312 



Percoidea, or Perch-like Fishes 



with alternate bands of dark blue-green and orange-red, most 

 exquisite in their arrangement. In the South, Hadropterus 

 nigrofasciatus, the crawl-a-bottom of the Georgia rivers, is 

 a heavily built darter, which Vaillant has considered the ances- 

 tral species of the group. Still more swift in movement and 

 bright in color are the species of Hypohomus, which flash their 

 showy hues in the sparkling brooks of the Ozark and the Great 

 Smoky Mountains. Hypohomus aurantiacus is the best-known 

 species. 



Diplesion blennioides, the green-sided darter, is the type 

 of numerous species with short heads, large fins, and coloration 



FIG. 246. Green-sided Darter Diplesion blennioides Rafinesque Clinch River. 



Family Perddas. 



of speckled green and golden. It abounds in the streams of 

 the Ohio Valley. 



The tessellated darters, Boleosoma, are the most plainly 

 colored of the group and among the smallest; yet in the 



Fio. 247. Tessellated Darter, Boleosoma olmstedi (Storer). Potomac River. 



delicacy, wariness, and quaintness of motion they are among 

 the most interesting, especially in the aquarium. Boleosoma 



