GENUS SCAPHIRHYNCHUS HECKEL 



Snout broad, depressed, and shovel-shaped; caudal peduncle 

 very long, strongly depressed, broader than deep; rows of bony 

 bucklers confluent below the dorsal fin, forming a complete coat 

 of mail on the tail, which is produced in a long filament beyond 

 the caudal fin, this longest in the young; gillrakers somewhat 

 fan-shaped; no pseudobranchiae. 



The single species of this genus is an inhabitant of the United 

 States, but others closely related, forming the genus Kessleria, are 

 found in Central Asia. 



Shovel-nosed Sturgeon 



Scaphirhynchus platorynchus (Rafinesque) 



The shovel-nosed sturgeon is known only from the upper and 

 middle Mississippi Valley. It is probably most abundant in the 

 larger streams of the Central States, especially in the Ohio, Illinois 

 and Missouri. During the month of May it is caught in consider- 

 able numbers at the Falls of the Ohio. At that time it is run- 

 ning up stream and, as it then swims near the surface, the 

 fishermen capture it by means of seines weighted to fish the top 

 rather than the bottom. It is found associated with the paddle- 

 fish and the Ohio shad, which run at the same time. The shovel- 

 nose is also taken on set-lines baited with cut-bait or small fish. 



According to the books, this species reaches a length of 8 

 feet, but we have never seen an example even approximating 

 that size. Numerous specimens examined by us in the Wabash 

 and Ohio rivers did not show any exceeding 4 feet in total 

 length. The average length of 62 individuals examined by us at 

 Louisville was 2 feet and the average weight 2\ pounds. The 

 largest example among these was a female, 28 inches long, and 

 weighing 4% pounds. Examples from the Wabash River, seen at 



13 



