FISHES OF NEW YORK 513 



red; caudal greenish with faint bars. Females and young are 

 less conspicuously colored, but in the same general pattern. 



The green-sided darter extends from Pennsylvania westward 

 to Kansas and south to Alabama. The U. S. Fish Commission 

 had specimens from Sandy creek, North Hamlin N. Y., Aug. 20. 



The species is notable for its beauty; it grows to a length of 5 

 inches; it is common in gravelly streams and occurs only in clear 

 water. In habits it is similar to the Johnnv darter, but it is less 

 tenacious of life than that fish. In the aquarium it is shy and 

 retiring, spending most of its time in the concealment of water 

 plants or decorative rock work. 



Genus boleosoma De Kay 

 Body moderately elongate, fusiform, but slightly translucent; 

 head small, narrowed forward, the profile convex; mouth email, 

 horizontal, the lower jaw included; premaxillary protractile; 

 maxillaries not adnate to preorbital; vomerine teeth present; 

 scales large; lateral line continuous or interrupted behind; belly 

 with ordinary scales; gill membranes broadly or narrowly con- 

 nected ; dorsal spines usually nine, very slender and flexible, soft 

 dorsal much larger than anal; anal normally with a single, short, 

 slender spine, the first soft ray simple, but articulate; ventrals 

 well separated; vertebrae (B. nigrum) 15+22=37; pyloric 

 caeca three to six; frontal region of skull very short and narrow; 

 parietal region flattish above; no supraoccipital crest. Colora- 

 tion olivaceous and speckled, the males with inky black in spring; 

 no red or blue. Size small. Very active little fishes, abounding 

 among weeds in clear streams. 



253 Boleosoma nigrum (Rafinesque) 

 JoJmni/ Darter 



Etheostoma nigrum Rafinesque, Ichthyol, Ohien, 37, 1820; Bean, Fishes 



Penna. 120, 1893. 

 Boleosoma maculatum Agassiz, Lake Superior, 305, pi. IV, fig. 3, 1850, Fort 



William; Guntiier, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 77, 1859. 

 Boleosoma nigrum Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 492, 1888; 



Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 1056, 1896, pi. CLXX, 



fig. 450, 1900. 



The body is slender, spindle-shaped. The conical head is con- 

 tained slightly more than four times and the depth about five 



