588 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 117 



Kirtland, tetrazonum (Hubbs and Black), euzonum (Hubbs and Black), 

 kanawhae (Raney), and osburni (Hubbs and Trautman) have breeding 

 tubercles on the ventral scales in both sexes. This appears to be the 

 only group of darters with both sexes tuberculate. (In the Roman- 

 ichthyini, both sexes of Zingel and Romanichthys are tuberculate.) 

 Species of the variatum group are heavy-bodied darters with prominent 

 dorsal saddles. Breeding males of many of the species have bright 

 colors. Species of the inscriptum group, inscriptum (Jordan and 

 Brayton), thalassinum (Jordan and Brayton), swannanoa Jordan and 

 Evermann, blennioides Rafinesque, and gutselli (Hildebrand) , have 

 similar but less prominent tubercles present only on the males. The 

 tubercles in both groups, unlike the more conical ones present in most 

 other percids, are low whitened pads on the free posterior edges of the 

 ventral and lateral scales. The nontuberculate zonale group includes 

 zonale (Cope) , rupestre Gilbert and Swain, histrio Jordan and Gilbert, 

 and probably hlennius Gilbert and Swain. E. sellare (Radcliffe and 

 Welsh) is apparently also nontuberculate, but it does not seem to be 

 related closely to any of the three species groups. 



Breeding tubercles are present on E. variatum from as early as 

 October 5 (USNM 161783, Pennsylvania, Allegheny R.) until May 12 

 (CU 43070, New York, Allegheny R.). No tubercles are present on 

 Allegheny River specimens taken in June or August. The October 5 

 collection has 27 females and 18 males (57-70 mm. in standard length) 

 without tubercles and 8 males (60-66 mm.) with small tubercles on 2 

 rows of mid ventral scales per side just anterior to the genital papilla 

 and on 4 rows on the midventral portion of the caudal peduncle. Four 

 females (58-67 mm.) taken October 13 (USNM 161786) also lack 

 tubercles while a 74 mm. male has small tubercles on 4 ventral scale 

 rows per side just anterior to the genital papilla and on 4 midventral 

 rows on the caudal peduncle. By April 19 (CU 34938) tubercles are 

 present on 5 rows of ventral scales per side just anterior to the genital 

 papilla. Females taken April 20 (CU 8226, fig. 5) have tubercles on 

 about 6 rows of belly scales per side just anterior to the genital papilla. 

 William J. Richards kindly called my attention to a male taken April 

 29 (CU 41893, New York, Allegheny R.) that has tubercles on the 

 approximately 20 breast scales, on all the belly scales up to 6 rows per 

 side just anterior to the genital papilla, 4-5 rows above the anal fin 

 base, and 7 midventral scale rows on the caudal peduncle. Both May 

 12 males (CU 43070, 69-70 mm.) have tubercles extending onto 7 rows 

 per side just anterior to the genital papilla. These males and CU 

 41893 also have tubercles on the ventralmost 2 rows of scales which 

 extend onto the lower part of the caudal fin. The presence of breeding 

 tubercles in E. variatum has not previously been reported although 

 tubercles are plainly visible in a photograph of a breeding male (Hubbs 



