50S CONTRIBUTIONS TO NORTH AMERICAN ICHTHYOLOGY IV. 



•yOO. H. nigrofasciatais Agassiz. — Crawl-a-hottom. 



Head aud body stoiit and heavy, the body compressed. Mouth moder- 

 ate, the maxiUary reaching frout of eye; eye moderate, 4 in head. 

 Scales rather large. Fins all large. Breast usually naked, but some- 

 times closely scaled; scales on the median line of the belly somewhat en- 

 larged, but not caducous nor especially spinous. Dark olive above, with 

 blackish markings; sides with vertical bars, somewhat diamond-shaped, 

 but quite narrow; these acute above and below, more or less confluent 

 along the middle, about 12 in number; the bands dark greenish, vary- 

 ing to jet black, most distinct near the middle of the body and broadest 

 behind; inner half of each of the vertical fins black; outer half more or 

 less speckled and barred; top of head black, a black band through eye 

 and snout, and a dark vertical shade below the eye; a small black sjjot 

 between two smaller ones at base of caudal fin. Head 4; depth 5. D. 

 XII-12; A. II, 10; scales 7-58-15. L. 4 inches. Rivers of the Southern 

 States from South Carolina to Louisiana; one of the largest of the 

 darters. 



(Agassiz, Amev. Journ. Sci. Arts, xvii, 305, 1B54; Jordan, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. 

 Y., 1877, 310: Pksioperea aiiceps Vaillaut, 1. c, 37: Alrordiiis spillmani Hay, Proc. 

 U. S. Nat. Mus. 1880, 491, from Cliickasawlia River, Mississippi, specimens with the 

 eye larger, the snout more pointed, the fins higher, and the color very dark.) 



263.— I^OTBIONOTUS Agassiz. 

 Blue-breasted Darters. 



(Agassiz, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. 18(33, i, 3: type Etheostoma maculatiim Kirtland.) 



Body robust, or rather elongate, compressed. Mouth terminal, mod- 

 erate; the lower jaw somewhat included ; premaxillaries not protractile ; 

 maxillary movable. Teeth strong, present on vomer and palatines. 

 Gill-membranes scarcely connected. Scales moderate or small, ctenoid; 

 those of the middle line of the belly not enlarged, persistent. Lateral 

 line well developed, nearly straight. Fins large, with strong spines ; 

 first dorsal longer and larger than the second with 10 to 15 spines ; anal 

 with two strong spines, the anterior usually the larger. Coloration 

 often brilliant. {voO,k, prominent; vwroc, back, in allusion to the large 

 size of the dorsal fins, the name given in opposition to Catonotus.) 



a. Head short, the muzzle abruptly decurved; lat. 1. 52; dorsal spines 10 to 12: fins 

 dark-edged. 



791. 1%^. camiirus (Cope) Jor. — Blue-breasted Darter. 



Body Stout; head short; muzzle abruptly decurved, the mouth some- 

 what inferior; lower jaw included. Caudal broad, truncate. Males very 



