484 CONTRIBUTIONS TO NORTH AMERICAN ICHTHYOLOGY - IV. 



231. MICROPTERUS Lacepede. 

 Black Bans. 



(llitro and Uri/Klr* I'nvier and Valenciennes: Calliurus, Dioplites, Lepomix, etc., Rafiu- 



esqne.) 



. Hist. Nat. 1'nis-,. iv, 325, 1802: type Mioropterus dolamieu Lar.) 

 Body elongate-ovate, compressed, the back not much elevated. Head 

 oblong-conic. Mouth very large, oblique, the broad maxillary reaching 

 nearly to or beyond the posterior margin of the eye, its supplemental bone 

 \\ ell developed. Lower jaw prominent. Teeth on jaws, vomer, and pala- 

 tines; usually none on the tongue. Preopercle entire; opercnluin end- 

 ing in two Hat points, without cartilaginous ilap. Branchiostegals uor- 

 inallv (>. Scales rather small, weaklv ctenoid. Lateral line continuous. 



V / t/ 



Dorsal fin divided by a deep notch, the spines low and rather feeble, 10 

 in number; anal spines 3; the anal fin much smaller than the dorsal; 

 caudal fin emarginate. Size large. Two species, among the most im- 

 portant of American ''game-fishes." (//j/r/^/c, small; --zpu-^ tin ; the dor- 

 sal fin in the typical specimen having been injured, its posterior rays, 

 detached and bitten off short, were taken by Laeepede for a separate lin.) 



a. Mouth very larjje, the maxillary in the ailnlt extending beyond the orbit : seales 

 rather large, IJ5-70 in the lateral line; 7-b series above lateral line. 



759. JI. s:iitmJcl:'N (Lac.) Henshall. Large-mouthed Hind: Bass; Oawego Haw; 



<;>(< n HHXH ; Hayou 



Body ovate-fusiform, becoming deeper with age, moderately coin 

 pressed. Head'large. .Month ^ery wide, the maxillary in the adult 

 reaching beyond the eye; in the young shorter. Scales on the cheek 

 in about 10 rows; scales on the trunk comparatively large. Lingual 

 teeth sometimes present. Dorsal lin very deeply notched. Colora- 

 tion of the young dark-green above; sides ami below greenish-silvery; 

 a MaeUish stripe along the sides from opercle to the middle of the 

 caudal tin: t hree dark oblique stripes across the cheeks and opercles; 

 below and above the lateral hand some dark spots; caudal tin pale at 

 base, then blackish, whitish at tip; belly white. As the fish grows 

 older the black lateral band breaks up and grows fainter, and the color 

 becomes more and more of a uniform pale dull green, the back being 

 darker; a dark opercular blotch usually present. Head ."',: depth 3. 

 J). X, I.",; A. Ill, 11; scales S-US-li;. L. 1-1' feet. Kivers of the 

 I nited States, from the Cicat Lakes and lied Kiver of the North 

 to I'loiida and Texas; everywhere abundant, preferring lakes, bayous, 



