164 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 2 82 



diagonally downward from the eye and forward below the nares to 

 the snout; anterior naris pale. 



Type.— The holotype of Noturus eleutherus (USNM 29678) is in 

 extremely poor condition. It has little color left and is somewhat 

 distorted. According to Jordan (1877b, p. 370) it was taken alive from 

 the mouth of a watersnake. The specimen is 62 mm. in standard length 

 and apparently a male; the premaxillary tooth patch is rectangular, 

 and without backward extensions. There are 14 anal rays, approxi- 

 mately 43 (with a possible error of ± 2 or 3) caudal rays, 24 rays in the 

 upper half of the caudal fin, 9 rays in the right pelvic fin and probably 

 9 in the left, 6 soft dorsal rays, 4 or 5 gill rakers on the first arch, and 2 

 internasal and 10 preoperculomandibular pores on each side. There 

 are 8 recurved serrae on the posterior edge of the left pectoral spine 

 and weak anterior serrae. The adipose blotch is very low on the fin; 

 the head length stepped into the standard length is 3.45, and the 

 humeral process is moderate in length. Measurements are given in 

 table 28. 



Variation. — The general similarity of populations of eleutherus 

 suggest geographic continuity; the color pattern, body form, and 

 meristic characters are relatively uniform. The few specimens from 

 the Red and Ouachita River systems look like other material, and 

 differ at most by a minor shift in averages. 



The numbers of meristic counts, their range (in parentheses), and 

 means are as follows: (a) Tennessee and Cumberland River systems, 



(b) Ohio Valley proper, (c) Ouachita and Red River systems, and 

 (d) total. 



Anal rays: (a) 32 (12-15) 13.63; (b) 94 (12-16) 13.87; (c) 6 (13-14) 

 13.50; (d) 132 (12-16) 13.80. 

 Lower-half caudal rays: (a) 31 (20-26) 22.29; (b) 94 (20-25) 22.56; 



(c) 4 (22-23) 22.50; (d) 129 (20-26) 22.50. 



Upper-half caudal rays: (a) 32 (21-25) 22.84; (b) 95 (21-27) 23.57; 

 (c) 4 (24-26) 24.75; (d) 131 (21-27) 23.43. 



Vertebrae: Upper Tennessee R. 35 (32-35) 33.11; Obey R., Tennes- 

 see 1 (34) 34.00; Scioto R., Ohio 28 (31-33) 32.39; Kentucky R. 2 

 (32-33) 32.50; Wabash R. 18 (32-34) 32.33; Ouachita R. 3 (31-32) 

 31.33; total 87 (31-35) 32.66. 



Caudal rays: Holston River 12 (42-47) 45.17; Clinch River 17 (42- 

 47) 44.41; Cumberland River 2 (50-51) 50.50; Green River 2 (43-44) 

 43.50; Wabash River 22 (44-52) 46.86; Miami River 19 (43-51) 46.05; 

 Scioto River 28 (42-50) 46.14; Shade Creek, Hocking and Muskingum 

 Rivers 20 (39-49) 45.35; French Creek 5 (43-51) 46.80; Ouachita River 

 1 (47) 47.00; Little River 3 (46-49) 47.33; total 131 (39-52) 45.90. 



Pelvic ray counts in samples from Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, 

 Oklahoma, the Miami River, Ohio, and the Wabash River have 



