114 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



and southwest to Texas. It is an extremely variable species 

 and everywhere common. The species grows to the length of 

 eight inches. It has no importance as food for man. It feeds 

 on aquatic plants. The young are hardy in the aquarium, where 

 they feed on confervae and diatoms. The sexes are very unlike. 

 The males in the breeding season have' the head and frequently 

 the entire body covered with large tubercles and the upper half 

 of the dorsal and anal fins fiery orange, with a dark cross bar- 

 about the middle of these fins. 



The fish is rather sluggish, but when frightened its move- 

 ments are very rapid. It is a bottom feeder. 



Dr Evermann collected a moderate number of specimens at 

 the following New York localities: Salt brook, L| miles above 

 Nine Mile point, June 11, 1893; creek, Pultneyville, Aug. 7, 1894;. 

 Long pond, Charlotte, Aug. 17, 1894; Marsh creek, Point Breeze, 

 Aug. 21, 1894. 



Genus CHROSOMUS Kafinesque 



Body moderately elongate, little compressed; jaws normal; 

 no barbel ; teeth 5-5 or 4-5, moderately hooked, with well marked 

 grinding surface; alimentary canal elongate, about twice as 

 long as body; peritoneum black; scales very small; lateral line 

 short or wanting; dorsal behind ventrals; anal basis short. 

 Size small. Colors in spring brilliant, the pigment bright red. 

 This genus is of somewhat doubtful relationship, and shows 

 many analogies with the subgenus P h o x i n u s under L e u - 

 c i s c u s . (After Jordan and Evermann) 



65 Chrosomus erythrogaster Kafinesque 

 Red-bellied Dace 



Luxilus erythrogaster RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohien. 47, 1820; KIRTLAND, Bost.. 



Jour. Nat. Hist. IV, pi. II, fig. 2, male and female, 1844. 

 Leuciscns erytlirogaster GUNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VII, 247; 1868. 

 CJirosomus erythrogaster COPE, Trans. Am. Phil. Soc. XIII, 391; JORDAN & 



GILBERT, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 153, 1883; BEAN, Fishes Penna. 32. 



pi. 22, fig. 35, 1893; JORDAN & EVERMANN, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus, 



209, 1896. 



The red-bellied dace has a fusiform, moderately elongate and 

 thick body, whose greatest, hight is contained from four and 



