232 



FISHES OP NORTH CAROLINA. 



This exceedingly beautiful sun-fish inhabits lowland waters from Virginia 

 to Louisiana, and the Mississippi basin as far north as Illinois. It is common in 

 Roanoke and Neuse rivers, is also known from Tar River, and doubtless occurs 

 in all other coastal streams. Its small size, 6 or 7 inches, renders it unimportant 

 as a food fish, but it is used locally, at Plymouth and other places, being caught 

 in slat -weirs, seines, etc. It shares with other species the name of "sun-fish" 

 but is also known locally as "flier" and "mill-pond perch", designations which 

 seem to be used only for this species and in this state. 



Genus ACANTHARCHUS GiU. Mud Sun-fishes. 



In this genus the form is oblong, rather stout, and but little compressed; 

 mouth moderate, maxillary broad, supplemental bone large, lo.wer jaw slightly 

 projecting; teeth on jaws, vomer, palatines, pterygoids, and tongue; gill-rakers 

 few, long; preopercular margin not serrate; scales large, lateral line complete; 

 dorsal spines 11 or 12, anal spines 5; caudal rounded. One small species. 

 (Acantharchus, spiny vent.) 



200. ACANTHARCHUS POMOTIS (Baird). 

 "Mud Perch"; "Perch"; Mud Sun-fish; Mud Bass. 



Centrarchus pomotis Baird, Ninth Smithsonian Report, 325, 1854; New York and New Jersey. 

 Acantharchus pomotis, Jordan, 18896, 126, 130; Tar River near Rocky Mount, Neuse River at Millbumie. 

 Evermann & Cox, 1896, 305; Neuse River near Raleigh. Jordan & Evermann, 1896, 989, pi. civ, fig. 418 



Fig. 101. Mud Sun-fish; Mud Bass. Acantharchus pomotis. 



Diagnosis. — ^Depth .4 total length; head .37 length; mouth wide, maxillary extending 

 to posterior third of eye; snout short; eye .25 head, exceeding snout; developed gill-rakers 

 about 5; scales in lateral series about 43, in transverse series 18, rows of scales on cheeks 5; 

 dorsal rays xi,10 to xii,ll, the spines very low, only half length of soft rays; anal rays v,10; 

 caudal rounded; pectorals .6 length of head. Color: dark greenish, with 5 blackish lengthwise 

 bands on side and back; several dark horizontal bands on cheeks, the lowermost extending on 

 mandible; a black spot on upper part of opercle. {pomotis, a genus of sun-fishes synonymous 

 with Lepomis.) 



