Jorda?i and Evermann. — Fishes of JVorth America. 137 



Subgenus HAUSTOR, Jordan & Evermaun. 



•209. AMEIUUUS L.U'USTRIS, (Walbaum.) 



(Catfish of the Lakes; Oreat Fork-tailed Cat ; Mississippi Cat; Florida Cat; Flannel 

 MOUTH Cat; Matiiemeg, or Ugly fish.) 



Head 4 in length; depth 5; distance to dorsal spine 2^. D. 1,5; P. I, 

 9; A. 28 (25 to 32). Body rather stouter, head much broader, lower, 

 and more depressed than in Ictdlurus punctatus, its greatest width % 

 its length. Interorbital space somewhat more than \ the length of head. 

 Width of the mouth about i head. Eye moderate, wholly in front of 

 middle point of head. Top of head covered with a thicker skin than in 

 punctatus, so that the bones are nearly concealed. Upper surface of the 

 head quite liattish; so that the eyes are much nearer the upper than the 

 lower surface of the head. Barbels long, all black, the maxillary barbel 

 reaching beyond head. Humeral process very short and blunt, covered 

 by skin, a little more than \ the length of the pectoral spine. Caudal 

 deeply forked, the upper lobe rather longer and narrower than the lower ; 

 dorsal a little nearer snout than adipose fin. Anal base as long as head. 

 Olivaceous slaty, growing darker with age; sides pale, without dark 

 spots ; anal dusky edged. Saskatchewan River and Great Lakes to 

 Florida and Texas ; abundant in all large bodies of water, especially 

 in the Mississippi and the Great Lakes. One of the largest of the cat- 

 fishes, reaching a weight of 150 pounds or more, {lacusiris, living in 

 lakes.) 



Gadiis lacuslri.1, Walhaum, Artedi Pise, 1792, 144, Arctic America, based on tlio Mathemeg, 



or Land Cod, of Pennant. 

 Pimelodiis nigricans, Le StEUR, Mum. Mils., v, 153, 1819, Lake Erie; Lake Ontario. 

 Pimelodus vigreseens, Richardson, Fauna. Bor. Amer., iii, 183(5, 134, after Le Sueur. 

 Pimelodus borealis, Richardson, I. c.., 135, 183G, Pine Island Lake. 

 Amiuriishnrealis, GfiNTHER, Cat., v, 100,18(14; Jordan, /. c, 84,1877. 

 Icialitnis lacnslris, Jordan & Gilbert, Syuopais, 108,1883. 



Amiurus ponderosus, *Bean, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mas., 1879, 286, St. Louis. (Type, 23388.) 

 Iclalnriis j7onderosus, Jordan & Gilbert, Synopsis, 189, 1883. 

 Ictalunis nigricans, Jordan & Gilbert, Synopsis, 882, 1883. 



210. AMEIIRUS LUPUS, (Girard). 

 Anal 23. Body rather slender. Head narrow, longer than broad, its 

 width 4f in length, being less than its length above. Dorsal spine much 

 nearer snout than adipose fin. Base of anal longer than head. Pectoral 

 spines long and slender, dentate. Barbels long. Supraoccipital bone 

 almost meeting the interspinal ; the relations of the species therefore very 

 close to Ictalurus punctatus. Dusky olivaceous, sides silvery. Rio Nueces 

 and Rio Pecos, Texas ; a rather doubtful species, apparently intermediate 

 between Ictalurus punctatus and Jmeiurus catus. {lupus, wolf.) 



Pimelodus lupus, Girard, Pac. R. R. Expl., x. 211, 1858, Rio Pecos; Jordan, I.e., 83, 1877; 



Gi'NTHER, Cat., V, 101, 1864. 

 Ictalwrus htpus, Jordan & Gilbert, Synopsis, 107,1883. 



* Amiunis ponderosus, Bean, described from the Mississippi Riycr at St, Louis from a .specimen 

 5 feet long, weighing 150 pounds, is probably a giant example of this species, from which it 

 iliffcrs only in tlie presence of 35 anal rays. In 4 specimens, which we refer to .i. Uicustris, 

 we cuunt 25, 27. 28, and 32 rays. We see no reason for doubting the identity of the "Land Cod," 

 or Matiiemeg of the Hudson Bay region, with .Imeiunis nigricans. This northern species, called 

 borecdis by Richardson, is the original lacustria of Walbaum. 



