FAMILY PERCIDAE 215 



are barred; the suborbital stripe is large and black. The river darter 

 reaches a length of 3 inches. 



This species ranges from southern Manitoba and western Ontario to 

 Ohio and southward to eastern Oklahoma and northern Alabama. In 

 Minnesota it is apparently restricted to the larger rivers over most of 

 the state. Greene (1935) reported it from Lake St. Croix and various 

 points along the Mississippi and from several of the large tributaries 

 of the Mississippi in Wisconsin. Hankinson (1929) reported it from the 

 Red River drainage. It is one of the most common darters in Lake of the 

 Woods. Hubbs (1928) demonstrated that Alvordius guntheri (Eigen- 

 mann and Eigenmann) is a synonym of this species. 



GENUS Hadroptenis Agassiz 



BLACKSIDE DARTER 



Hadropterus maculatus (Girard) 



The body of the blackside darter is fusiform and rather elongate. The 

 head is not very slender; the muzzle is moderate; the maxillary reaches 

 just past the front of the eye. The scales number 9-56-17. The cheeks 

 are usually covered with small scales; the nape may be scaly or not; the 

 breast is naked. The dorsal spines number 13-15 and the soft dorsal 

 rays 12; the anal spines number 2, the rays 9. The color and markings 

 are greenish yellow with dark, more or less confluent blotches along 

 the side; the fins are barred. A small black spot is present at the base 

 of the caudal fin. The blackside darter reaches a length of 3 to 4 inches. 



The blackside darter ranges from southern Manitoba into New York 

 and southward to Oklahoma and Alabama. It is rather common in south- 

 ern Minnesota streams but is rare northward. It has been found in the 

 Sturgeon and Red Lake rivers but does not occur in the collections from 

 the Mississippi above St. Anthony Falls. It has been found in Minne- 

 sota in small streams in Rock County, in the Mississippi at Winona, 

 and in the Cannon River. Greene (1935) reported it as common over 

 most of Wisconsin and absent only from the Lake Superior drainage. 

 Although present in lakes it is essentially a stream fish. 



SLENDERHEAD DARTER 



Hadropterus phoxocephalus (Nelson) 



The body of the slenderhead darter is thin and elongate. This darter 

 has a very slender head and a long acuminate snout. The jaws are 

 subequal; the mouth is large; the maxillary reaches the eye. The scales 

 number 12-68-12. The nape is scaly and the breast naked. The dorsal 

 spines number 12, the soft rays 13. The anal fin has 2 spines and 9 soft 

 rays. The color and markings are yellowish brown. The lateral spots 



