FISHES OF NEW YORK 167 



abundant fish in most of our larger, warmer rivers and in the 

 ponds and bayous of the Mississippi valley. On the south shore 

 of Lake Erie (and in the Mississippi near Quincy 111. and the 

 Delaware river) it has become well established and is of con- 

 siderable commercial importance. (After Jordan and Evermann) 



100 Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus 

 Carp (Introduced) 



Cyprinus carpio Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. ed. X, I, 320, 1758; Cuvier & Val- 

 enciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss. XVI, 23, 1842; De Kay, N. Y. Fauna, 

 Fishes, 188, 1812; Heckel &, Kner, Sussw. Fische, 54, fig. 21, 1858; 

 GuNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 25, 1868; Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 

 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 254, 1883; Goode, Fish. & Fish. U. S. I, pi. 

 230, Leather carp, 1884; American Fishes, 411, figure, 1888; Bean, 

 Fishes Penna. 55, pi. 1, colored, 1893; Jordan «& Evermann, Check- 

 List Fishes N. A. 512, 1896. 



The carp has a stout and moderately elongate body and a 

 small head. The greatest depth equals one third of the length 

 without the caudal fin. The length of the head is nearly one 

 fourth of the total to the base of the tail. The caudal peduncle 

 is about two fifths as deep as the body, and the caudal fin is 

 strongly forked. The eye diameter is contained six and one 

 half times in the length of the head. The mouth is moderate, 

 the upper jaw not extending to front of eye. The dorsal begins 

 at a distance from tip of snout equal to twice length of head; 

 the length of its base equals twice length of pectoral; the long- 

 est ray equals length of head without the snout; the last ray is 

 two fifths as long as the head. The anal begins under the 15th 

 ray of the dorsal; its longest ray is two thirds as long as the 

 head and more than twice as long as the last ray; the length 

 of its base is about two fifths of length of head. The ventral 

 begins under the second ray of the dorsal; its length nearly 

 equals longest dorsal ray. The pectoral is nearly one fifth of 

 total length without the caudal. The long spines of the dorsal 

 and anal are strongly serrate along their hinder edges. A bar- 

 bel on the upper lip and another at the angle of the mouth on 

 each side; the longest barbel about equal to diameter of eye. 

 Three varieties are recognized, the scale, the mirror and the 



