GENUS CATOSTOMUS. 



151 



by the iiibabitants. Tliey run up the rivers to spawn in June ; feed on 

 the bottom and eat the spawn of better fish ; spawniuft- beds on gravel ; 

 bite at hooli sometimes ; are extremely numerous, and are considered 

 a nuisance by the fishermen, but they meet with a ready sale in winter 

 at an average price of 2^ cents per pound." 



Specimens in United States 2\'aiional Afiiseum. 



Genus CATOSTOMUS Le Sueur. 



Caioslomus Le Sueuii, Journ. Ac, Nat. Sc. Pliila. i, I^^IT, fe9. (Equivalent to family Ca- 



tostomida:) 

 nypentelmm Rafixesque, Journ. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phila. i, lbl8, 421. (As subj^emis of Zro- 



glosstim.) 

 Z)ecac<j/r«8 EAFiNESQUE,Ich thy ologi a Ohiensis, 1820, GO. (As subgenus of Catosiomvs, 



including the lO-rayed 8i)ecies.) 

 Hylomyzon Agassiz, Am. Journ. Sc. Arts, ISoo, 2(te. 

 Minovius GiRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phila. 1856, 173, 

 Aconms Girard, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phila. 183G, 173. 

 Catastomua Gill, Canadian Naturalist, 1865, August. 

 Decadactylus Jordax, Man. Vert. 2d ed. 1878, 319. (As subgenus.) 



Type, Cyprinus catostumus Forster, = Caioslomus hudsoniits Le Sueur, ;= Catostomus lon- 

 fjirosirum Le Sueur, 



Etymology, Kara, low ; oruiiu, mouth. 



Efi/mologij of Si/nonyms. 



Hijpentelium: probably iiro, below; ■nevre, five; Xo-ioQ, lobe, as the name is said to 

 refer to the 5-lobed lower lip, supposed to distinguish it from the 3-lobed subgenus 

 Maxillingua; possibly, however, from VTzb, below; eire/iz/f, perfect. 



Decaetylus: 6eKhr, ten; duKTv?.or, toe, i. e., 10 ventral rays, hence properly Deca- 

 dactylus. 



UyJomyzon : v2.e, mud ; /u.v'^uu, to suck. 



Jcomus aid Minonius are probably meaningless words, without etymology. 



Head more or less elongate, its length ranging from 3A to 5 times in 

 that of the body, its form var;^ing considerably in the diflerent subgen- 

 era. Eye usually rather small, high up and median or more or less pos- 



