FISHES 97 



S. leptacanthus (Jordan). Length 75 mm.; body slender; color yel- 

 lowish, mottled; spines short; rays of anal fin 14: Gulf States, in 

 sandy streams; rare. 



S. gilherli (Jordan & Evermann). Length 100 mm.; body slender; 

 color yellowish; base of tail fin and most of its lower lobe black; rays of 

 anal fin 15; dorsal fin black at base: Roanoke River; common. 



S. eleutherns (Jordan). Length 100 mm.; head 3.8; color plain 

 brownish, with faint saddle-like blotches on the back; rays of anal fin 

 13: Mississippi Valley; often common. 



S. noctunuis (Jordan & Gilbert). Length 75 mm.; head 3.6; 

 color dark brown, dotted with black; rays of anal fin 15 or 16: Missis- 

 sippi Valley from Indiana to Arkansas. 



Order 6. Haplomi.^ — Pike and pickerel. Soft rayed fish wath 

 anterior vertebras distinct and without Weberian ossicles; no adipose 

 fin; pseudobranchiae wanting or glandular; body covered with cycloid 

 scales; ventral fins abdominal; head usually more or less scaly; air blad- 

 der with pneumatic duct: 4 families of mainly fresh water fishes. 



Key to the Families of Haplomi 



ai Lateral margin of upper jaw formed by the maxillaries. 



bi No lateral line present; fishes of small size i. Umbridce. 



h-2 Lateral line present; fishes of large size 2. Esocidce. 



a-.. Lateral margin of upper jaw formed by the premaxUlaries ; small 

 fishes. 



bi Anus normal in position 3. PceciliidcB. 



b; Anus close to the gills 4. Afnblyopsidce. 



Family i. Umbridae. — Mud minnows. Body elliptical, broad 

 anteriorly, compressed posteriorly; teeth well developed and on the 

 premaxillaries, mandibles, vomer and palatines; maxillaries toothless; 

 no lateral line; no pyloric caeca; dorsal fin more or less posterior in posi- 

 tion; scales large; branchiostegals 6 or 8; tail fin rounded: i genus and 3 

 species of small fishes living near the bottom of ponds and sluggish 

 streams. 



Umbra MuUer. With the characters of the family: 3 species, 2 in 

 the United States. 



JJ. limi (Kirtland). Length 100 mm.; head 3.75; depth 4.25; color 

 oUve green, wdth 14 narrow irregular pale transverse dark bars; rays of 

 dorsal fin 14; anal 8; scales 35: Quebec to Minnesota and. southward to 

 the Ohio river; common in the basin of the Great Lakes. 



U . pigmcea (Dekay) (Fig. 43). Length 100 mm.; head 4; depth 4.5; 

 color dark greenish, with about 1 2 narrow longitudinal pale stripes and a 

 7 



