SYSTEMATIC CATALOGUE OF FISHES. 235 



blue, or bronze; below yellow; dusky spots on each scale or on many scales; a black spot on 

 opercle; 3 dark bars radiating from eye; vertical fins with dusky mottlings; a large dark spot 

 on posterior part of soft dorsal, {gulosus, large-throated.) 



This fish is distributed from the Great Lakes to North Carohna and Texas, 

 being particularly numerous in the South Atlantic and Gulf States. Cope 

 (1870) stated that "this species is exceedingly common in all the streams of 

 North Carolina east of the Allegheny Mountains", but that "it does not occur 

 in the French Broad". Jordan, in his explorations in 1888, found the fish only 

 in the Neuse and Cape Fear basins. The present writer in 1892 found it common 

 in Albemarle Sound and abundant in the lower Roanoke. The National Museum 

 contains specimens from Tar River at Tarboro and Yadkin River at Salem, and 

 Mr. W. H. Yopp reports it from the Cape Fear and tributaries about Wilmington. 



Warmouth is a distinctive name for this species, but the North Carolina 

 names are "goggle-eye", "chub", and "mud chub" on Albemarle Sound and 

 tributaries; "red-eyed bream" on the Catawba, according to Cope; and "goggle- 

 eye perch" at Wilmington. In South Carolina and Georgia the vernacular 

 names are warmouth perch, more-mouth bream, yaw-mouth perch, warm-mouth 

 perch, and sun trout. Bream, sun-fish, and perch are southern names which 

 this species shares with other centrarchids. 



The warmouth rarely exceeds 10 inches in length. In the Albemarle region 

 it is caught in gill nets and other nets, and is sold in the local markets. It is in 

 the Wilmington markets throughout the year, but is not very abundant ; it there 

 ranges from one-fourth of a pound to one pound in weight, and brings the fisher- 

 men 7 cents a pound on an average. The fish takes the hook readily and is often 

 caught by North Carolina anglers. 



Genus ENNEACANTHUS Gill. Little Sun-fishes. 



Small fishes, with rather short, deep, compressed body; small mouth, with 

 teeth on jaws, vomer, and palatines, but none on tongue; short maxillary with 

 supplemental bone well developed; margin of preopercle entire; 2 flat points on 

 opercular margin; large scales; lateral line usually complete; short and not 

 numerous gill-rakers; about 9 dorsal spines, 3 anal spines; convex caudal fin. 

 Two species are now recognized, both found in North Carolina: 



i. Dark spot on opercle more than half diameter of eye; 5 to 8 persistent black vertical bars on 



sides; body and fins with purplish or golden spots obesus. 



ii. Dark spot on opercle less than half diameter of eye; vertical bars narrower and less distinct 

 (disappearing with age) ; body and fins with sky-blue spots gloriosus. 



{Enneacanthus , nine-spined.) 



(rt^dM^ 



203. ENNEACANTHUS OBESUS (^sdv6). 



Little Sun-fish. 



Pomotis obesus Baifd, Nrrtth-SmitTisotiTah Report, 324, i854; -Beesley Paiati-Nr^""*"" 



Enneacanthus guttatus. Cope, 18706, 4.52; Neuse River. 



Enneacanthus obesus. Smith, 1893a, 199; Roanoke River at Weldon. Jordan & Evermann, 1896, 993. 



Diagnosis. — Body compressed, elliptical, depth more than .5 length; head .37 to .4 total 

 length of body; eye rather large, its diameter contained 3 to 3.25 times in head; snout less 



