CATFISH GENUS NOTURUS RAFINESQUE 163 



with obtusely angulate or rounded posterior corners; humeral process 

 about equal to or longer than diameter of spine, not equal to mdth 

 of spine and its serrae; pectoral spine moderately long, with posterior 

 serrae recurved toward base and anterior serrae rather well developed ; 

 dorsal spine stout; adipose fin high, its posterior end developing into 

 a free flap and nearly free from the short procurrent caudal fin; 

 caudal fin truncate or slightly rounded behind; eye 1.8 to 2.7 times 

 in snout ; gill rakers 3 to 6 on first arch ; the largest specimen examined 

 is 73 mm. in standard length, but few specimens exceed 60 mm. 



The caudal fin has (extremes in parentheses): (14) 15 to 18 (20), 

 mean 16.5 upper simple rays; (14) 15 or 16 (18), mean 15.6 branched 

 rays, of which 7 are most frequent in the upper half and 8 or 9 are 

 usually in the lower half of the fin; and (10) 13 to 15 (17), mean 13.8 

 lower simple rays. Soft dorsal rays in 133 counts are five (in 2), six 

 (130), and seven (1). The pectoral spine has four to eleven, usuaUy 

 from five to eight posterior serrae. 



Five stained specimens have 11 (in 1), 12 (2), or 13 (2) vertebrae 

 anterior to the origin of the anal fin. The ossified pectoral radials of 

 both sides are fused in each specimen. 



Color a rather dull brown, varying from dark brown to yellomsh 

 brown; side of body mottled; a dark brown bar crosses base of caudal 

 peduncle (obscure in pale specimens); area over air bladder dark; 

 a dark brown saddle begins at the front of the dorsal spine, extending 

 backward through the base of the third dorsal ray and downward to 

 below the lateral line; a narrow saddle just behind the dorsal fin 

 contacts the anterior part of the adipose fin; another narrow dark 

 blotch projects broadly into the base of the adipose fin; the basicaudal 

 bar extends to the extremities of the upper procurrent rays and vari- 

 ously, sometimes not at all, onto the lower procurrent rays; caudal 

 fin variously mottled, without a midcaudal bar, but a subterminal 

 dark brown band is separated from a brownish blotch on basal half 

 of longest caudal rays by a narrow light area; tips of caudal rays 

 immaculate; adipose fin pale, unpigmented except at base; membrane 

 of dorsal spine and base of dorsal rays moderately pigmented; a 

 brown band crosses the otherwise immaculate dorsal fin about three- 

 fourths of the distance from the base; pelvic fin immaculate, rarely 

 with a few brown blotches; pectoral fin and spine blotched, ends of 

 rays pale; undersurface of head and abdomen \vith very few brown 

 chromatophores ; a dusky band usually bridges the abdomen in front 

 of pelvics and another crosses the chin; lower barbels weakly pigmented; 

 upper barbels rather heavily pigmented; top of head dark; a light spot 

 usually present behind the eye and another on cheek below eye; a 

 band crossing the back of the head (Extends to the branchiostegal 

 membrane and operculum, its lower end meeting one extending 



