28 FISHES OF THE CONNECTICUT LAKES. 



In this region when these investigations were begun, the chub was 

 through spawning, but heaps of pebbles, some of them containing at 

 least a bushel, were seen in various places along Indian Stream and 

 Main Inlet of First Lake. 



5. Mud Chub. Semotilus atromaculatus (Mitchill). 



Head, 3.7 ; depth, 4.1 ; eye 5 ; suout 2.85 ; luaxiliary 2.5 ; mandble 2.85 ; teeth 

 2.5-4,2; longest dorsal fin 1.42; longest anal 1.66; longest pectoral 1.66; scales 

 10-55-5. 



Body stout, dorsal outline slightly arched in front of dorsal, body tapering 

 backward from a point considerably in advance of dorsal ; head somewhat 

 thicker than body, short, with an obtuse and moderately declivous snout, the 

 later rather bluntly rounded ; mouth broad, oblique, lower jaw slightly included ; 

 upper jaw just below lower level of pupil ; maxillary not quite reaching front 

 of eye ; eye small, high up ; scales small, much crowded anteriorly, about 30 in 

 front of dorsal ; origin of dorsal over twenty-seventh scale of lateral line ; origin 

 of anal slightly in advance of this, under twenty-fourth scale; dorsal and anal 

 similar, the edges forming a straight line; caudal forked; ventrals small, not 

 reaching vent ; pectoral small, broadly falcate, reaching slightly more than half 

 the distance from its posterior base to ventral fin; lateral line abruptly bent 

 downward to tip of pectoral, thence straight and nearly median to base of 

 caudal. 



Top of head and snout dull steel-blue, cheeks and opercles pale, dusted or 

 sprinkled with olive, back and side olive, with dark margins to scales, most 

 intense and broader posteriorly ; side of head, lower jaw, throat, sides of body 

 below lateral line, and belly white or creamy, with dusky or dark grayish mar- 

 gins on scales, same as those above lateral line; scales thus marked extending 

 nearly to level of pectoral, ventral and anal fins; these fins pale with dusky 

 rays ; dorsal olive, with jet black spot at base in front ; caudal olive, with 

 darker rays ; a dark lateral stripe from cheek along side, at first on, then just 

 above, finally on, lateral line to caudal ; shoulder girdle just under posterior 

 margin of gillcovers black; a narrow jet black stripe along back from nape, 

 passing each side of base of dorsal to upper base of caudal. 



Distinguished from the other chub by darker coloration, scales more crowded 

 anteriorly, and the black dorsal spot ; from all other cyprinids in this region by 

 dorsal spot. 



This chub bears many local names, but the only one heard in this 

 region is mud chub. The mud chub does not attain so large a size 

 as the common chub, in New England reaching a length of not over 

 10 inches so far as known, but averaging considerably smaller. The 

 specimens in our collection run from 2.5 to 5.75 inches in length. 

 The recorded range of this species is Maine to southern Missouri, 

 Wyoming, and Canada. In the upper Connecticut region it was col- 

 lected in Indian Stream, Mud Pond, and outlet of Third Lake just 

 below the lake. It was not found in First Lake, in Main Inlet of 

 First Lake, in Second Lake, or in East Inlet. 



The habitat of this species differs in some respects from the common 

 chub, more often being found in brooks and streams, especially in 

 quiet " weedy " places and muddy ponds, yet both not uncommonly 

 occur together. 



