100 TEE FISH SOE VOHTO. 
or nearly so, opercles scaled, neck and breast usually naked. Color, oliva- 
ceous, tessellated above; sides with a varying number (about 12) of vertical, 
indigo-blue bars, separated by orange interspaces; throat, breast and sides 
of belly orange; cheeks blue-green; first dorsal crimson at base, above this 
an orange bar, margined with blue; other vertical fins chiefly orange, tipped 
with blue. Females much plainer, with very little blue or red. Length 2% 
inches. 
This elegant little fish is widely distributed over the state, 
and is generally abundant. It is most common in the smaller 
streams, and is always found in running water, usually on ripples, 
and does not occur in lakes. Kirtland reported it in 1854 from 
near Cleveland, under the name /oecilosoma erythrogastrum. 
Jordan gives it as ‘‘the most abundant member of the family.’’ 
Hamilton County, ‘‘ very common in East Mill creek,’’ Henshall, 
1888; Lorain County, ‘‘one of the most common darters,’’ 
McCormick, 1892; Maumee river system, ‘‘not taken in the 
Maumee, St. Mary’s and St. Joseph rivers, common in all the 
other larger streams and nearly all the small ones,’’ Kirsch, 1893 ; 
Franklin County, abundant, of general distribution, Williamson 
and Osburn, 1897; Big Jelloway creek, ‘‘ very common,’’ Parker, 
Williamson and Osburn, 1898; John’s creek at Ironton, Huron 
river at Milan, Ashtabula creek. Wabash river at Celina, Still- 
water and Wolf creeks at Dayton, North Fork of Licking river 
at Newark, R. C. Osburn, 1899 ; Mahoning river, E. B. William- 
son, 1900; Cuyahoga river, at Hawkins, Grand river at Paines- 
ville, Chagrin river at Willoughby, Wheeling creek at Bridge- 
port, McMahon creek at Bellaire, R. C. Osburn, rgoo. 
The following variety of this species is also taken in Ohio: 
Etheostoma cceruleum spectabile (Agassiz). 
It is known from the typical species by the ‘‘ faded out ’’ appearance of 
the ground color of the back, and by the arrangement of the olivaceous into 
distinct longitudinal lines. It is also rather more slender than the typical 
ceruleum, into which, both in color and in measurement it insensibly grades. 
This variety is found in brooks and smaller streams, replac- 
ing to some extent the typical form in central and western Ohio. 
Specimens from Ohio streams show many intermediate stages. 
Recorded by Kirsch from Sugar creek, near Lima; Franklin 
Couuty, taken only iu the small streams, ‘‘ grading insensibly into 
