CATFISH GENUS NOTURUS RAFINESQUE 171 



peduncle moderately deep and heavy; head shallowly rounded above 

 or slightly depressed; lower jaw included; eye large, 1.7 to 2.3 times 

 in snout; premaxillary tooth patch with posterior corners rounded or 

 obtusely angulate; humeral process subequal to or a little longer 

 than width of the pectoral spine and its serrae; pectoral spine mod- 

 erately^ long and curved backwards, anterior dentations definite, 

 numerous but short, posterior serrae as in others of the subgenus, 

 relatively few in number, and with the tips recurved; dorsal spine 

 long; adipose fin of moderate height and length, connected to the 

 short procurrent caudal rays, but tending to form a small, free, 

 posterior flap; caudal fin truncate or slightly rounded behind; gill 

 rakers five to seven on the first arch. The largest specimen examined 

 measures 57.1 mm. in standard length. 



One stained specimen has single pectoral radials (2 elements fused), 

 and twelve vertebrae anterior to the origin of the anal fin. 



Posterior serrae of the pectoral spine in 58 fins, 6 to 8, usually 6 

 or 7; soft dorsal rays in 89 specimens, 6 (in 79), 7 (9), or 8 (1). Upper 

 simple caudal rays in the same specimens (extremes in parentheses) 

 are (19) 20 to 22 (24), mean 21.1; branched caudal rays (15) 16 or 17 

 (19), mean 16.3, with usually 7 rays in the upper half and 9 or 10 in 

 the lower half; lower simple caudal rays (15) 16 to 18 (20), mean 16.9. 



Body moderately mottled, but somber, generally without the 

 prominent dark blotches of related species; color in life light yellowish 

 pink mottled with brown. Head moderately dark above; a dark band 

 on back of head extends onto the branchiostegal membrane and 

 operculum; another passes just below^ the eye backward to the first 

 and forward onto the snout; cheek, anterior naris, and postorbital 

 spot pale; upper barbels heavily pigmented; outer mental barbel with 

 scattered pigment; inner mental barbel, lower lip, and lower surface 

 of head usually immaculate; abdomen usually immaculate, but some- 

 times with a few irregularly shaped chromatophores, rarely with 

 round brown spots; these most prominent in young below 21 mm. in 

 standard length; pelvic fin pigmented near the base on upper surface, 

 otherwise immaculate, or with one or more large irregular blotches; 

 pectoral fin blotched, with an immaculate margin; anal fin with some 

 scattered pigment, a submarginal dark brown band, and an immaculate 

 edge, sometimes also with a short, medial dark brown band ; dorsal fin 

 with the basal saddle or blotch extending posteriorly to base of second 

 ray; dorsal spine yellowish white at tip, otherwise dusky as is the fin 

 base; the dusky base followed outward by a scarcely pigmented, clear 

 area, a broad dark brown distal band, and an immaculate margin; 

 caudal fin with two crescentic brown bands, one subterminal which 

 connects with a median band above and below; lower limb of bands 

 usually not extending forward to procurrent rays, which are im- 



298-943 O— 69 12 



