LOTA — BURBOTS 331 



form tooth; vomer with a broad crescentic band of villiform teeth; no toeth 

 on palatines; dorsal fins 2, the first short, the second long and similar to the 

 anal: caudal rounded, its outer rays procurrenl : scales very small, embedded; 

 vertical fins scaly. One or two species; confined to the fresh waters of 

 northern regions. 



to* 



LOTA MACULOSA (Le Sueur) 

 burbot; ling; eel-pout 



Le Sueur, 1817, J. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., I, 83 (Gadus). 



G., TV, 359 (vulgaris, part); J. & G., 802; M. V., 162 (lota); J. & E., Ill, 2550; N., 

 42 (lacustris); J., 51 (lacustris); F., 62; F. F., II. 7, 433; L., 30. 



Length 2 feet ; body extremely elongate, not much compressed, except 

 posteriorly, the back low and the profile long and straight; depth 7.6; greatest 

 width of body about .7 to .9 greatest depth. Color "dark olive, thickly 

 marbled and reticulated with blackish, yellowish or dusky beneath; young 

 often sharply marked, the adult becoming dull grayish; vertical fins with 

 dusky margins" (Jordan and Evermann). Head broad and depressed, 4.7 

 to 5 in length; width head 1.6 in its length; interorbital space flat, 3.4 to 3.6 

 nose 2}/2 times eye, 3.4 to 3.5, each nostril with a short barbel i}/i eye) 

 mouth horizontal, rather large, maxillary past back of pupil, 2.5 to 2.6 

 chin with a single median barbel Vyo times length of eye; gill-rakers short, 

 about 3+6. Dorsal 12 or 13, 70 to 75, the second very long and low, its 

 longest rays less than half head; caudal rounded, its outer rays procurrent, 

 the separation between caudal, dorsal, and anal slight; anal rays about 65; 

 ventrals inserted before pectorals; pectorals V/i in head. Scales very small, 

 embedded, 27 to 30 in an oblique series from front of second dorsal to lateral 

 line; cheeks and opercles with very small embedded scales; all fins more or 

 less scaly. 



The range of this species is throughout New England and 

 the Great Lake region and northward to the Arctic zone, in 

 lakes and sluggish streams; occasionally taken in the Ohio and 

 the upper Mississippi. Additional to its occurrence in Lake 

 Michigan, we have specimens on record also from the Illinois 

 River at Peoria, Havana, Meredosia, and Naples, from the 

 Rock River at Milan, and from the Mississippi at Rock Island. 

 These are all cases of the occurrence of a single fish in a place, 

 and there is nothing to indicate any permanent invasion of our 

 rivers by this species. 



The burbot lives in deep water, where it lies during the day 

 under the shelter of stones (Brehm). It is exceedingly vora- 

 cious, not even sparing its own kind. Zadock Thompson* says 

 that he has taken specimens with the abdomen so much dis- 

 tended with food as to give the fish the appearance of a globe- 



* Evermann and Kendall, Rep. U. S. Fish Comm.. 1894, p. 003. 



