240 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY ZOOLOGY, VOL. VII. 



Family Siluridre. 

 THE CATFISHES. 



Body more or less elongate; no true scales; 2 dorsal fins, the pos- 

 terior being adipose; upper and lower jaws with barbels, resembling 

 the whiskers on a cat (whence the name catfish) ; dorsal and pectoral 

 fins each with a strong spine. 



a. Adipose fin short, with the posterior margin free and distinct 

 from the caudal fin. 



b. Band of teeth on upper jaw (premaxillary) without lateral 

 backward extensions; anal rays 17 to 35. 



c. Bony bridge from snout to dorsal fin complete; tail deeply 

 forked. Ictalurus, 240 



cc. Bony bridge from snout to dorsal fin not complete ; tail rounded, 

 or slightly emarginate to moderately forked (in the Great Lake 

 species). Ameiurus, 241 



bb. Band of teeth on upper jaw with a lateral backward extension 

 on each side; anal rays 12 to 15. Leptops, 244 



aa. Adipose fin adnate to the back, and separated from caudal fin 

 . by a notch. 



d. Band of teeth on upper jaw with lateral backward extensions. 



Noturus, 244 



dd. Band of teeth on upper jaw without lateral backward exten- 

 sions. Schilbeodes, 245 



Genus Ictalurus Rafinesque. 



CHANNEL CATS. 

 Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque). CHANNEL CAT; FIDDLER. 



Head 3. 6 to 4; depth 2.4 to 5.0; D. 1-6; A. 24 to 29. Body long, 

 slender, compressed posteriorly; head subconic; interorbital space 



FIG. 19- CHANNEL CAT; FIDDLER. 



Ictalurus punctatus (Raf .) . (After Forbes and Richardson.) 



