430 EXPLORATIONS ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN OF UTAH. 



ence is not mentioned ; Dr. Kirtlancl would, of course, liave noticed the characters 

 mentioned by Ratinesqne, if tliey were more than imaginary. 



As no other species of Ictaluroid, except the Hopladelus oUvaris and Noturus, with 

 fifteen anal rays or thereabouts, has been discovered in the Ohio River by the researches 

 of Dr. Kirtland, we must, for tlie present at least, regard Rafinesque's descriptions of 

 Phnclodus viscosus as well as of I'imdodus nchnhsns having been based on one of them ; 

 they agree best with the Hopladelus. 



The Pylodictis Umosiis, named by Rafinesque from a drawing of Audubon, ap})ears 

 to be also founded on this species. It agrees tolerably well with the HoplaMus, except 

 in the absence of the lateral line, the position of the dorsal over the abdominal fins, 

 and the rayed second dorsal. Audubon prol^ably omitted the lateral line, or did not 

 represent it very distinctly ; there is certainly no American Siluroid without it. The 

 last rays of the dorsal being nearly over the bases of the ^'entrals, the statement, con- 

 sidering the author of it, sufficiently approximates to the fact. The edge of the adipose 

 of Hopladelus is frequently jagged or torn, and, being so represented by Audubon, 

 appeared to Rafinesque to be rayed. It is stated that the species " sometimes reaches 

 the weight of twenty pounds" and " bears the names of Mud Cat, Mud Fish, Mud 

 Sucker, and Toad Fish", names ^^'hich increase the evidence in favor of the identity of 

 Rafinesque's Pimelodns Hjiiosiis and Pijlodkiis Vimosus. 



The descriptions given by Rafinesque in his Monograph of the 8iluri of the Ohio 

 are all referred to the above species by their author. 



In the twelfth volume of the " Histoire Naturelle des Poissons", Valenciennes 

 describes a species as Pimelodns punctulatus, which appeai-s to be also identical with the 

 Hopladelus. Specimens had been sent from New Harmony and from New Orleans 

 by Lesueur. It is said to have the form of the Pinielodus eatas, but with a shorter 

 anal ; the lower jaw is the longer ; the head very much depressed, and forming a 

 quarter of the entire length, and a fifth longer than wide ; the maxillary barbels reach 

 the middle of the operculum ; the ossified part of the pectoral spine is half the length 

 of the fin, has its borders serrated in opposite directions, and is prolonged in a soft and 

 articulated point. There are twelve branchiostegal rays and sixteen anal. The color 

 is brown, dotted with black and with irregular black blotches. 



The description of Valenciennes answers in every respect to the Hopladelus, except 

 as to the number of ventral rays, which is said to be eight. As in every other feature 

 it is applicable to our species, there may have been some mistake in the enumeration, 

 or perhaps even an abnormal variety. It appears to be at least proj^er to consider the 

 Pimelodns punctulatus for the present as identical with the Hopladelus. 



The description of Pimelodns (eneiis of Lesueur is next abstracted, and Valenci- 

 ennes remarks that, except as to form and the number of rays, it agrees with his 

 Pimelodus punctulatus ; he himself remarks that the difference in the number of rays 

 might be explained by the difficulty which the thick meml^rane in which the rays are 

 enveloped would present to an exact computation. As to form, he objects that the 

 phrase applied to the Pimelodus (enens, — "ale corps tres-long", — is not applicable to the 

 Pimelodus punctulatus, of which the head enters only four times in the length. To this 

 we would answer that the head of Hopladelus is certainly only a fourth of the length, 



