438 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [96] 



Amblodon I'm cut us Agassiz, Am. Jour. Sci. Arts, 1855, 307 (Osage River). 



Haploidonotus lineatus Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1861, 105 (name only). Jor- 

 dan, Man. Vert.,ed. i, 242, 1876 (copied). 



Amblodon neglectus Girard, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1858, 167 (Rio Grande). 

 Girard, 1 T . S. and Mex. Bound. Survey, 12, plate v, fig. 6-10, 1859 (Rio Grande, 

 Matamoras). 



Haploidonotus neglectus Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1861, 105 (name only). 



Corvina {Amblodon) neglecta Steindachner, Ichth. Notizeu, vi, 1867, 38 (" southern part 

 of the west coast of the United States"). 



Habitat. — Fresh waters of the Eastern United States, chiefly west of 

 the Alleghanies; Great Lakes to Dakota, and Texas. 



This species is one of the common inhabitants of our deep and slug- 

 gish rivers and of our lakes. Under favorable circumstances it reaches 

 a large size, and a weight of 40 to 50 pounds. It is held in rather low 

 esteem as a food -fish, its flesh being rather coarse and flavorless. In 

 the lake region, as the " Sheepshead," it is altogether worthless, but 

 farther south it hohls a higher rank, the " White Perch" of the Ohio 

 being regarded as a tolerable food-fish. In Texas the same species, as 

 the " Gaspergou," is regarded as one of the best of the river fish. 



There is no doubt that all of the nominal species above enumerated 

 should be referred to a single one, A. grunniens. 



Genus XXYL— EQUES. 



Eques Bloch, Ichthyologia, 1793 (americanus=1anceolafus). 



Equietus Rafinesque, Analyse de la Nature, 1815, 86 (substitute for Eques, the latter 



name being considered too short). 

 Pareques (Gill Mss. ) Goode, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., v, 50, 1875 (acuminatus). 



Type: Eques americanus Bloch = GJuvto<lon lanceolatus L. 



This genus is one of the most remarkable in the family in respect to 

 its osteology, as well as to the coloration of some of its species. One 

 of the four known species, Eques acuminatus, resembles considerably 

 Sciwna and other typical members of the family, while the bizarre form 

 and coloration of Eques lanceolatus gives it some resemblance to the 

 Cbretodonts. The two other species are, however, intermediate, and we 

 know of no sufficient character on which Pareques can be maintained 

 as a distinct genus. 



ANALYSIS OF SPECIES OF EQUES. 



a. Dorsal rays X to XII-I, 36 to 46 : first five or six of the interueurals * wedged in 

 between the neurals of the second and third vertebra 3 ., the rest between 

 third and fourth. (Pareques Gill.) 

 b. Profile elongate, rather steep, but not nearly vertical ; distance from snout to 

 first dorsal spine about equal to depth of body (form approaching that 

 of Scieena umbra), 

 c. Dorsal spines little elevated, the longest about 5-J in length of body; vertica- 

 fins unspotted ; body oblong, compressed, the back somewhat elevated : 

 eye about equal to snout, 4 in head ; interorbital area not quite as broad 

 as eye ; preorbital 1^ in eye ; mouth larger than in Eques punctatus, max- 



*Not examined in Eques pulcher. 



