142 Bulletin 4J, United States National Museum. 



219. AMEIURUS PLATYCEPHALUS, (Girard). 



(Mud Cat; Uhown Cat.) 



Body extremoly elongate; mesially, nearly terete. Head low, flat, and 

 broad ; upper jaw strongly projecting, the head much broader and more 

 depressed in old specimens. Dorsal lin high, 3 length of head, its spines 

 nearer snout than adipose fin ; depth 5A to 8 in length. HeadSi; its width 

 3 to 5, base of anal C; anal rays 16 to 20. Caudal slightly emargiuatf. 

 Young specimens much less elongate than adults. Clear olive brown, 

 varying into yellowish or greenish ; a blackish horizontal bar or shade at 

 base of dorsal. L. 18 inches ; slenderest of the species of the genus, 

 and almost entirely herbivorous, its elongate intestine being always 

 filled with water jilants. A good food fish. The form called hrutnna.s 

 18 the young, diftering from the adult much as the young oi A. cut us differs. 

 Abundant in the streams of Carolina and eastern Georgia, Cape Fear to 

 the Chattahoochee. (Tr/lartf, wide ; Ke^n/l^, head.) 



Pimelodus ■plali/cei)haluf, Gihakd, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Pliila., 1859, KJl, Anderson, S. C. (Tjiic, 



No. 1534.) 

 Ammnis brunneus, Jordan, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., 1877, 30(5, Ocmulgee River, Flat 



Shoals, Georgia. (Typo, No. 20148.) 

 Amemriis bmnneus, Jordan, I. c, 93, 1877. 



Aminrns brmiiieiis, Jordan & Bravton, Bull. U. 6. Nat. Mus., xii, 28, 1878. 

 Amiurus bniniieus and plali/ctphuhis, Jordan & Gilbkrt, Synopsis, 103, 1883. 



Subgenus GRONIAS, Cope. 

 220. AMEIURUS NIGRILABBIS, (Cope). 

 Black above; jaws and fins black ; sides varied with yellowish ; belly 

 pale. Eyes more or less rudimentary and concealed beneath the skin. 

 Jaws equal. Dorsal spine midway between snout and middle of adipose 

 fin ; barbels short ; caudal slightly emarginate. Anal with 18 rays. 

 Brauchiostegals 10. Cave streams tributary to Conestoga River in east- 

 ern Pennsylvania. Very close to Ameiurus melas, from which, or some 

 similar species, it is doubtless recently descended, {niyer, black ; labritm, 

 lip). 



Groiim idyrihibris, CoPE, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila.,1864, 231, Conestoga River. 



Aminrns nigrilahris, Jordan, I. c. 92, 1877. 



Gronuis nigrilabris, Jordan & Gilbert, Synopsis, 102, 1883. 



78. LEPTOPS, Rafinesque. 

 (Mud Cats.) 



Leptops, Rafinesque, Ich. Oh., 64, 1820, {viscosus = oUvaris). 



Opladelus, Rafinesque, ^ c, 64, (nebulosus). 



nictis, Rafinesque, /. c, 66, (Umosus). 



Hophtdelus, Gill, (corrected spelling). 



Pelodichthys, Jordan, corrected spelling of Pilodictis,^- Rafinesque, which is an imaginary fish. 



Body elongated, slender, much depressed anteriorly. Head large, very 

 wide and depressed. Skin very thick, entirely concealing the skull; su- 

 praoccipital bone entirely free from the head of the second interspinal ; 



*" I'iludiclis litiiosns," Katinesque, Jour. Phys., Paris, 1819, 422, was based on a "drawing by 

 Mr. Audubon," which drawing, as shown by Riifinesque's copy, is merely a lancy sketch of au 

 imaginary catfish. The name should therefore be disregarded, although it is the earliest sup- 

 posed to belong to this group. Of the remaining synonyms Leplops stands next in date. 



