390 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



Pantosteus jordani Evermanu, Ball. U. S. Fish Comm., xn, 1892, January 27, 

 1893, art. 2, 51-56, Red Rock and Beaverhead rivers, Mont., and various 

 Black Hills localities, types; Gilbert & Evermanu, Bull. U. S. Fish Comm., 

 xiv, 1894, 189, various places in the Columbia River basin. 



Pantosteus columbianus Eigenmanu & Eigeumann, American Naturalist, Feb- 

 ruary 4, 1893, 151, Boise River, Caldwell, Idaho; types. 



In the tbird paper referred to above will be found the description of tbis 

 species, together with a discussion of tbe relationships of the various known 

 species of Pantosteus and tbe closely related species of Catostomus. In tbe 

 paper is also given the complete synonymy of each species of Pantosteus. In 

 October, 1892, numerous specimens of this species were obtained as follows: 

 Whitewood Creek, Deadwood; Spearfish Creek, Spearfish; Chicken Creek 

 near Spearfish ; Crow Creek, Gammon's Rancb ; Belle Fourche River, Belle 

 Fourcbe; Rapid Creek, Rapid, and Hat Creek, Ardmore. 



All the specimens found in Whitewood and Spearfish creeks were young 

 individuals. In all tbe other streams uamed, good-sized specimens were 

 found, the largest and finest one being about 7 inches in length and from 

 Rapid Creek. During the investigation in South Dakota, Nebraska, and 

 Wyoming, carried on in 1893, it was found in the following places: Chadron 

 Creek, Chadron; Cheyenne River, Edgemont; Cheyenne River near Hot 

 Springs ; Beaver Creek, Buffalo Gap ; Spearfish Creek, Spearfish ; Redwater 

 Creek near Spearfish; creek at Hill City; French Creek, Custer; Beaver 

 Creek, Newcastle; Powder River, Arvada; Clear Creek at Clermont; south 

 fork of Tongue River, Sheridan; Big Goose Creek, Sheridan. This small 

 sucker is abundant in most of the smaller, clearer streams in and about 

 the Black Hills. It seems most abundant in the streams tributary to the 

 Cheyenne. South of the Cheyenne it was found in only one place, this 

 being at Chadron in the basin of White River, which, however, is separated 

 from the south fork of Cheyenne River by a distance of less than 20 miles. 

 This is the most eastern and southern point from which it has yet been 

 obtained. The only other place outside of the Cheyenne basin where we 

 found it was in the streams about Sheridan. It probably does not occur in 

 the North or South Platte, but will doubtless bo found to inhabit all suitable 

 streams of the upper Missouri Basin. 



The recent finding of this fish at many places in the Columbia Basin shows 

 it to be a species of wide distribution, and, as is usually the case with such 

 species, it is subject to great variations in some of its characters. This is 

 true particularly as regards the scpianiation. The specimens from Spear- 

 fish and Hill City are noticed to have very small scales, the number in the 

 course of the lateral line ranging from 94 to 108 in the several specimens 

 counted; the usual number seems to be 17-104-13. Those from Sheridan, 

 Chadron, and Hot Springs have larger scales, the number in the lateral line 

 running from 77 to 89 in numerous examples counted. From Big Goose Creek 

 the usual formula was found to be 14-80-11 or 12. In the Newcastle speci- 

 mens the scales are a little smaller, the number being about 88 or 89, thus 

 approximating the fine-scaled Hill City form. There is not much variation 

 among the individuals from any one place. The fine-scaled specimens were 

 found in very cold water, and it may be that they represent a slight geo- 

 graphic variety inhabiting the smaller and colder mountain streams of the 

 Black Hills. The Hill City specimens have the mouth unusually broad and 

 3 or 4 rows of papilla? upon the up ler lip. The Chadron specimens have the 

 mouth narrower and more numerou.; papilla? upon the upper lip. The color 

 is somewhat darker. This species evidently does not reach a large size. 

 We have examined about 500 specimens, and the largest individual measures 

 less than 10 inches in the total length. 



