THE CYPRINODONTS. 83 



B. 6; D. 8; A. 10-11 J V. 6; P. 12-13; LI 30; Ltr. 9-8; Vert. 

 14 + 18. 



Moderately, stout, compressed behind the head, caudal pedicel deep. 

 Head depressed, less than depth of body, about one fourth of the length 

 to the base of the caudal ; crown flattened. Back with a low arch ; most 

 sharply curved at the origin of the dorsal. Snout longer than eye, broad, 

 blunt. Mouth oblique, wide; lower jaws longer, firmly united ; upper pro- 

 tractile. Eye medium, less than snout, half of interorbital space, about two 

 sevenths of head. Teeth in bands, conical, hooked, outer series larger. Dor- 

 sal, anal, and pectorals medium, rounded ; dorsal origin behind the middle of 

 the total length, nearly above the hindmost ray of the anal. Base of anal 

 almost or quite forward of that of dorsal. Ventrals small. On males the 

 anal and ventrals are much nearer the bases of the pectorals, and the second, 

 third, and fourth anal rays form an elongate styliform process, about one 

 fourth of the total length of the body. Caudal large, rounded. Extended 

 the intestine hardly reaches the base of the caudal. Seven rays in the 

 dorsal are more often borne by males than females. 



Olivaceous to yellowish, edges of scales darker, light to yellow or silvery 

 beneath. Top of head dark, commonly with a whitish spot in the middle. 

 A darker vertebral streak. A black spot from the eye down and backward. 

 Cheeks silvery to bronzed or brown. With or without a black spot or spots 

 in front of the anal on the side of the abdomen. Dorsal and caudal with 

 small spots irregularly disposed or in one to several transverse series, rarely 

 plain. Occasional individuals are nearly uniform in color. Southward the 

 edges of the scales become darker, a small black spot sometimes is seen on 

 the base of each scale, and the spot below the eye is frequently indistinct or 

 absent. Occasionally black blotches are scattered over the body and fins ; 

 some specimens are almost black. 



The range of this species extends from Virginia to Alabama. In the 

 tributaries of the Mississippi and westward to Mexico it gives way to 

 G. patrtielis, to which it is very closely allied. 



A female of two and one half inches is uncommon ; males are hardly half 

 as large. Figures 4 and 5 of Plate XI. represent extremes in blotching and 

 in length of pectorals. The variation affects both sexes. Some of the indi- 

 viduals colored thus are badly infested by parasites, which may or may not 

 be connected with the cause of the peculiar modification. 



