224 NORTHERN FISHES 



small size it is probably often overlooked in collecting. It is said to 

 prefer small brooks and ponds and usually lives in dense vegetation. 



Cox (1897) considered it rather common in Minnesota in the streams 

 and lakes of the Upper Mississippi and reported it from Pine Creek in 

 Crow Wing County and from Grand Rapids. There are specimens in 

 the University of Minnesota collections from Crow Wing County. 

 Greene (1935) reported it from the St. Croix River above Taylors 

 Falls and from all the major drainages in Wisconsin. 



GENUS Crystallaria Jordan and Gilbert 



CRYSTAL DARTER 



Crystallaria asprella (Jordan) 



This is a slender translucent darter with 3 or 4 saddle marks across 

 the back. The cheeks may be naked or partly covered with thinly 

 scattered scales. The opercles have a few pectinate scales on the upper 

 portion. The nape is scaled but the throat, breast, and belly are naked 

 except sometimes for part or all of the space in front of the ventral 

 fins directly under the pelvic girdle. The dorsal fin has 7 to 8 spines 

 and 13 to 15 soft rays. The dorsal spinous and soft portions are widely 

 separated. The scales are 8-10, 89-97, 9-11 (12-16) . It reaches a length 

 of 3 to 4 inches. 



This is a southern darter, ranging from Arkansas and Alabama into 

 Indiana and Illinois. A few specimens of this species were collected by 

 Dr. John Greenbank from the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi River 

 below Winona on August 2, 1945. This is the most northern record 

 known. 



GENUS Etheostoma Rafinesqiie 



NORTHERN GREENSIDE DARTER 



Etheostoma bleiinioides blennioides Rafinesque 



The body of the northern greenside darter is elongate and little com- 

 pressed. The head is thick, with a very convex profile. The eyes are set 

 high and close together. The mouth is small and inferior. The scales 

 number 65-78. The cheeks, opercles, and neck are scaly; the breast is 

 naked. The dorsal fin has 13 spines and 13 soft rays, the anal fin 2 

 spines and 8 soft rays. The color and markings are olive green, mottled 

 above. On the sides there are eight double transverse bars, each pair 

 forming a Y-shaped figure of a deep-green color. The sides are covered 

 with orange dots; the fins are bluish green with orange-red markings. 

 This darter reaches a length of 5 inches. 



The northern greenside darter ranges from Illinois eastward into 



