84 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



45 Ameiurus natalis (Le Sueur) 



Yellow Cat 



Pimelodus natalis LE SVETJR, Mem. Mus. d'Hist. Nat. Y, 154, 1819. 

 Pimelodus cupreus DE KAY, N. Y. Fauna. Fishes, 187, 1842. (name only) 

 Amiurus natalis Gi'NTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. V, 101, 1864; JORDAN & 



GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 105, 1883. 

 Ameiurus natalis JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 139, 1S96. 



The yellow catfish is robust, and has a rather broad head. 

 The month 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 asinNoturus, oppo- 

 site to and longer than anal; caudal rounded. D. I, 6; A. 24; 

 V. I., 8. 



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. 



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 THOMPSON, Hist. Vermont, 138, 1842. 



Amiurus vulgaris NELSON, Bull. Ills. Mus. Nat. Hist. 50, 1876; JORDAN & 



GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 105, 1883. 

 Amiurus dekayi JORDAN, Man. Vert. 302, 1876; GOODE, Fish. & Fish. InJ. 



U. S. I, pi. 234, 1884; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 15, pi. 18, fig. 24. 



