50 ti CONTRIBUTIONS TO NORTH AMERICAN ICHTHYOLOGY - IV. 



II. nigl'ofasciatus Agassiz:. Crawl-a-lottom. 

 Head and body stout and heavy, the body compressed. Mouth moder- 

 ate, the maxillary reaching front of eye; eye moderate, 4 in head. 

 Scales rather large. Fins all large. Breast usually naked, but some- 

 times closely scaled; scales on the median line of the belly somewhat en- 

 larged, but not caducous nor especially spinous. Dark olive above, with 

 blackish markings; sides with vertical bars, somewhat diamond-shaped, 

 but quite narrow; these acute above and below, more or less confluent 

 along the middle, about 12 in number; the bands dark greenish, vary- 

 ing to jet black, most distinct near the middle of the body and broadest 

 behind; inner half of each of the vertical fins black; outer half more or 

 less speckled and barred; top of head black, a black band through eye 

 and snout, and a dark vertical shade below the eye; a small black spot 

 between two smaller ones at base of caudal fin. Head 4; depth 5. D. 

 X 1 1-12 ; A. II, 10; scales 7-58-15. L. 4 inches. Eivers of the Southern 

 States from South Carolina to Louisiana; one of the largest of the 

 darters. 



(Agassiz, Amor. Journ. Sci. Arts, xvii, 305, 18G4; Jordan, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. 

 Y., lrt?7, 310: J'lfniaijcrnt <r;w Vaillaut, 1. c., 37: .llrorrtins spiUinttiii Hay, Proc. 

 U. S. Nat. Mus. 1-< W 0, 491, from C'liickasa \vlia K'ivcr. Mississippi, specimens with the 

 eye larger, the suout more pointed, the iius higher, and the color very dark.) 



263. NOTBIO^OTUS Agassiz. 

 Slue-breasted Darters. 



(Agassiz, Bull. Mns. Comp. Zool. 1863, i, 3: type Ethcostoma maciilatum Kirtland.) 



Body robust, or rather elongate, compressed. Mouth terminal, mod- 

 erate; the lower jaw somewhat included; premaxillaries not protractile; 

 maxillary movable. Teeth strong, present on vomer and palatines. 

 Gill-membranes scarcely connected. Scales moderate or small, ctenoid; 

 those of the middle line of the belly not enlarged, persistent. Lateral 

 line will developed, nearly straight. Fins large, with strong spines; 

 first dor>al longer and larger than the second with 10 to 15 spines ; anal 

 with t\\<> strong spines, the anterior usually the larger. Coloration 

 often brilliant. (;<><>>;, prominent; >w7c, back, in allusion to the large 

 si/e of the, dorsal tins, the name given in opposition to Catonotus.) 



a. Hi .nl -hurt, tin- iiin/vlc abruptly di-mrvrd ; hit. 1. 52 ; dorsal spines 10 to 12: fius 



dock-edged. 



791. N. CHllllll'lls (Cope.) .lor. />'// -hnn^h'/l Darter. 



Body stout; head short ; mu/y.le abruptly decnrved, the mouth some- 

 what inferior; lower jaw included. Caudal broad, truncate. Males very 



