108 CONTRIBUTIONS TO NORTH AMERICAN ICHTHYOLOGY IV. 



lOG. I. BacmsJiris (Walbaum) J. &G. — Cat-fisli of llie Lahcs; Great ForJc-tailed Cat ; 

 Misfii3sip2)i Cat; Florida Cat ; Flamicl-mouth Cat. 



Olivaceous slaty, growing darker with age; sides pale, without dark 

 spots ; anal dusky edged. Body rather stouter than in I. punctatus. 

 Head much broader, lower, and more dejiressed than in I. punctatus, 

 its greatest width five-sixths its length. Interorbital space somewhat 

 more than. half the length of head. Width of the mouth about half 

 head. Eye moderate, wholly in front of middle point of head. Top of 

 head covered with a thicker skin than in punctatus, so that the bones 

 are nearly concealed. Upper surface of head quite liattish, so that the 

 eyes are much nearer the upper than the lower surface of the head. 

 Barbels long, all black, the maxillary barbel reaching beyond head. 

 Humeral process very short and blunt, covered by skin, a little more 

 than one-third the length of the pectoral spine. Caudal deeply forked, 

 the upper lobe rather longer and narrower than the lower. Dorsal a 

 little nearer snout than adipose fin. Head 4 in length ; depth 5. Dis- 

 tance to dorsal spine 2|. Anal base as long as head. D. I, 5 ; P. I, 9 ; 

 A. 25. British America to Florida and Texas ; abundant in all large 

 bodies of water. One of the largest of the cat-fishes, reaching a weight 

 of 100 pounds. 



( ? Gadus lacustris Walbaum, Artedi Pise. 1792, 144: ? Piniclodus lorealiti Ricliardsoa, 

 Fauna Bor.-Amer. Fish. 135 : fAmiunis borcalis GUutlier, v, 100 : Pimvlodtis nigri- 

 cans Le Sueur, M^m. Mus. v, 153, 1819: Amiurus nigricans J OTdun, 1. c. 83: Amiurus 

 borealis Jordan, 1. c. 84.) 



hhh. Anal fiu very long, of 35 rays. 



1®7. I. E>®irader®SMS (Bean) J. & G. — Great Cat-fish. 



Bluish slate above, whitish below. Form of 1. lacustris, but the 

 body deeper and the head and mouth broader. Greatest depth 3| in 

 length. Head 3§ ; its width 4j|. Dorsal nearer snout than adipose fin. 

 Caudal fin not deeply forked. P. I, 11 ; A. 35. (Bean.) Mississippi 

 Eiver (Saint Louis). Probably the largest of the cat-fishes, the original 

 type 5 feet in length and weighing 150 pounds. 



( A7niur us ponderosus Bean, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. ii, 286, 1879.) 



aa. Bony bridge from occiput to dorsal fin complete and continuous. 

 d. Anal moderate, its rays 24-30, its base 3^4 in length of body, 



10§. I. puiDictatMS (Raf.) Jor. — Channel Cat; White Cat. 



Color light olivaceous above, the sides pale or silvery, and almost 

 always with irregular small, round, dark spots. Fins often with dark 

 edgings. Body rather long and slender, the back little elevated. 

 Head rather small, narrow, convex above, . so that the eye is little 



