CATFISH GENUS NOTURUS RAFINESQUE 135 



Tennessee specimens; all others from the Yazoo are outside this range. 

 Thus, aside from the Bayou Pierre specimens and one from the 

 Yalobusha there is no overlap in head length plotted against standard 

 length in larger individuals. 



Color 'pattern: All Mississippi specimens have a pigmentation pat- 

 tern on the body and head generally similar to the typical hildebrandi 

 in the Homochitto system. It consists of prominent dorsal saddles, 

 and extension of the pigment to the lower side of the body. In the 

 Homochitto and Bayou Pierre specimens a blotch or bar extends well 

 into the adipose fin, usually to the margin in larger individuals. In 

 Tennessee specimens, the blotches or saddles are not prominent; the 

 adipose fin is yellowish without a blotch but often with small, scattered 

 chroma tophores; heavy pigment is confined to the very base of the fin. 

 Also in Tennessee specimens the lower side of the body is immaculate 

 or with a few large, scattered chromatophores. Specimens from the 

 Loosahatchie River and, less so in the Hatchie system, show more 

 pigment on the lower side than do specimens from the Forked Deer 

 system, yet they are very similar in color pattern to those from the 

 Forked Deer system. The Shones Lake specimen is small with little 

 pigment ventrolaterally and a short blotch extending into the other- 

 wise clear adipose fin. Specimens from the Coldwater River, Missis- 

 sippi, strongly resemble those from the Homochitto system in boldness 

 of the blotching and darkness of pigmentation, but the lower side is 

 not as well pigmented; the adipose fin is yellowish without a blotch 

 except two individuals have a very low intrusion of pigment into the 

 fin. The other four specimens from the Yazoo have a body pattern 

 resembling typical hildebrandi but there is little pigment in the 

 adipose fin except in the Yalobusha specimen which has a short blotch. 



Intergrades. — The following material is regarded as intermediate 

 between Noturus hildebrandi hildebrandi and Noturus hildebrandi 

 lautus. 



UNITED STATES: Mississippi: Yazoo River system: USNM 175392 (1 

 specimen, 48 mm. standard length), creek, 1 mi. S. Coflfeeville, Yalobusha Co., 

 USNM 175393 (1, 50), Pumpkin Cr., 6 mi. SE. Oxford, old Hwy. 6, Lafayette Co. 

 USNM 175394 (1, 30) and University of Mississippi (1, 46), trib.. Puss Cuss Cr., 

 12 mi. NE. Oxford, just N. Hwy. 30, -Lafayette Co. USNM 175395 (1, 33), Shones 

 Lake (Snow Cr.), E. Holly Springs or about 4 mi. W. Ashland, Hwy. 4, Benton Co. 

 CU 42162 (9, 34-50), Coldwater R., U.S. Hwy. 78, 5.5 mi. SE. Olive Branch, 

 DeSoto Co. Tennessee: Loosahatchie River system: USNM 197399 (1, 49) 

 and USNM 193476 (1, 43), Loosahatchie R., Hwy. 76, due N. Somerville, 

 Fayette Co. 



The short, heavy bodied specimens from the Coldwater River in 

 extreme northern Mississippi are most intermediate with preoperculo- 

 mandibular pore counts of lautus but head lengths agreeing with 

 hildebrandi. The numbers of vertebrae and anal rays are also sugges- 



