CHECK-LIST OF THE FISHES OF FLORIDA. 



45 



FRESH-WATER SPECIES. 



The number of fresli-'water species known from the State is not large. 

 They belong to the following families: 



Petromyzonidoi (Lampreys) 1 



Lepisosteidce (Gars) 3 



Amiidce {Bow &ns) 1 



Siluridw (Cat-fishes) 8 



CatostomidcB (Suckers) 2 



CyprinidcB (Minnows) 9 



Luciidw (Pikes) 2 



Poeciliidce (Killi-fishes) 13 



Aphredoderido} (Pirate Perches) 1 



Aihei'inidw (Silversides) 1 



Elassomidw (Pigmy Sun-fishes) 1 



Centrarchidw (Sun-fishes and Basses) . . 15 

 Fercidw (Darters) 4 



Of these 61 species the only ones of commercial importance are the 

 cat-fishes, pikes, sun-fishes, and large-mouthed black bass. This list 

 is remarkable in that it contains so few of the Catostomidw, Gyprinidce, 

 and Percidw. Each of these is a very large family, the approximate 

 number of species of each in American waters being as follows: Cato- 

 stomidcv, 61 ; Cyprinidcv, 227 ; Fercida', 86. 



The most southern locality in Florida from which specimens of fresh- 

 water fishes have been obtained is Miami, 8 species having been 

 collected there in the Miami and Little rivers in 1896. Doubtless many 

 additional species will be discovered when the waters of the State are 

 more thoroughly explored. The regions which promise the richest and 

 most important results are the Everglades, the lakes in the interior 

 south of Lake George, and the streams crossing the northern boundary 

 of the State. 



BRACKISH- WATER SPECIES. 



In this category may be included all those species which live habit- 

 ually in brackish water, those more truly salt-water species which are 

 also found more or less commonly iu brackish and even fresh water, 

 and also those more truly fresh-water species which are occasionally 

 found in brackish water. In this division will fall, of course, all ana- 

 dromous and catadromous species, such as the shad and common eel. 

 The family with the greatest number of species in this division is the 

 Poeciliidce, i^reeminently the family of brackish-water fishes. Florida 

 contains 21 species of this family, of which at least 8 live habitually in 

 brackish water and each of the other 13 may occasionally occur there. 

 This family is worthy of note as containing the smallest known fish, 

 Heterandria formosa, which is less than an inch in length. 



Two species of shad are known from Florida. On the east coast the 

 common shad {Alosa sapidissima) is a common and valued species. It 

 occurs regularly and in considerable numbers in the St. Johns and St. 

 Marys rivers and rarely in the Indian Eiver. It is not positively known 

 to occur in any other waters of the State. 



At Pensacola, and doubtless elsewhere iu the west-coast drainage, 

 occurs the Alabama shad {Alosa alahamcv). 



Shad have been reported from various west Florida rivers, particu- 

 larly the Suwanee, Apalachicola, and Escambia rivers. It is not cer- 



