CARPIODES — CARP-SUCKERS 



77 



It is sold for food, but is flavorless and soft. It breeds in spring, 

 but the time of spawning is not indicated by our notes. 



This fish is closely related to C. difformis, from which it may 

 be distinguished by the more pointed snout, smaller eye, and 

 more robust, subfusiform body. It and the next species agree 

 in the shortness of the snout, 3^ to 4}^ in head, and in the an- 

 terior position of the nostrils, and both are by these marks 

 readily distinguishable, except in the case of very young speci- 

 mens, from thomysoni and velijer, in which species the snout is 

 notably longer, 3 to 33^ in head, and the nostrils are situated 

 far back from the end of the snout, the distance from the anterior 

 nostril to the end of the muzzle being greater than the diameter 

 of the eve. 



Fig. 18 



CARPIODES DIFFORMIS Cope 



BLUNT-NOSED RIVER CARP 

 (Map XIII) 



Cope, 1S70, P. Amer. Phil. Soc, 480. 



J. & G., 120; M. V., 45 (Ictiobus); J. & E., I, 166; N., 49 (Ichthyobus) ; J., 65 (dif- 

 formis and (?) cutisanserinus) ; F., 81 (Ictiobus cyprinus, part); L... 12. 



Body short, compressed, the back much arched, ventral surface broad 

 and nearly straight; depth 2.4 to 2.7 in length. Size small, seldom over 12 

 inches in length. Color silvery, obscured above by smoky olive, much as in 

 the preceding species. Head small, short and deep, its length 3.9 to 4.3, 

 depth 4.5 to 4.9, width 5.7 to 6.4 in length of body, snout short, very blunt, 

 the muzzle squarish, distance from eye to tip 3.9 to 4.5 in head, usually 

 greater than 4; nostrils near tip of snout, distance from anterior nostril to 

 end of snout being ^3 to ^ diameter of orbit; mouth wholly inferior, not 



