126 FISHES OF ILLINOIS 



ABRAMIS CRYSOLEUCAS (Mitchill) 



GOLDEN shiner; ROACH; BREAM 

 (Map XXXI) 



Mitchill, 1814, Rep. Fish. N. Y., 23 (Cyprinus). 



G., VII, 305 (americanus), 306 (leptosomus) ; J. & G., 249 (Notemigonus leptosomiis), 

 250 (N. chrysoleucus); M. V., 68 (Notemigonus); J. & E., I, 250; N., 48 (Note- 

 migonus americanus); J., 61 (Notemigonus); F. F., I. 6, 81 (Notemigonus 

 chrysoleucus); F., 74 (Notemigonus); L., 15. 



The small, pointed head, greatly compressed form, strongly decurved 

 lateral line, and the sharp keel on the belly behind the ventral fins, will as a 

 rule distinguish this species with readiness from all other Illinois species of 

 its family. Length 6 to 8 inches; body moderately elongate in the young, 

 in adults becoming very deep and strongly compressed, the thickness in the 

 predorsal region contained sometimes nearly three times in the greatest 

 depth in fully adult specimens; depth 3 to 3.6 in length; caudal peduncle 

 short, its greatest depth 1.4 to 1.7 in its length. Color a clear dark greenish 

 olive above, becoming steel-blue in some lights; sides silvery, with bright 

 golden reflections; a half-diamond-shaped or triangular spot of dark color 

 more or less evident at base of exposed portion of each scale; dorsal and anal 

 fins tipped with dusky; lower fins yellow, the ventrals bright orange at tips 

 in breeding individuals of boths sexes; young with a faint vertebral streak 

 and a distinct dark band along sides. Head small, subconic, flattened on 

 the sides, 4 to 4.5 in length; width ofliead 17 to 1.9 in its length; interorbital 

 space, 2.4 to 2.7 in head, markedly convex; eye 3.4 to 4.4 in head, within the 

 anterior half of the head, and rather low, about as near chin as crown; nose 

 sharply pointed, appreciably longer than eye, 3.2 to 3.8 in head; mouth 

 rather small, terminal, oblique, tip of upper lip even with top of pupil; maxil- 

 lary not reaching past anterior nostril; 3.5 to 3.9 in head; jaws about equal; 

 isthmus less than pupil. Teeth 5-5 to 4-4, constricted at base and sometimes 

 slightly hooked; intestine from 1 to 1.8 times length of head and body; peri- 

 toneum lightly specked with dusky. Dorsal fin with 8 rays, set distinctly 

 behind ventrals, its first ray about equidistant between upper corner of 

 gill-opening and base of caudal; longest dorsal ray 1 to 1.3 in head; anal rays 

 11 to 14; pectorals 1.1 to 1.3 in head, reaching about % to ventrals; ventrals 

 falling short of vent in adults. Scales 9 to 1 1 , 45 to 52, 3 ; lateral fine complete, 

 broadly and deeply decurved, and often flexuose from back of opercle to a 

 point about midway of caudal peduncle, its distance from the back in the 

 middle of the body 2}/^ times the interval below. 



This extremely abundant species occurs from New Bruns- 

 wick and the Province of Quebec southward to St. Johns River 

 and the lakes of Orange county, Florida, westward to the 

 branches of the Missouri in the Dakotas, and southwest to the 

 Nueces River in Texas. It is not reported from the Great Lakes. 

 Professor Hay says that it prefers slow streams and grassy ponds, 

 and is sometimes found in large numbers in the muddiest and 

 most uninviting holes. In Ohio, Osburn found it chiefly in 

 ponds, quiet pools, and weedy bayous. According to Dr. Bean, 



