642, 677-78, 680 big-headed, 681-82 red-winged, 678, 679-81 Sea sculpin, 646 Sea snails, 652-56 striped, 654-56 ‘Sea snipe, 318 Sea swallow, 685 Sea tead, 642 Sea trout, 571, 573-74 Sea wolf, 673 Seaweed blenny, 663-64 Sebago trout, 246 Sebastes, 631-33 dactylopterus, 634 marinus, 631-33 norvegicus, 632 _ horwegicus, 631 Sebastinae, 631-35 Sebastoplus dactylopterus, 634 Seering, 180 Selachii, 17-60 : Selachostomi, 60-63 Selachus maximus, 42 Selene, 434-36 argentea, 435 gallus, 435 setipinnis, 483 vomer, 435-36 Semotilus, 121-26 atromaculatus, 123-26 biguittatus, 159 bullaris, 122-23 corporalis, 122, 124 Seran imperial, 634-35 Scrgeant fishes, 448-50 Seriola, 414-18 bipinnulata, 419 cosmopolita, 437 gigas, 416 lalandi, 416-18 pipnulata, 419 zonata, 414-16 Seriolichthys .bipinnulatus, 419 Serranidae, 522-42 Serranus atrarius, 536 brasiliensis, 539 flaviventris, 539 margaritifer, 533 nigrescens, 536 niveatus, 533 Shad, 192, 204-8, 460 Cayuga lake, 200 fall, 197 gizzard, 186-88 gold, 195-86 hickory, 9, 188, 197-98 little, 200 mud, 188 Ohio golden, 192 stink, 188 tailor, 198 white, 205 white-eyed, 188 winter, 188 ) Shad bait, 194 Shad herring, 197-98, 203, 209-11 ) Shad trout, 571 Shad-waiter, 221, 224-30 Fi Shadine, 190-91 Fi Shanny, radiated, 667-68 Shark ray, 46 CTO NEW YORK STATD MUSEUM Sharks,171-G07 7-0.“ Short-nosed sturgeon, 68-69 angel, 45-46 Shovel fish, 61 basking, 41-43 Shovelhead shark, 30-31 blue, 39 : . Shovelnose shark, 32 bone, 43 Sierra, 400-1 x dog, 23 Siluridae, 76-97 dusky, 25-26 Silurus catus, 85-87 elephant, 42-48 ; felis, 78 great blue, 25 : ' : gyrinus, 93 great white, 40-41 marinus, 77 green-backed, 30 melas, 90 ground, 35 punctatus, 80 ' hammerheaded, 30-32 . Silver bass, 185, 462, 523 leopard, 24 Silver cat, 80 little bullhead, 46 ag Silver chub, 122-23 mackerel, 37-41 Silver gar, 317-19 Milbert’s, 26-28 Silver hake, 691-93 requiem, 22-30 Silver Jenny, 566-67 salmon, 40 Naik Silver king, 177-79 sand, 34-37 Silver lamprey, 14-15 sharp-nosed, 29-30 Silver perch, 463, 576-78 shovelhead, 30-31 ° Silver trout, 278-82 shovelnose, 32 Silverfin, 143-45 small blue, 27 Silverfish, 165 swingle-tail, 33-34 Silversides, 354-62 thresher, 32-34 brook, 361-62 tiger, 24 fresh-water, 356-57 Shark’s pilot, 416 rough, 359-61 Sharksucker, 686-87 Slender, 355-56 Sharp-nosed shark, 29-30 small, 358 ~ Sheepshead, 458, 563-65, 591 Silvery anchovy, 216-17 three-tailed, 603 Silvery minnow, 116-18 young, 589 Silvery pompano, 441-43 Sheepshead chaetodon, 603 Silvery rockling, 708-9 : Sheepshead killifish, 317 Siphostoma, 347-49 Sheepshead Lebias, 316 fuscum, 3847-49 Sheepshead minnow, 3815-17 peckianum, 347 Shiner, 139-40, 145-47, 160, 235-87, | Skate, 17, 46-51, 49 241, 359, 562 - barndoor, 50-51 _ blunt-nosed, 434 big, 48-49 cryptous broad, 458 bonnet, 48 golden, 132-3 clear-nosed, 49-50 lake, 236 — common, 47-48 pug-nosed, 434 prickly, 47-48 red-sided, 128-29 spotted, 48-49 spotted, 157-58 “summer, 48 Shoemaker, 104 winter, 49 Shoemakerfish, 432-33 : Skip mackerel, 446 Shore pompano, 441 Skipjack, 192, 195-96, 361-62, Short-finned harvestfish, 458 458 , ‘ Short-nosed gar, 72-73 Skippang, 212 INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK 779 Skipper, 327-29 Spheroides, 619-24 Slender halfbeak, 326-27 Slender silversides, 355-56 ' Slippery Dick, 675-76 Smelt, 140-42, 148, 282-85 sand, 359 Smelt of New York lakes, 230-33 Smolt, 245 Smooth browed bullhead, 640 Smooth dogfish, 23 Smooth mousefish, 736 Smooth puffer, 618-19 Snake blenny, 671 Snakefish, 287, 670-71 Snap mackerel, 445-48 Snapper, 445-48, 547-55, 633 - blue, 446 gray, 548-50 mangrove, 548-50 red, 9, 550-55 Snapping mackerel, 446 Snipe, sea, 318 Snowy grouper, 533-35 Soapfish, 541-42 Soft gar, 318 Soft sucker, 108 Soldier fish, 518 Soleidae, 731-33 Soles, 731-33 American, 732-33 calico, 7382 Southern flounder, 720-21 Spadefishes, 601-4 Spanish mackerel, 396-98 Sparidae, 557-65 Sparus argyrops, 558 aureus, 483 chrysops, 558 Ovis, 563 probatocephalus, 563 rhomboides, 561 Spawn-eater, 140-42 Spearfish, 287, 405-7 Spearfish sucker, 690 Spearing, 359 Speckled perch, 460 Speckled trout, 273 Sperling, 194, 359 Sphaeroides trichocephalus, 624 NG SS maculatus, 620-22 nephelus, 624 pachygaster, 624 testudineus, 622-24 trichocephalus, 624 Sphyraena, 368-73 TCUS ole borealis, 371-73 guachancho, 369-70 guaguanche, 369 guaguancho, 369 guntheri, 369 spet, 3871 Sphyraenidae, 368-73 Sphyrna, 30-32 tiburo, 30-31 Zygaena, 31-32. Sphyrnidae, 30-32 Spikefish, 404-5 Spinax acanthias, 438 Spined dogfish, 43-45 Spinous dory, 439 Spinoeus trachinote, 441 Spiny boxfish, 626-28 Spiny-rayed fishes, 351-608 Spoon-billed sturgeon, 61 Spoerbill, 61 Spoonbill cat, 61-63 Spot, 589-83 ‘Spot-striped balloon fish, 628 Spotted bass, 487, 580 Spotted bergall, 596 Spotted blenny, 668-69 Spotted caranx, 422 Spotted cat, 80-81 Spotted cero, 400 Spotted codling, 704-5 Spotted flounder, 731 Spotted grouper, 533-35 Spotted hake, 704-5 Spotted maskalonge, 302-4 Spotted minnow, 120-21 Spotted pipefish, 346 Spotted ray, 48 Spotted shiner, 157-58 Spotted skate, 48-49 Spotted stargazer, 658-60 Spotted sucker, 108-9 Spotted turbot, 724 4 TSO NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Spotted weakfish, 573-74 Sprat herring, 209-11 Spring herring, 199 Spring mummichog, 312 Squalidae, 48-45 Squalius elongatus, 128 margaritus, 130 Squalus, 43-45 acanthias, 43-45 canis, 23 carcharias, 40 cornubicus, 39 glaucus, 25 littoralis, 34 maximus, 42 obseurus, 25 punctatus, 29 spathula, 61 Ssquatina, 45 (Carcharias) terrae-novae, 29 tiburo, 30 vulpes, 33 Zygaena, 31 Squamipinnes, 601-7 Squatina, 45-46 angelus, 45 dumerili, 45, Squatina, 45-46 Squatinidae, 45-46 Squeteague, 570-73 Squid hound, 525 Squirrel fish, 562 Squirrel hake, 706, 707-8 Starfish, 458 Stargazers, 658-62 little, 637 spotted, 658-60 Staten Island herring, 197 Steel-back minnow, 113 Steelhead, 252-54 Stellifer, 576 Stenotomus, 557-60 argyrops, 558 . chrysops, 558-61 Stephanolepis, 611-13 Stichaeinae, 667-71 Stichaeus, 668-69 islandicus, 670 punctatus, 668-69 ‘Striped mummichog, 309 Sticklebacks, 335-44 bloody, 348 brook, 335-37 Cayuga lake, 337 four-spined, 342-44 10-spined, 338-40 two-spined, 340-42 Stilbe chrysoleucas, 132. Sting rays, 53-57 Stink shad, 188 Stizostedion, 493-99 canadense, 498-99 griseum, 499 vitreum, 493-97 Stizostedium canadense, 498 var. griseum, 499 vitreum, 494 Stolephorus, 213-19 argyrophanus, 216-17 browni, 214 brownii, 214-15 eurystole, 216 | mitchilli, 218-19 a perfasciatus, 216, 217-18 4 Stomodon Bilinearis, 691 Stone bass, 532 Stone cat, 91-92, 93-94 margined, 95-96 tadpole, 93 variegated, 96-97 Stone lugger, 104, 113-14 Stone roller, 103-4, 113-14 Stone toter, 104, 115 Straw-colored minnow, 138-59 Strawberry bass, 462-64 Strawberry perch, 460, 463 Streaked bass, 525 Streaked head, 438 Striped anchovy, 214-15 Striped bass, 523, 524-27 Striped basse, 525 Striped killifish, 309 Striped mud minnow, 289-91 = Striped mullet, 363-66 + desceiat akan 4 a Striped perch, 502 Striped sea bass, 525 Striped sea snail, 654-56 Striped sucker, 108-9 Stromateidae, 455-59 INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK Stromateus alepidotus, 456 cryptosus, 458. gardenii, 456 longipinnis, 456 paru, 456 triacanthus, 457 Sturgeon, 63-69 bony, 66 common, 63-65 lake, 66-67 Ohio river, 66 red, 66 rock, 66 ruddy, 66 short-nosed, 68-69 spoon-billed, 61 Suckers, 97-112 banded, 104 black, 104 black-nosed, 108: brook, 101 chub, 105-7 common, 101-3 golden, 111 gray, 101 hog, 103-4 Summer skate, 48 Sun trout, 571 Sunapee trout, 278-82 (81 Sunfish, 434, 459-93, 483-86, 615, 629 banded, 471-73 bass, 466 blue, 480-82 blue-spotted, 473-75, 477 green, 475-77 long-eared, 478 mud, 464-66 Sunny, 484 Surgeons, 606-7 Surmullets, 377-79 Susquehanna salmon, 494 Sweet sucker, 106 Swellfish, 620-22 Swelltoad, 621 Swingle-tail shark, 33-3- Swiss Lake trout, 263-66 Swordfish sucker, 689-80 Swordfishes, 71, 407-9 Synentognathi, 317-35 Syngnathidae, 347-49 Syngnathinae, 347-49 large-scaled, 104 Syngnathus fasciatus, 347 long-nosed, 99-101 fuscus, 347 mud, 104 hippocampus, 350 northern, 99, 100 peckianus, 347 oceanic, 689 7 viridescens, 347 Oneida, 111 A Synodontidae, 285-87 pale, HL Synodus, 285-87 pilot, 687-88 foetens, 286-87 red-sided, 100 rounded, 106 Tadpole stonecat, 98 sand, 108-9 Tahoe trout, 250-52 soft, 108 Tailor, 446 spearfish, 690 Tailor shad, 198 spotted, 108-9 Tambor, 624 striped, 108-9 Tang. 607 sweet, 106 swordfish, 689-90 white, 101 Tarpon atlanticus, 177-79 Tarpons, 177-80 Tarpum, 177-7 white-nosed, 109-10 Tautog, 597-99 Sucking fish, 686-87 Tautoga, 596-99 Sucking toad, 621 americana, 597 ° Summer flounder, 717-20 caerulea, 593 Summer herring, 203 niger, 597 Summer mullet, 367 . onitis, 597-99 T82 ‘NEW, YORK STATE MUSEUM Tautogolabrus, 593-96 adspersus, 593-96 Tectospondyli, 45-46 Teleostei, 76-738 : Teleostomi, 60-76 Temnodon saltator, 445 Tench, 126-27 Tessellated darter, 514-16 Tetraodon laevigatus, 618 turgidus, 620 Tetraodontidae, 617-24 Tetrapturus, 405-7 albidus, 406 belone, 405 imperator, 405-7 Tetrodon curvus, 618, hispidus var. maculatus, 620 laevigatus, 618 mathematicus, 618 mola, 629 testudineus, 622 trichocephalus, 624 turgidus, 620 Tetronarce, 51-52 occidentalis, 51-52 Teuthididae, 606-7 Teuthis, 606-7 hepatus, 607 Thimble-eye mackerel, 381-83 Ther Daciewsee oto. 6.5 Thorn-backed grunt, 444 Thread herring, 188, 209-11 Threadfins, 373-75 Threadfish, 210, 482-33 Thresher shark, 32-34 Thunder pumper, 591 Thunnus, 390-93 thynnus, 391-93 Thynnus affinis, 389 brachypterus, 391 brasiliensis, 388 brevipinnis, 388 brevirostris, 389 pelamys, 386 secundidorsalis, 391 thunnina, 388 vulgaris, 391 Tiburon, 28-29 Tiger shark, 24 Timber croppie, 460 Tin mouth, 463 Tin perch, 460 — Tinea, 126-27 tinea, 126-27 vulgaris, 126 Toad, 598 sucking, 621 Toadfish, 621, 660-62 rock, 646 Tobacco box, 484 Togue, 267 Tomecod, 586, 695-97 brown, 696 ats mixed, 696 yellow, 696 yellowish white, 696 Toothed flatfish, 719 Toothed herring, 184-85 Toothed minnow, 312 Top minnows, 307 Topsail, gaff, 77-78 Torpedo, 51-52 occidentalis, 51 Torsh, 699 Trachinoidei, 658-62 Trachinote, spinous, 441 Trachinotus, 488-44 argenteus, 441-43 - carolinus, 443-44 cupreus, 441 falcatus, 489-41 fuscus, 439 pampanus, 448 rhomboides, 439 spinosus, 4389 Trachurops, 426-27 crumenophthalmus, 426-27 Trachurus, 424-26 saurus, 425 trachurus, 425-26 Trachynotus, 4389 carolinus, 443 ovatus, 4389 oh: ; pampanus, 443 rhomboides, 489 Trichidion octofilis, 873 octonemus, 373 Trichiuridae, 402-3 Trichiurus, 402-3 argenteus, 402 lepturus, 402-3 INDEX TO FISHES OF NEW YORK Trichocyclus erinaceus, 625 Trichodiodon, 624-26 pilosus, 625-26 Trichopterus, 428-29 Trigger fishes, 608-11 blue-striped, 610-11 Trigla, 677, 682 carolina, 677 cuculus, 682-83 evolans, 679 lineata, 679 palmipes, 677 strigata, 679 tribulus, 681 volitans, 684 Triglidae, 676-83 Triglopsis, 644-45 stimpsoni, 644 thompsoni, 644-45 Triple-tails, 542-43, 602-4 Trota, 255 Trout, 488, 491, 571 aleby, 702 brook, 6, 255, 272-75 brown, 254-57, 488 Gairdner’s, 252-54 golden, 278-82 gray, 267, 571 hybrid, 5, 257-59 lake, 266-71 Lake Tahoe, 250-52 Loch Leven, 259-61 mountain, 488 rainbow, 261-63 red, 267 salmon, 180, 252-54, 266-71 salt-water, 571 Schoodiec, 246 sea, 571, 573-74 Sebago, 246 shad, 571 Silver, 278-82 speckled, 273 steelhead, 252-54 sun, 571 Sunapee, 278-82 Swiss Lake, 263-66 white, 488 Trout perches, 351-52, 488 \ Trout pickerel, 295 Trout pike, 287 True fishes, 60-76 Truite, 255 Trumpet fish, 345-46 Trunkfishes, 615-17 Trutta, 244 Trygon hastata, 53-54 Sayl, 55 Tuftgills, 347-51 Tuladi, 267 Tullibee, 238-41 Tunny, 391-93 little, 388-90 Turbot, 608-10 spotted, 724 Turbot flounder, 719 Tylosurus, 317-23 acus, 322-23 crassus, 319 gladius, 319 longirostris, 317 . marinus, 317-19 raphidoma, 319-21 Ulceina, 648-49 Ulvaria, 667-68 subbifurcata, 667-68 Umbra, 287-91 ' limi, 288-89 pygmaea, 289 pygmaea. 289-91 Umbridae, 287-91 Umbrina, 585 alburnus, 585 nebulosa, 585 Unspotted balloonfish, 628-29 Unspotted maskalonge, 304-7 Upsilenphorus guttatus, 658 Uranidea, 637-38 formosa, 638 gracilis, 637-38 quiescens, 637 richardsoni, 636 Uranoscopidae, 658-60 Uranoscopinae, 658-60 Urophycis, 704-8 chuss, 707-8 regius, 704-5 tenuis, 705-7 783 / 7TS4 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM Variegated goby, 657 Variegated stone cat, 96-97 Vomer, 433-34 brownii, 4383 setipinnis, 433-34 Von Behr trout, 255 Wall-eyed herring, 199-200 Wall-eyed pike, 4938-97 Warmouth, 470-71 Watery flounder, 724 Weakfish, 570-73 spotted, 573-74 Weesick, 198 Welshman, 491 Whip ray, 55 Whip sting ray, 55 Whip-tailed rays, 53-59 Whirligig mullet, 367-68 White bass, 522-23 Wohite-bellied killifish, 311 White cat, 80, 85-86 White croppie, 460 White-eyed shad, 188 White hake, 705-7 White mullet, 366-67 White-nosed sucker, 109-10 White perch, 528-31, 590-92 White salmon, 495, 497 White shad, 205 White shark, great, 40-41 White sucker, 101 White-tailed remora, 687 White trout, 488 Whitebait, 194, 215, 217, 218-19, 357-59 Whitefish, 205, 219, 446 blackfin, 228 common, -224-30, 240 Hoy’s, 241 Labrador, 9, 224-30 Menominee, 221 mongrel, 238-41 round, 221-24 Whiting, 585-87, 691-93 Bermuda, 586 Will George, 598 Wind fish, 122-23 Window light, 724 Windowpane, 723-24 Winegfish, 678 Winninish, 246 Winter flounder, 727-29 Winter shad, 188 Winter skate, 49 Wolf fishes, 672-74 Wrassefishes, 593-600 Wreckfish, 532-33 Wrymouths, 671-72 Xenarchi, 352-54 Niphias, 407-9 gladius, 408-9 imperator, 405 Xiphidiidae, 665-71 Xiphiidae, 407-9 Xystophorus, 412 Yellow backs, 208 Yellow bass, 487 Yellow-bellied killifish, 31] Yellow caranx, 429 Yellow cat, 84 Yellow fins, 571 Yellow mackerel, 480-31 Yellow perch, 6, 488, 500-4, 529 Yellow pike, 494 Yellow scorpoena, 646 Yellow-tail, 309, 562, 576-78 Yellowish white tomcod, 696 Zeidae, 600-1 Zenopsis, 600-1 ocellatus, 600-1 Zeoidea, 600-8 Zeus capillaris, 435 ciliaris, 482 crinitus, 4382 geometricus, 435 ocellatus, 600 rostratus, 435 setapinnis, 483 spinosus, 439 vomer, 485 . Zoarces, 674-75 anguillaris, 674-75 viviparus, 674 ZAoarcidae, 674-75 Zonichthys gigas, 416 Zygaena malleus, 31 tiburo, 30 el i ee) University of the State of New York New York State Museum MUSEUM PUBLICATIONS Any of the University publications will be sold in lots of 10 or more at 20% discount. When sale copies are exhausted, the price for the few reserve copies is advanced to that charged by second- hand booksellers to limit their distribution to cases of special need. Such prices are inclosed in brackets. All publications are in paper covers, unless binding is specified. Museum annual reports 1847-date. Al in print to 1892, 50¢ a volume, 75¢ in cloth , 1892-date, 75¢, cloth. These reports are made up of the reports of the director, geologist, paleaatole: gist, botanist and entomologist, and museum bulletins and memoirs, issued as advance sections of the reports. Geologist’s annual reports 1881-date. Rep’ts 1, 3-13, eo O:: PEA —16,(). The annual reports of the early natural history survey, 1837-41 are out of print. Reports 1-4, 1881-84 were published only in separate form. Of the 5th report 4 pages were reprinted in the 39th museum report, and a supplement to the 6th report was included in the 40th museum report. The 7th and subsequent reports are included in the 41st and following museum reports, except that certain lithographic plates in the 11th report (1891) and 13th (1893) are omitted from the 45th and 47th museum reports. Separate volumes of the following only are available. Report Price Report Price Report Price 12 (1892) $.50 1G Sh 19 $.40 14 15 17 .75 20 50 15 1 18 15 In 1898 the paleontologic work of the State was made distinet from the geo- logic and will hereafter be reported separately. Paleontologist’s annual reports 1899-date. See fourth note under Geologist’s annual reports. Bound also with museum reports of which they form a part. Reports for 1899 and 1900 may be had for 20c each. Since 1901 these reports have been issued as bulletins. Botanist’s annual reports 1869-date. Bound also with museum reports 21-date of which they form a part; the first botanist’s report appeared in the 21st museum report and is numbered 21. Reports 21-24, 29, 31-41 were not published separately. Separate reports 25-28, 30, 42 50 and 52 (Museum bulletin 25) are out of print. Report 51 may be had for 40c; 53 for 20c; 54 for 50c; 55 (Museum bulletin 54) for 40c. Beginning with 1901 these reports will be issued as bulletins. Descriptions and illustrations of edible, Heise ous and unwholesome fungi of New York have been published in volumes 1 and 8 of the 48th museum report and in volume 1 of the 49th, 51st, 52d, 53d, 54th and 55th reports. The descrip- tions aud illustrations of edible and unwholesome species contained in the 49th, dlst and 52d reports have been revised and rearranged, and combined with others more recently prepared and constitute Museum memoir 4. Entomologist’s annual reports on the injurious and other insects of the State of New York 1882-date. Reports 3-17 bound also with museum reports 40-46, 48-55 of which they form a part. Beginning with 1898 these reports have been issued as bulletins. Reports 3-4 are out of print, other reports with prices are: Report Price Report Price ae Price 1 $.50 8 $.25 13 $.10 2 30: 9 25 14 (Mus. bul. 23) .20 x .25 10 .30 15 ( 31) .15 6 15 1G 25 16 ( ys 36) .25 7 .20 12 25 nH a pe 53) .30 Reports 2, 8-12 may also be obtained bound separately in cloth at 25¢ in addition to the price given above. \ ~ UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK Museum bulletins 1887-date. O. Zo advance subscribers, $2 a year or 50¢ a year for those of any one division: (1) geology, including economic geology, general zoology, archeology and mineralogy, (2) paleon- tology, (3) botany, (4) entomology. Bulletins are also found with the annual reports of the museum as follows: Bulletins Report Bulletins Report Bulletins, Report 12-15 48,v.1 20-25 52, v.1 . 35-36 54, v. 2 BUS Ieee I tee 26-31 53° ot 37-44 eae 20) LS=19) a FS 32-34 5d 68 45-48 es ig eel The letter and figure in parenthesis after the bulletin number indicate the di- vision and series number. G=geology, EG=economic geology, Z=general zoology, A=archeology, M=mineralogy, P=paleontology, B=botany, E= ento- mology, Mise=miscellaneous. Volume 1x. 60s. $1.50 1n cloth I (Zr) Marshall, W: B. Preliminary List of New York Unionidae. 2op. Mar. 1892. Be. 2 (Br) Peck, C: H. Contributions to the Botany of the State of New York. 66p. apl. May 1887. [35c] 3 (EG1) Smock, J: C. Building Stone in the State of New York. 152p. ‘Mar. 1888. Out of print. / 4 (M1) Nason, F. L. Some New York Minerals and their Localities. 20p. Tp.) Aue. 7nssa.7) 5c. 5 (Er) Lintner, J. A. White Grub of the May Beetle. 32p. il. Nov. 1888. J0¢. | 6 (Ez) Cut-worms. 36p.il. Nov. 1888. TOC. Volume 2. gos. [$1.50] zx cloth 7 (EGz2) Smock,J: C. First Report on the Iron Mines and Iron Ore Districts in New Vork. 6+70p. map. June 1889. Out of print. & (B2) Peck; Cera Boleti, of the United States. g6p. Sep. 1889. [50¢] 9 (Zz) Marshall, W: B. Beaks of Unionidae Inhabiting the Vicinity of Albany, N:. Ya: 24p.rpl.. Aug. 1890." zo¢. . 10 (EG3) Smock, J: C. Building Stone in New York. 21op. map. tab. Sep. 189¢. 0c. Volume 3. 5 xos. Ir (EG4) Merrill, F: J. H. Salt and Gypsum Industries in New York. 92p. r2pl..2maps, ri tab. Ap. 1893. Zoe. 12 (EGs) Ries, Heinrich. Ciay Industries of New York. 174p. 2pl. map. Mar. 1895. 30¢. 13 (E3) Lintner, J. A. Some Destructive Insects of New York State; San Jose scdle. 7 540.70 AD. Vogn er a5e 14 (Gr) emt J. F. Geology of Moriah and Westport Townships, Essex Co. N. Y., with notes on the iron mines. 38p. 7pl.. 2 maps. Dep TOQs. Oe : I5 (EG6) Merrill, F: J. H.' Mineral Resources of New York. /224p. 2niaps. Sep. 1895. 406. Volume 4 16 (Art) Beauchamp, W: M. Aboriginal Chipped Stone Implements of New York.. 86p. 23pl. .Oct. 1897. .. 25¢, 17 (EG7). Merrill, F: J. H. Road Materials and Road Building in New York. 52p. 14pl. 2 maps 34x45, 68xgz2cm. Oct. 1897. Z5¢. 8 (AS) separate soc each, two for 15c. (Az) Beauchamp, W: M. Polished Stone Articles used by the New ae Aborigines. roqgp. 35pl. Nov. 1897. 25¢. ° 19 (Gz) Merrill, F: J. H. Guide to the Study of the Geological Col- lections of the New York State Museum. t62p. 11gpl. map. Nov. 1898. 0¢. Volume 5 iy 20 (E4) Felt, E. P. Elm-leaf Beetle in New York State. 46p. il. 5pl. June 1898. 5c. ) } ? ‘ ee 21 22 23 -24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 4z | MUSEUM PUBLICATIONS (G3) Kemp, J. F. Geology of the Lake Placid Region. 24p. ipl. map. Sep. 1898. 5¢. (A3) Beauchamp, W: M. Earthenware of the New York Ab- origines. 78p. 33pl. Oct. 1898. 25¢. (E5) Felt, E. P. 14th Report of the State Entomologist 1898. eSop. uk opl. Dee 1Seqd;:20¢: (E6) Memorial of the Life and Entomologic Work of J. A. Lintner Ph.D. State Entomologist 1874-98; Index to Entomologist’s iNeports 1-137-—~316p: 1pl. Oct.1899:.-' 2c, Supplement to 14th report of the state entomologist. (is2) Peck,” €:) Eiy-Report of thesState Botanist 1898. 76p. spl. Oct. 1899. Out of print. Volume 6 (E77) Felt, E. P. Collection, Preservation and Distribution of New York Insects. 36p.il. Ap. 1899.. 5c. (E8) Shade-tree Pests in New York State. 26p. il. 5pl. May 1899» 5¢. (B4) Peck, C: H. Plants of North Elba. 206p. map. June 1899, 206. (Z3) Miller, G. S. jr. Preliminary List of New York Mammals. reaps. Oct. 1899." Z5c. (EG8) Orton, Edward. Petroleum and Natural Gas in New York. beep: il.'s maps.’ Nov. 1899. 75¢: (Eg) Felt, E. P. xrsth Report of the State Entomologist 1899. 128p. June 1g00. IL5¢. Volume 7 (A4) Beauchamp, W: M. Aboriginal Occupation of New York. Igop. 16pl. 2 maps. Mar. 1900. 300. (Z4) Farr, M.S. Check List of New York Birds. 224p. Ap.1go0. 25¢. (P1) Cumings, E. R. Lower Silurian System of Eastern Mont- gomery County; Prosser, C: S. Notes on the Stratigraphy of Mo- hawk Valley and Saratoga County, N. Y. 74p.1opl. map. May 1900. L5¢. (EGg) Ries, Heinrich. Clays of New York: their Properties and Uses. 456p. 140pl. map. June 1g00. $7, cloth. (Ero) Felt, E. P. 16th Report of the State Entomologist 1goo. 118p.16pl. Mar. 1go1. 25¢. Volume 8 (Err) Catalogue of Some of the More Important Injurious and Beneficial Insects of New York State. 54p.il. Sep. 1g00. soc. (Zs) Miller, G. S.jr. Key to the Land Mammals of Northeastern North America. 106p. Oct. 1900. r5¢. (P2) Clarke, J: M.; Simpson, G: B. & Loomis, F: B. Paleontologic Papers) 1... 72p. i, 16pl, Oct. Ig00. 5¢, Contents: Clarke, J: M. A Remarkable Occurrence of Orthoceras in the Oneonta Beds of the Chenango Valley, N. Y. ——Paropsonema Cryptophya; a Peculiar Echinoderm from the Intumescens- zone (Portage Beds) of Western New York. —— Dictyonine Hexactinellid Sponges from the Upper Devonie of Tey, York. — The Water Biscuit of Squaw Island, Canandaigua Lake/N. Y Simpson, G: B. Preliminary Descriptions of New Generaof Paleozoic Rugose Corals. Loomis, F: B. Silurie Fungi from Western New York. (Z6) Simpson, G: B. Anatomy and Physiology of Polygyra albola- bris and Limax maximus and Pp otoey of Limax maximus. 82p. 28pl. Oct. 1901. 25¢. (As) Beauchamp, W: M. Wampum and Shell Articles used. i by New York Indians. 166p. 28pl. Mar. Mak poe , a = a eS a Ee 2 —- ' UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK 42 (P3) Ruedemann, Rudolf. Hudson River Beds near Albany and their Taxonomic Equivalents. 4114p. 2pl.map. Ap. 1901. 25¢. 43 (27) Kellogg, J. L. Clam and Scallop Industries of New York. 36p. 2pl. map. Ap. Igor. oc. 44 (EGro) Ries, Heinrich. Lime and Cement Industries of New York ; Eckel, E. C. Chapters on the Cement Industry. 332p. 1orpl. 2maps. Dec. igor. &c, cloth. Volume 9 45 (P4) Grabau, A.W. Geology and Paleontology of Niagara Falls and Vicinity. 286p.il.18pl.map. Ap.1gor. 65¢, cloth goc. 46 (E12) Felt, E. P. Scale Insects of Importance and a List of the Species in New York. g4p. il. r5pl. June 1901. 25¢. 47 (E13) Needham, J. G. & Betten, Cornelius. Aquatic Insects in the Adirondacks, 234p. il. 36pl. Sep. 1901. 5c. 48 (G4) Woodworth, J. B. Pleistocene Geology of Nassau County and Borough of Queens. 58p. il. gpl. map. Dec. 19OL. 4 254, | Volume tro 49 (Ps5) Ruedemann, Rudolf; Clarke, J: M. & Wood, Elvira. Paleonto- logic Papers 2. 240p.13pl. Dec. 1901. oc. Contents: Ruedemann, Rudolf. Trenton Conglomerate of Rysedorph Hill. Clarke, J: M. Limestones of Central and Western New York Interbedded with Bituminous Shales of the Marcellus Stage. Wood, Elvira. Marcellus Limestones of Lancaster, Erie Co. N. Y. Clarke, J: M. New Agelacrinites. — Value of Amnigenia as an Indicator of Fresh-water Deposits during the Devonic of New York. Ireland and the Rhineland. 50 (A6) Beauchamp, W: M. Horn and Bone Implements of the New York Indians. s112p.43pl. Mar. 1go2. joc. 51 (Z8) Eckel, E. C. & Paulmier, F.C. Catalogue of Reptiles and Ba- - trachians of New York. 64p. iL tpl. Ap. 1902. 5c. Kekel, E. C. Serpents of Northeastern United States. Paulmier, F.C. Lizards, Tortoises and Batrachians of New York. 52 (P6) Clarke, J: M. Report of the State Paleontologist 1901. 28o0p. il. gpl. map. 1 tab. July 1902. goc. 53 (E14) Felt, E. P. 17th Report of the State Entomologist 1go1. 232p. il. 6pl. Aug. 1902. 30¢. 54 (Bs) Peck, C: H. Report of the State Botanist see 58p. 7pl. Nov. 1902. 40¢. 55 (A7) Beauchamp, W: M. Metallic Implements of ne New York Indians. g4p. 38pl. June 1902. 25¢. 56 (Gs) Merrill, F: 3 H. Geologic Map of New York. Jn press. 57 (E15) Felt, E, P. Elm Leaf Beetle in New York State. 46p. il. 8pl. Aug. 1902. 5c. 58 (Mz) Whitlock, H.P. Guide to the Mineralogic Collections of the New York State Museum. 1 5op.il. 39pl. 11 models. Sep. 1902. 406. 59 (E16) Felt, E. P. Grapevine Root Worm. gop. 6pl. Dec. 1902. Z5¢. 60 (Zg) Bean, T. H. Catalogue of the Fishes of New York. 784p. Feb. 1903. $1, cloth. 61 (EGrr) Dickinson, H. T. Quarries of Bluestone and other Sand- stones in New York. Lh press. 62 (Miscr) Merrill, F: J. H. Directory of Natural History Museums in United States and Canada, Jn press. 63 Clarke, J: M. Stratigraphy of Canandaigua and Naples Quadrangles. 2maps. Jn press. Catalogue of Type Specimens of Paleozoic Fossils in the New York State Museum. Jn press. Ellis, Mary. Bibliography and Index of New York State Museum Publications 1848-1902. Jn press. _ Needham, J. G. & others. Aquatic Insects of New York. /n press. lili niin ae Sailr arin MUSEUM PUBLICATIONS Museum memoirs 1889-date. Q. : 1 Beecher, C: E. & Clarke, J: M. Development of some Silurian Brachiopoda. g6p. 8pl. Oct. 1889. Out of print. 2 Hall, James & Clarke, J: M. Paleozoic Reticulate Sponges. 35op. il. yopl. 1898. $v, cloth. a ae / M. The Oriskany Fauna of Becraft Mountain, Columbia Co. N7Y. 128p. gpl. Oct. 1900... oc. Aeveck, C: H. N.Y. Edible Fungi, 1895-99. 106p. 25pl. Nov. 1900. 75¢. This includes revised descriptions and illustrations of fungi reported in the 49th, 51st and 52d reports of the state botanist. 5 Clarke, J: M. & Ruedemann, Rudolf. Guelph Formation and Fauna of New York State. Jn press. 6 Clarke, J: M. Naples Fauna in Western New York. Jn press. Felt, E. P. Insects Affecting Park and Woodland Trees. Jn prepa- ration. Natural history of New York. 3ov. il.pl.maps. Q. Albany 1842-94. DIVISION 1 zooLoGy. De Kay, James E. Zoology of New York; or, The New York Fauna; comprising detailed descriptions of all the animals hitherto ob- served within the State of New York with brief notices of those occasionally found near its borders, and accompanied by appropriate illustrations. 5v. il. pi. maps. sq..Q. Albany 1842-44. Out of print. Historical introduction to the series by Gov. W:H. Seward. 178p. v.1 ptl Mammalia. 13-+146p. 33pl. 1842. 300 copies with hand-colored plates. vy.2pt2 Birds. 12-+-380p. 141pl. 1844. Colored plates. v.3 pt3 Reptiles and Amphibia. 7-+-98p. pt4 Fishes. 15+415p. 1842. pt3-4 bound together. v.4 Plates to accompany v.3. Reptiles and Amphibia 23pl. Fishes 79pl. 1842. 300 copies with hand-colored plates. v.5 pt5 Mollusea. 4+271p. 40pl. pt6 Crustacea. 70p. 13pl. 1843-44. Hand-colored plates: ptd-6 bound together. : : DIVISION 2 BOTANY. Torrey,Johu. Flora of the State of New York; comprising full descriptions of all the indigenous and naturalized plants hitherto dis- covered in the State, with remarks on their economical and medical proper- ties. 2v. il. pl. sq. Q. Albany 18438. Out of print. v.1 Flora of the State of New York. 12-+-484p. 72pl. 18438. 300 copies with hand-colored plates. v.2 Flora of the State of New York. 572p. 89pl. 1843. 300 copies with hand-colored plates. : DIVISION 3 MINERALOGY. Beck, Lewis C. Mineralogy of New York; comprising detailed descriptions of the minerals hitherto found in the State of New York, and notices of their uses in the arts and agriculture. il. pl.sq.Q. Albany 1842. Out of print. v. 1 ptl Economical Mineralogy. pt2 Descriptive Mineralogy. 24-++-536p. 1842. 8 plates additional to those printed as part of the text. DIVISION 4 GEOLOGY. Mather, W: W.; Emmons, Ebenezer; Vanuxem, Lardner & Hall, James. Geology of New York. 4v.il. pl. sq.Q. Albany 1842-43. Out of print. v.1 ptl Mather, W: W. First Geological District. 37-+-653p. 46pl. 1843. v.2 pt2 Emmons, Ebenezer. Second Geological District. 10+437p.17pl. 1842. v.3 pt3 Vanuxem, Lardner.’ Third Geological District. 306p. 1842. — v. ue Hall, James. Fourth Geological District. 22-+683p. Map and 19pl. 43. DIVISION 5 AGRICULTURE. Emmons, Ebenezer: Agriculture of New York; com- prising an account of the classification, composition and distribution of the ‘soils and rocks aud the natural waters of the different geological formations, together with a condensed view of the meteorology and agricultural produc- tions of the State. 5y. il. pl. sq. Q. Albany 1846-54. Out of print. v.1 Soils of the State, their Composition aud Distribution. 11-+-371p. 21pl. UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK v.2 Analyses of Soils, Plants, Cereals, etc. 8-+343-+-46p. 42pl. 1849. vith hand-colorsd platen? ; Rat eaten Rl v.3 Fruits, etc. 8-++-340p. 1851. v.4 Plates to accompany v.38. 95pl. 1851. Hand-colored. v.5 Insects Injurious to Agriculture. 8-+-272p. 50pl. 1854. With hand-colored plates. DIVISION 6 PALEONTOLOGY. Hall, James. Paleontology of New York. 8v. il. pl. sq. Q@. Albany 1847-94. Bound in cloth. v.1. Organic Remains of the Lower Division of the New York System. 23-++338p. 99pl. 1847. Out of print. vy.2 Organic Remains of Lower Middle Division of the New York System. 84-362). 104p]. 1852. Out of print. v.3 Organic Remaius of the Lower Helderberg Group and the Oriskany Sand- stone. pt1, text. 12-+-532p. 1859. [$3.50] —— pt2, 143pl. 1861. [$2.50] v.4 Fossil Brachiopoda of the Upper Helderberg, Hamilton, Portage and Che- mung Groups. 11-++-1-+428p. 99pl. 1867. $2.50. v.5 ptl Lamellibranchiata 1. Monomyaria of the Upper Helderberg, Hamilton aud Chemung Groups. 18-+-268p. 45p!. 1884. $2.50. —— — Lamellibranchiata 2. Dimyaria of the Upper Helderberg, Hamilton, ~ Portage and Chemung Groups. 62-+-293p. 51pl. 1885. $2.50. —— pt2 Gasteropoda, Pteropoda and Cephalopoda of the Upper Helderberg, Hamilton, Portage and Chemung Groups. 2v. 1879. v. 1, text. 15-+-492p. v.2,120pl. $2.50 for 2 v. v.6 Corals and Bryozoa of the Lower and Upper Helderberg and Hamilton Groups. 24-+-298p. 67pl. 1887. $2.50. v.7 Trilobites and other Crustacea of the Oriskany, Upper Helderberg, Hamil- ton, Portage, Chemung and Catskill Groups. 64+236p. 46pl. 1888. Cont. supplement to v. 5, pt2. Pteropoda, Cephalopoda aud Annelida. 42p. 18pl. 1888. $2.50. v.8 ptl Introduction to the Study of the Genera of the Paleozoic Brachiopoda. 16-+-367p. 44pl. 1892. $2.50. / —— pt2 Paleozoic Brachiopoda. 16-+394p. 84pl. 1894. $2.50. Museum handbooks 1893-date. 7144x12% cm. | In quantities, 1 cent for each 16 pages or less. Single copies postpaid as below. H5 New York State Museum. 14p.il. je. Outlines history and work of the museum; with list of staff and scientific publications, 1893. New edition in press. H13 Paleontology. 8p. 2c. Brief outline of State Museum work in paleontology under heads: Definition ; Relation to biology; Relation to stratigraphy; History of paleontology in New York. : f H15 Guide to Excursions in the Fossiliferous Rocks of New York. PZOp, ie: Itineraries of 32 trips covering nearly the entire series of Paleozoic rocks, pre- pared specially for the use of teachers and students desiring to acquaint them- selves more intimately with the classic rocks of this State. H16 Entomology. 16p. 2c. H17 Economic Geology. Jn preparation. Maps. Merrill, F: J. H. Economic and Geologic Map of the State of New York. 59x67 cm. 1894. Scale 14 miles to 1 inch. Out of print. | New edition in preparation. Printed also with Museum bulletin 15 and the 48th museum report, v. 1. Geologic Map of New York. 1901. Scale 5 milesto rinch. atlas form $3, mounted on rollers $5. Lower Hudson sheet 6oc. The lower Hudson sheet, geologically colored, comprises Rockland, Orange, Dutchess, Putnam, Westchester, New York, Richmond, Kings, Queens and Nassau counties, and parts of Sullivan, Ulster and Suffolk counties; also north- eastern New Jersey and part of western Connecticut. LLU