238 Field Museum of Natural History — Zoology, Vol. VII. 



Lepisosteus platostomus Rafinesque. Short-nosed Gar. 



Head 3 to 3.9; depth 8 to 10; D. 8; A. 8; scales 60 to 64. Similar 

 to the preceding but with a much shorter and broader beak ; greatest 

 width of beak 2.3, its least width 5.5 in its length. 



Color dark olive green above ; belly white ; dorsal caudal and anal 

 each with roundish dark spots ; young with a broad black lateral band. 



Length 2 to 3 feet. 



Common in the Mississippi Valley, being more abundant in the 

 southern part of its range. In appearance and habits it resembles 

 the former species in this area. 



Order Cycloganoidea. 



Skeleton bony; vertebra biconcave, the anterior ones not modi- 

 fied; ventral fins abdominal; opercle, preopercle, interopercle, and 

 subopercle present; maxillary present; air bladder bifid anteriorly, 

 cellular, lung-like; tail heterocercal. 



Family Aniiatidse. 



Body elongate, subcyHndrical anteriorly, compressed posteriorly, 

 covered with hard cycloid scales; head with external bones very 

 hard and scarcely covered by skin; jaws, vomer, palatines, and ptery- 

 goids with teeth ; fins without spines or fulcra; air bladder connected 

 by a glottis with the pharynx, and able to assist in respiration ; a bony 

 gular plate between the branches of the lower jaw; stomach a blind 

 sac, without pyloric coeca; intestine with a rudimentary spiral valve. 



Genus Aiiiiatus Linnceus. 

 Dog Fish; Bowfin. "John A. Grindle." 

 Dorsal fin long; its base twice the length of the head. 



Amiatus calva Linnaeus. Dog Fish; Bowfin; Grindle. 



Head 3.5 to 4.3; depth 4.6 to 6.2; D. 47 to 51; A. 9 to 10; scales 

 66 to 68. Body elongate, compressed posteriorly; head subconic, 

 depressed; mouth large, maxillary reaching to vertical behind eye; 



