29. SILURIDiE — PILODICTIS. 
101 
front, slightly rough or nearly entire behind ; its length 3 times in dis- 
tance from snout to dorsal. Aual rays about 10. Humeral process 
very short and sharp. Size very large ; reaches a length of more than 
a foot. Yeimont to Virginia, Nebraska, and Texas ; rather common. 
(Eafiiiesqne, Amer. Montli. Mag. 1818, 41; Giiiither, v, 104; Jordau, 1. c. 99: Xotu- 
rus occidentalis Gill, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. 1862, 45 : Xoturus platycephalus Giin- 
ther, V, 104.) 
53.— PII.O»ICTfiS Rafiuesqne. 
Mud Cats. 
{Opladdus Eaf. 1820.) 
(Rafinesqne, Prodrome. de soixaiite-dix iioiiveaus genres, etc., Jonrn. Phj s. Paris, 1819, 
422 : type Pilodictis limotius Raf. = Silurus olivaris Raf.) 
Body much elongated, very slender, much depressed, anteriorly 
broader than high. Head large, very wide and depressed, latterly 
expanded, above broadly ovate, and in profile cuneiform. Skin very 
thick, entirely concealing the skull. Supraoccipital bone entirely free 
from the head of the second interspinal. Eyes small. Mouth very 
large, anterior and transverse. The lower jaw always projects beyond 
the uitper. Teeth in broad villiform bands on the intermaxillaries and 
dentaries. The intermaxillary band is convex anteriorly, and proceeds 
to the insertion of the maxillaries, where it is abruptly angularly de- 
flected, and proceeds backward as an elongated triangular extension. 
The band at the symphysis is slightly divided, and anteriorly separated 
by a small triangular extension of the labial membrane. The lower 
band of teeth is anteriorly semicircular and attenuated to the corners of 
the mouth. There are about 12 branchiostegal rays on each side. The 
dorsal fin is situated over the posterior half of the interval between the 
pectorals and ventrals, and has a spine and about 7 branched rays. 
The sjnne is rather small, and more or less enveloped in the thick skin. 
The adipose fin is large, and has an elongated base resting over the pos- 
terior half of the anal ; it is very obese and inclines rapidly backward ; 
it is rather less free posteriorly than in Am iurns. The anal fin is small ; 
it commences far behind the anus, is a little longer than high, and is 
composed of about 13 rays. The caudal fin is oblong, subtruncated, 
placed on a vertical basis, and with numerous accessory sinii)le rays, 
recurrent above and beneath the caudal peduncle. The i)ectorals have 
a broad compressed spine, serrated or dentated on its external and in- 
ternal margins, and with a prolonged fleshy integument obliquely 
striated. The ventrals are rounded and have 9 rays, 1 simple and S 
branched. One si^ecies known, mudj fish.) 
