SILURIDiE. 89 



ous specimens from the Red River of the North, from the Mississippi 

 River at Saiut Louis, aud from the Illinois River, differs somewhat in 

 proportions; but I think it speciflcally identical with A. vuUjaris from 

 Lake Erie. 



14. AMIDRUS MARMORATCTS, [Uolbrooh) Jordan. 

 Marbled Catfish. 

 (Figs. 3G and :57.) 

 Pimelodus marmoraUis, Holbrook (1H55), Jouru. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 54. 

 Habitat. — Georgia to Florida. 



This beautiful and singular species seems to have been overlooked 

 by all writers since the original description. The characters given in 

 the preceding analysis are taken from a specimen sent by Dr. Ilolbrook 

 to the United States National Museum. It differs from catus chiefly 

 in the coloration. I have been informed that similarlj'^ colored Catfishes 

 occur in Pennsylvania, and I have seen a crayon sketch of one such 

 by Mr. J. H. Richard. 



15. AMIURUS MELAS, {Bafinesque) Jordan & Copeland. 



Small Black Catfish. 



(Figs 38 and 39.) 

 Sihirus mekts, Rafinesque (1820), Quart. .Journ. Sci. Lit. Arts, London, 51. 

 Pimelodus melas, Rafinesque (1820), Ichthyolooia Obiensis, 66. 

 Amiurus melas, Jordan & Copeland (1876), Check List, 150. 

 Pimelodus catulus, Girard (1858), U. S. Pac. R. R. Surv. 208. 



Amiurus catulus, GiLi. ilSi32), FroG. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. 44.— Cope (1870), Proc. 

 Am. Philos. Soc. 485.— Jordan & Copeland (1870), Check List, 159. 

 Pimelodus confinis, Girard (1859), Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. l.'>9. 



Amiurus covfinis, Gill (1862), Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. 44.— Cope (1870), Proc. 

 Am. Philos. Soc. 486.— Jordan (1876), Man. Vert. 301.— Nelson (1876), Bull. 

 Ills. Mus. Nat. Hist. 50.— Jordan & Copeland (1876), Check List, 159. 

 Amiurus ohtsus, Gill (1862), Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist. 45.— Jordan & Copeland 



(1876), Check List, 159.— Gill (1876), Ich. Capt. Simpson's Explorations, 420. 

 Amiurus mbulosus, Cope & Yarrow (1876), Zotil. Lieut. Wheeler's Surv. West of 100th 



Meridian, v, 640 (excl. syn.). 

 Amiurus pull us, Nelson (1876), Bull. Ills. Mus. Nat. Hist. 50 (not I\ puUus Dc K.). 



This species occurs abundantly throughout the Mississippi Valley, 

 replacing the allied species catus. Prof. Cope considers it a variety of 

 catus; but the short deep body aud small anal fin thus far have served 

 to distinguish it. The coloration of the anal fin is somewhat character- 

 istic. The membrane is unusually black and contrasts with the pale 



rays. 

 Girard's types of conjinls and catulus appear to be the shortened or 



