FISHES 107 



and with a series of spots; tail fin with round spots; rays of dorsal fin 15 

 to 16; anal 8; scales 26-9 or 10: South Carolina to Mexico, in swamps 

 and streams; very common. 



Family 4. Amblyopsidae. — The blind fishes. Body elongate, com- 

 pressed behind; head long, depressed; mouth large; premaxillaries form- 

 ing the entire margin of the upper jaw; head naked; tail fin pointed 

 or rounded behind; scales small, cycloid, more or' less imbedded so that 

 the body appears naked; no lateral line; anus close behind the gills; 

 fins spineless; ovary single; viviparous: 3 genera and 5 species; in small 

 streams along our southern coast, and also in subterranean streams, 

 these being blind and colorless. 



Key to the Genera of Amblyopsidae 



ai Eyes present and functional; ventral fins wanting i. Chologaster. 



3.1 Eyes concealed; colorless, subterraneous species. 



b2 Ventral fins present 2. Amblyopsis. 



hi Ventral fins wanting 3. Typhlichthys. 



1. Chologaster Agassiz. Body very slender; eyes present; no ven- 

 tral fins; pyloric caeca 2: 3 species, in swamps and caves. 



Key to the Species of Chologaster 



ai Lateral papillary ridges absent. 



bi Three narrow lateral stripes C. cornutus. 



h-i Body without stripes C. agassizii. 



a-? Papillary ridges present C. papilliferus. 



C. cornutus Ag. Length 45 mm.; head 3.4; depth 5.5 to 6.5; color 

 dark brown above; lower half abruptly white; while body sprinkled 

 with black dots; 3 narrow lateral stripes present; rays of dorsal and anal 

 fins 8 or 9; scales 68: lowland swamps from Dismal to Okefinokee 

 Swamps; locally very common. 



C. agassizii Putnam. Length 30 mm.; head 4; color light brown: 

 Mammoth Cave and other subterranean streams in Tennessee and 

 Kentucky. 



C. papilliferus Forbes. Length 30 mm.; head 4; depth 5 or 6; color 

 as in C. cornutus; pectoral reaching half way to the dorsal fin; head with 

 rows of tactile papillae : caves in Union and Pope Counties, Illinois. 



2. Amblyopsis DeKay. Eyes rudimentary and not functional; 

 body and head with many vertical tactile ridges; i pyloric caecum: i 

 species. 



A. speleus DeK. Length 125 mm.; head 3; depth 4.5; body color- 

 less, translucent; rays of dorsal fin 9; anal 8: Mammoth Cave, and other 

 subterranean streams in Kentucky and Indiana; common. 



