The Black Basses 



a considerable angle above the eyes; mouth rather wide, oblique, 

 maxillary reaching slightly part front of eye; pectoral fm reach- 

 ing beyond middle of pupil; opercular flap smaller than eye, 

 much as in E. gibbosus; gillrakers short and not very stiff; 

 pharyngeal teeth paved, less blunt than in E. gibbosus. Colour, 

 dark, greenish above, gradually becoming brassy toward belly 

 which is light brassy; opercular spot greenish black; the flap 

 with a broad, blood-red border in the male, plain in the female; 

 no dark spot on dorsal or anal. 



GENUS MICROTTERUS LACETEDE 

 The Black Basses 



Body oblong, compressed, the back not much elevated; head 

 oblong, conic; mouth very large, oblique, the broad maxillary 

 reaching nearly to or even beyond the eye; supplemental bone 

 well developed; lower jaw prominent; teeth on jaws, vomer and 

 palatines in broad villiform bands, the inner depressible; usually 

 no teeth on tongue; preopercle entire, the opercle ending in 2 

 flat points without cartilaginous flap; branchiostegals normally 6; 

 gillrakers long and slender; scales rather small, weakly ctenoid; 

 lateral line complete; dorsal fin divided by a deep notch, the 

 spines low and not especially strong; anal fin much smaller 

 than the dorsal; pectoral obtusely pointed, the upper rays longest; 

 ventrals below the pectorals and close together; caudal fin emar- 

 ginate. Size large. 



Two species, among the most important of American game- 

 fishes, now largely introduced into European waters. 



a. Mouth moderate, the maxillary in adult not extending beyond 

 eye; scales small, about 17 rows on cheek; young more 

 or less barred or spotted; never with a black lateral band; 



dolomieu, 355 



aa. Mouth very large, the maxillary in adult extending beyond 

 eye; scales rather large, about 10 rows on cheek; young 

 with a blackish lateral band; salmoides, 357 



Small-mouthed Black Bass ; Black Bass 



Micropterus dolomieu Lacepede 



In the felicitous words of Dr. James A. Henshall, the author 

 of the "Book of the Black Bass," 



355 



