FUNDULUS — KILLIFISHES 313 



dots on sides, not connected in wavy lines as in females, and with about 10 

 narrow transverse bars of dusky olive; conspicuous reddish brown spots on 

 proximal half of caudal and fainter ones on dorsal and anal. Head 3.5 to 4.3, 

 broad and flat above; width of head 1.5 to 1.7 in its length; interorbital space 

 1.9 to 2.3 (usually about 2); eye 2.8 to 3.4; nose 2.8 to 3.7; mouth small, 

 maxillary 2.8 to 3.3, mandible less than diameter of eye; lower jaw scarcely 

 projecting; teeth pointed, those on lower jaw rather short and weak. Dorsal 

 inserted behind ventrals, its rays 7; anal rays 9 or 10, the fin much longer in 

 males than in females; ventrals to vent; pectorals nearly to ventrals, 1.5 to 

 1.8 in head. Scales 34 to 36; transverse series 11; no lateral line; cheeks and 

 opercles covered with large scales. 



This little killifish although occurring in all parts of the 

 state, is peculiarly distributed. Nearly all our collections of it 

 have been made along the course of the larger rivers- — not from 

 the streams themselves, however, but rather from the weedy 

 lakes and ponds of the river bottoms and the upland lakes of 

 northeastern Illinois. Consistently with this statement, the 

 frequency coefficient of this species is 2.17 for lakes and sloughs, 

 and but .22 for creeks, and .67 for the larger rivers. None of 

 our 83 collections has been taken in rivers of the second class. 



The known general distribution of the species is rather 

 limited, extending from lakes and sluggish streams of northern 

 Ohio westward to Missouri and southward to the Pearl and 

 Big Black rivers in Mississippi. 



This minnow swims habitually at the surface with the head 

 and back showing, in which position it may be easily identified 

 by a bright silvery spot on the top of the head. About 

 half the food of the specimens studied by us consisted of insects, 

 fully half of these land insects which had fallen into the water. 

 Mollusks and crustaceans, with a small amount of the more 

 delicate aquatic vegetation, were the other objects of the food. 



Ripe fishes of both sexes were obtained by us at Havana 

 on the 29th of May, 1896. 



FUNDULUS NOTATUS (Eafinesque) 



TOP-MINNOW 

 (Map LXV) 



Rafinesque, 1820, Ichth. Oh., 86 (Semotilus). 



G., VI, 314 and 315 (Haplochilus pulchellus and aureus); J. & G.. 339 (Zygonectes) ; 



M. v., 86 (Zygonectes); J. & E., I, 659; N., 42 (Zygonectes); J., 52 (Zygonectes); 



F., 72 (Zygonectes); F. F., I. 6, 71 (Zygonectes); L., 22. 



Length 2}/^ to 3 inches; body moderately elongate, flattened above, 

 httle compressed anteriorly; (iepth in length 4.4 to 5.3; greatest width more 

 than ^ greatest depth; depth caudal peduncle 1.5 to 2.1 in its length. Color 

 (females) brownish olive with a purplish black lateral band continued for- 



