85. PERCIDiE — COTTOGASTER. 497 



in jaws strong ; no teeth on vomer or palatines. Gill-membranes broadly 

 connected. Scales moderate, rough. Lateral line complete ; no enlarged 

 ventral plates. Dorsal fins large, the spinous dorsal longer and lower 

 than the second, of about 13 spines ; anal smaller than second dorsal 

 ■with 2 strong spines. Vertebrae (D. blennioides) 19 +22. Coloration 

 largely green. {<h^, two ; -Xlmov, near ; dorsal fin nearly divided in two.) 



776. D. b3enoioid.cs (Raf.) Jor. — Green-sided Darter. 



Body stout, elongate, little compressed ; profile very convex. Eyes 

 large, high up and close together; a longitudinal furrow between the 

 eyes. Mouth small, horizontal, quite inferior; upper jaw concealed in a 

 furrow under the snout. Scales moderate ; those on the belly large, not 

 caducous ; cheeks with fine scales ; opercles with large ones ; neck scaly ; 

 chest naked. Anal papilla very large. Anal spines strong ; caudal fin 

 emargiuate ; lower rays of the pectorals, and the rays of the ventralsand 

 anal enlarged and fleshy in the males. Color olive green, tessellated 

 above; sides with about eight double transverse bars, each pair form- 

 ing a Y-shaped figure ; these are sometimes joined above, forming a sort 

 of wavy lateral band ; in life these markings are of a clear deep green; 

 sides sprinkled with orange dots; head with olive stripes and the usual 

 dark bars; first dorsal dark orange brown at base, blue above, becoming 

 pale at tip; second dorsal and anal of a rich blue green, with some red- 

 dish; caudal greenish, faintly barred; young and female specimens are 

 more or less dull, but the pattern is peculiar. Head 4^; depth 4|. D. 

 XIlI-13; A. II, 8; Lat. 1. 65 to 78. L. 3-5 inches. Pennsylvania to 

 Kansas, south to Alabama; one of the handsomest and most abundant of 

 the Darters. 



(Etheostoma blennioides Raf. Journ. de Physique, 1819, 419: Pileoma cymatogramma 

 Abbott, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1860, 327: Hyostoma cymatoyramnnim Vaillant, 

 1. c. 102; Jordan, Man. Vert. 222: Hyostoma hlennioperca Cope (Jonrn. Acad. Nat. Sci. 

 Phila. 1868, 214) is a form larger than usual and with rather smaller scales : Hyostoma 

 newmani Agassiz (Am. Journ. Sci. Arts, 18o4, 305) is slenderer, with rather liajg.er 

 scales on the body and on the cheeks. Both grade into the common form.) 



258.— COTTOGASTER Putnam. 



(Rheocrypta Jordan.) 



(Putnam, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. 1863,5: tj])e Boleosoma tessellatum Thumi^son, not 

 of DeKay.) 

 Body rather robust, little compressed. Head moderate, bluntish. 

 Mouth small, the lower jaw included; premaxillaries i)n>tractile; maxil- 

 lary not adherent to the preorbital. Teeth on vomer. Gill-membranes, 

 nearly separate. Scales ctenoid ; those of the middle linfi of the belly 

 Bull. Nat. Mus. No. IC 32 



