30. CATOSTOMID^ BUBALICHTIIYS. 
115 
60.— BUBALICHTIIYS Agassiz. 
Buffalo- fishes. 
(Agassiz, Anier. Jonrn. Sci. Arts, 1855, 192: type Carpiodcs urus Ag.) 
Head moderate or rather large deep and thick, its superior outline 
rapidly rising; its length about 4 in that of the body. Eye moderate, 
median or rather anterior in position. Snborbital bones comparatively 
narrow. Eoutanelle always present and widely open. Month moderate 
or small, more or less inferior; the mandible short, little oblique, or 
typically quite horizontal ; the mandible less than one-third the length 
of the head; the premaxillaries in the closed mouth below the level of 
the lower part of the orbit. Lips rather thin, thicker than in Ictiobus, 
the upper iirotractile, narrow, plicate, the pliem sometimes broken up 
into granides ; lower lip comparatively full (for a butfalo-fish), faintly 
plicate, the plicae broken up into granules, the lower liii having the gen- 
eral PI -shaped form seen in Carpiodes. Jaws without cartilaginous 
sheath. Muciferous system well developed. Opercular apparatus well 
develoxied, but less so than in Ictiohus; the oj)erculum stronglj^ rugose; 
isthmus moderate. Pharyngeal bones triangular, with large teeth, 
which increase in size from above downwards. Teeth compressed, their 
grinding edge blunt, slightly arched in the middle, and provided with a 
little cusii along the inner margin, which is hardly detached from the 
crown, and does not rise above the surface. Gill-rakers of anterior arch 
slender and stiff above, growing shorter downwards. Body ovate or 
oblong; the dorsal outline more or less arched; the sides of the body 
comiu’essed ; the ventral outline curved also, but to a less degree. Scales 
very large, about equal over the body, their posterior outlines somewhat 
serrate. Lateral line well developed, nearlj- straight, with 35-42 scales ; 
12-14 in a cross-series from ventrals to dorsal. Dorsal fin beginning 
near the middle of tie body, somewhat in advance of the ventrals; its 
anterior rays elevated, their height about equal to half the base of the 
fin, the number of rays in the dorsal fin ranging from 25 to 30. Caudal 
fin well forked, the lobes about equal, not falcate. Anal fin comi)ara- 
tively long and rather low, of 8 or 9 developed rays. Ventrals moder- 
ate, 10-rayed. Pectorals rather short. Sexual peculiarities, if any, un- 
known. Coloration dull dark brown, nearly i^lain, not silverjx Pius oli- 
vaceous or more or less dusky. Air-bladder with two chambers. Size 
quite large. This genus is closely related to Ictiohus^ differing only in 
