Jordan and F.vernuDui. — Fishes of North America. 143 



eyes small. Month very large, auterior and transverse, the lower jaw 

 always projecting heyoiul the upper. Teeth in broad villit'orni bauds on the 

 premaxillaries and deutaries ; band of upper jaw convex anteriorly, and at 

 insertion of the maxillarios, abruptly angularly deflected, proceediug back- 

 ward as an elongated triangular extension. Band slightly divided at the 

 symphysis ; lower baud of teeth anteriorly semicircular and attenuated to 

 the corners of the mouth. Branchiostegals 12. Dorsal fin over the pos- 

 terior half of the interval between pectorals and ventrals, with a spine 

 and 7 rays ; spine rather small, more or less enveloped in thick skin. 

 Adijjose fin large, its elongated base over posterior ^ of anal. Anal fin 

 small, commencing far behind the anus ; of about 13 rays. Caudal oblong, 

 siibtruncate, with numerous accessory rays, recurrent above and behind. 

 Pectorals with a broad compressed spine, serrated on both margins and 

 with a prolonged fleshy integument, obliquely striated. One species 

 known; a large catfish living in the muddy bottoms of deep rivers. 

 (AfTrrof, slender; djiii, face, the head being slender in profile.) 



221. LEPTOPS OLIVARIS, (Rafinesque). 

 (Mud Cat; Yellow Cat; Bashaw; Russian Cat.) 



Body slender, depressed forward, the head extremely flat, the lower jaw 

 the longer. Barbels short. Dorsal si^ine very weak, \, the height of 

 the fin ; caudal very slightly emarginate behind. Anal short, its base 

 about ij the length, its rays 12 to 15. Humeral process short. Yellowish, 

 much mottled with brown and greenish, whitish below. Size very large, 

 reaching a weight of 50 to 75 pounds. Rivers of the Mississippi Valley 

 and Southern States, southwest to Chihuahua ; abundant in deep, sluggish 

 waters. A fish of unprepossessing appearance, although one of the best 

 of the family as food. (oUvaris, olive-colored.) 



Silurus olivaris, Kafinesque, Amer. Month. Mag., 1818,355, Ohio River. 



Ilopladehts olu-aris, GiLL, Ichth. Simiisou's Expl., 426, 187G. 



PelodicMhys olivaris, Jordan, I. <■., 95, 1877. 



Silnnis nebnlosKS, viscosiis, and limosns, Rafinesque, Quart. Jour. Sci. Lit. Arts Loud., 1820, 5(1, 



Ohio River. 

 Pimelodus punclHlalus, GuNTHEB, Cat., v, 101, 1864. 

 Pi/lodictis limosits, Rafinesque, Ichth. Oh., 67, 1820, based on a drawing liy Auduhon ; Ohio and 



Mississippi rivers. 

 Pimelodtis pnnchtlatus, Cuvier & Valenciennes, xv, 134, 1840, New Harmony, Indiana. 

 Pimelndtts eeneus, Cuviee & Valenciennes, xv, 135, 1840, New Orleans. 

 Pilodictis olivaris, Jordan & Gilbert, Synopsis, 102, 1883. 

 Leplops olivaris, Jordan it Gilbert, Synojisis, 881,1883. 



79. NOTURUS, Rafinesque. 



(Stone Cats.) 



Kolurus, Rafinesque, Amer. Month. Mag., November, 1818, 41, (jlavus). 



This genus contains a single species, similar to the species of Schilbeodes 

 in appearance and habit, but having the dentition of Leptops, the band of 

 teeth in the upper jaw having a backward prolongation from the outer 

 posterior angle. The adipose fin is adnate to the back as in Schilbiodes, 

 and there is a poison gland at the base of the pectoral fin. The specieu 



