FISHES OF NEW YORK 91 



Genus noturus Rafinesque 



Body moderately elongate, robust except in caudal part, which 

 is much compressed; head flat and broad; mouth terminal, 

 broad; teeth in broad villiform bands on premaxillaries and 

 dentaries; teeth of upper jaw prolonged backward into an elon- 

 gate, triangular extension; adipose fin adnate to the back; a 

 poison gland at the base of the pectoral spine. Represented by 

 a single species inhabiting rivers and channels. 



51 Noturus flavus Rafinesque 



Stone Cat 



Xotiirus flavus Rafinesque, Ichth. Ohien. 68, 1820; Stoker, Syu. Fisb. N. A. 



154, 1846; Jordan & Gilbert. Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 100, 1883; 



GtJNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. V, 104, 1864; Bean, Fishes Penna. IS, 



1893; Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 144, 1896, pi. 



XXVII, fig. 63, 1900. 

 Fimelodus flavus De Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 187, 1&42 (after Kirtland). 



The stonecat has a moderately elongate body, whose great- 

 est depth and width are nearly equal; the tail is much com- 

 pressed, and the head flat and broad. The greatest depth of the 

 body is nearly one fifth of the total length without the caudal; 

 rhe least depth of the caudal peduncle equals nearly one half 

 the length of head. The mouth is terminal, horizontal, its width 

 equal to postorbital part of head and to length of maxillary 

 barbel; longer barbel on chin not quite one half as long as the 

 head. Nasal barbel when laid back reaches end of eye. The 

 width of the band of teeth in the upper jaw equals one third the 

 length of head; the backward prolongation is little longer than 

 the eye. The distance between the eyes equals length of snout 

 and eye. The snout is one half as long as the postorbital part 

 of the head. The dorsal origin is at a distance from tip of 

 snout nearly equal to one third of the total length without cau- 

 dal. The dorsal base is one half as long as the head. The spine 

 is very sharp and as long as the snout. The longest ray is 

 nearly one half as long as the head. The ventral origin is not 

 far behind the end of the dorsal base; the fin reaches a little 

 beyond the vent, but not to the anal origin. The pectoral reaches 

 to below the third dorsal ray, its spine about two fifths as long 



