164 FISHES OF ILLINOIS 



Taken by us in only three collections — from the Rock River 

 at Erie, from Green River at Cleveland, and from the Illinois 

 River at Naples. The first two came from fairly swift water 

 running over rock and gravel. The species is said to be rather 

 common in sandy river channels from Iowa and southern Illinois 

 southward to the Alabama River. It ranges also westward and 

 northward in the Missouri to Nebraska and Minnesota. 



HYBOPSIS DISSIMILIS (Kiktland) 



SPOTTED SHINER 



(Map XLVIII) 



Kirtland, 1840, Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist., Ill, 341 (Luxilus). 



G., VII, 177 (Ceratichthys); J. & G., 215 (Ceratichthys) ; M. V., 64; J. & E., I, 318; 

 N., 45 (Ceratichthys); J., 62 (Ceratichthys); F., 74 (Semotilus); L., 19. 



Known from H. amhlops, which, of our species, it most resembles, by- 

 its more slender body, smaller eye, and more or less mottled coloration. 



Length 3 inches; body long and slender, 

 subfusiform, little compressed, depth 4.7 

 to 5.3 in length; caudal peduncle slender, 

 about equal to the head, its depth 2.3 to 

 2.8 in its length. Color ohvaceous, the 

 sides silvery; a more or less distinct 



- bluish lateral band, most evident poste- 



FiG. 42 riorly, in places widened or broken into 



blotches; back and sides marked with 

 irregularly X-shaped splotches formed by dark punctulations on the scales; 

 a dusky band through eye to end of snout; fins plain. Head somewhat long 

 flattish above, 3.9 to 4.2 in length, its width 1.9 to 2.2 in its length; interorbital 

 space 3.3 to 3,9; eye 3.1 to 3.8, httle elliptical; nose 2.4 to 2.7 in head, bluntly 

 pointed and somewhat decurved, projecting little beyond the mouth; mouth 

 horizontal, inferior, tip of lower jaw as far in front of anterior nostril as that 

 is in front of eye; length of maxillary 3.6 to 4.3 in head, reaching to anterior 

 nostril; barbel usually rather less than diameter of pupil; isthmus wide, its 

 breadth equal to diameter of orbit. Teeth 4-4, with very narrow grinding 

 surface; intestine 1 to 1.5 times length of head and body; peritoneum black. 

 Dorsal fin with 8 rays, set distinctly in front of ventrals, and about equidistant 

 between tip of snout and base of caudal; longest dorsal ray 1.1 to 1.3 in head; 

 anal rays 7; pectorals about f4: to ventrals; ventrals to vent. Scales 5 or 6, 

 38-47, 4 or 5; 14 to 17 rows before dorsal; lateral line complete, nearly straight. 



No females with eggs found in our collections, which are 

 few, and mostly taken in midsummer or after. Males with 

 organs apparently well developed, but without tubercles, taken 

 in the middle of June. 



