48 COPEIA ■ 



ACIPENSER FULVESCENS RAFIN- 



ESQUE, THE GREAT LAKE 



STURGEON. 



The Great Lake Sturgeon has been named many 

 times by Le Sueur, Agassiz, Dumeril and other nat- 

 uralists, but the earliest name of all those applied to 

 it seems to have been subsequently overlooked. The 

 species is currently known as Acipenser' rubicundus 

 Le Sueur, 1818, but that name must give place to 

 Acipenser fulvescens Rafinesque, proposed in the 

 American Monthly Magazine for August, 1817 (Vol. 

 I, p, 288). The passage may be reprinted: 



"A paper, entitled 'Addition to the Observations 

 on the Sturgeons of North America,' from Mr. Rafin- 

 esque, was read before the Society [Literary and 

 Philosophical Society of New York] . In this Mem- 

 oir Mr. R. stated severally the discoveries of M. Le 

 Suer, whose new species belong particularly to the 

 genera salmo, cyprinus, silurus, anguilla, bodianus, 

 perca, clupea, &c. Mr. R. gave it as his opinion that 

 the lake sturgeon is a perfectly distinct species, to 

 which the name of accipenser fulvescens could be 

 given, as it is entirely of a dark fulvus color. It 

 reaches six feet in length, has a very obtuse and short 

 snout, a falcated dorsal fin, a smooth skin, five rows 

 of shields ; the lateral rows composed of a great num- 

 ber of small shields, upwards of forty, &c. 



"The small sturgeon of Lake Erie, according to 

 the author, remains yet to be described. He sup- 

 poses that several small species may also be found in 

 lakes Michigan, Huron, Superior and Winnipeg, but 

 require the eyes of able observers. 'I have no doubt,' 

 says Mr. R. 'That twenty species, at least, of this 

 genus, inhabit North America, on the east and west- 

 ern lakes and rivers, and that as many dwell in the 

 eastern continent.' " 



Carl L. Hubbs, 



Chicago, III. 



