PISHES OF THE CONNECTICUT LAKES. 25 



3. Red-bellied Minnow. ChrosoTniiH erythrogaster Rafinesque. 



Head 4; depth 4 (4.2 to 5) ; eye 3.5; snout 3.S ; dorsal S; anal 8; scales 

 18-80 to 85-10; teeth 5-5. Body moderately elongate and thick, slightly com- 

 pressed ; head small, conical ; snout slightly pointed ; mouth moderate, termi- 

 nal, oblique, the jaws about equal; maxillary reaching nearly to front of eye; 

 eye large, in anterior part of head ; lateral line usually ending before reaching 

 as far as vent ; origin of dorsal over space between vent and ventral origin, 

 also midway between tip of snout and tip of rays in fork of caudal ; caudal 

 forked ; anterior base of anal under posterior base of dorsal ; veutrals reaching 

 to vent ; pectoral not nearly reaching origin of veutrals. 



Light olive on top of head and back ; cheeks dusky ; paler on sides ; belly 

 white; black line from nape to base of dorsal, splitting and passing along 

 base of the fin on each side, reuniting behind and continuing to upper base of 

 caudal ; dusky stripe from upper posterior part of eye along side, breaking up 

 into spots under dorsal fin, spots continuing nearly to caudal ; another broader 

 black stripe from snout through eye to base of caudal, where in small indi- 

 viduals it ends in a small distinct spot ; fins and lower parts all pale. In 

 the breeding season the male has the lower fins and belly bright lemon-yellow 

 and sometimes red between the two lateral stripes. 



The only fish with which this species is likely to be confounded is Leuciscus 

 neogwus, small individuals of which strikingly resemble It. The most promi- 

 nent external mark of separation is the broken upper lateral stripe and small 

 mouth of the red-bellied minnow. Of internal differences, this species has the 

 lower pharyngeal teeth in one row, and possesses a long intestine, while the 

 other has teeth in two rows and a short intestine. 



The only common name for this fish, so far as known to us, is the 

 one given above. The distribution of the species has been given as 

 from New York to the Dakotas and Tennessee. It is common in 

 Maine, and the discovery of it in this region helps to fill the gap be- 

 tween Maine and Xew York. We found it to be abundant in pools 

 in a meadow or field near Indian Stream on August 4. It is one of 

 the smallest of the minnow family, probably not attaining a length 

 of much over 2 inches. Its long intestine indicates that it is mainly 

 a vegetarian. The stomach and intestines of those examined by us 

 contained mostly diatoms and some larval black flies. The breeding 

 habits of the red-bellied minnow in this region were not observed by 

 us, but in Freeport, Me., it was found spawning in June. It doubtless 

 serves as food for the other fishes. It makes an attractive aquarium 

 fish. 



4. Chub. Semotilus buUaris (Rafinesque). 



Head 4; depth 4; eye 7 (much larger in smaller examples); snout 2.6; 

 maxillary 2.6; mandible 2.6; teeth 2, 4-5, 1; dorsal S; anal S; longest dorsal 

 ray 1.3 in head; longest anal 1.75; longest pectoral 1.3; scales 8-51-6. 



Body moderately deep, elongate, compressed; caudal peduncle deep: head 

 large; snout rather bluntly conic; mouth large, terminal, somewhat oblique; 

 upper jaw slightly longer ; maxillary not quite reaching anterior edge of orbit ; 

 eye large in small examples, small in large ones, high up and anterior ; origin 

 of dorsal slightly nearer base of caudal than tip of snout, over sixteenth or 

 seventeenth scale of lateral line, edge of fin in a straight line; caudal deeply 



