HE FISHES. OF NEW JERSEY: I 
N 
W 
Schilbeodes insignis (Richardson). 
BYATE 15. 
Mud Cat Fish. Poison Cat Fish. Stone Cat. 
Head 4; depth 6%; D. I, 6; A. 11, 13; width of head 1% in 
its length; snout 234; eye 5%; width of mouth 2% ; interorbital 
space 224; third dorsal ray 134; third developed anal ray 2; 
caudal 114%; pectoral 12/,; ventral 2; pectoral spine 2; dorsal 
spine 3; least depth of caudal peduncle 2. Body rather long. 
Head broad, depressed, flattened in front. Snout a little broad 
and depressed. Eye a little elongate, anterior. Upper jaw pro- 
jecting a little. Teeth fine, pointed, in bands in jaws. Maxillary 
barbel reaching axil of pectoral spine. Nasal barbel extending 
about an eye-diameter beyond posterior margin of orbit. Outer 
mental barbel a little shorter than maxillary, and inner reaching 
half way to origin of pectoral. Interorbital space broad and flat. 
Gill-rakers 2+ 7, lanceolate, and longest about equals pupil. 
Origin of spinous dorsal about midway between tip of snout and 
first third of base of anal. Anal inserted midway between base 
of caudal and origin of pectoral. Caudal rounded, with many 
rudimentary rays. Pectoral reaching about opposite base of 
fourth dorsal ray, and its spine about opposite base of dorsal 
spine. Ventral inserted about opposite base of last dorsal ray and 
reaching about 44 of space to anal. Color brown, belly and 
lower surface of head paler. Vertical fins all with dusky margins. 
Length 3% inches. Crosswicks Creek, near Trenton. 
This species attains a larger size than the preceding and appears 
to be less abundant. Large examples of 10 inches in length are, 
however, rare. It is not distinguished from Schilbeodes gyrinus 
by most fishermen, who usually regard all small cat fish as the 
young of the larger individuals of Ameiurus. ‘The coloration of 
this fish is a little paler than that of the preceding species, from 
which it may be told chiefly by its dark-edged vertical fins and 
more slender body. The only New Jersey examples I have were 
taken in Crosswicks Creek, near Trenton, where I found the 
species rather rare. 
