Oneida I.tikc J-islus 4^15 



Aii'^iist ,51, 1915, ami ' »ctu!H.T lO, i<;if>. Xo. ~h. mouth nf Scriha Creek; Xo. 90. 

 .Maple Hay at mouth of thittenanf,'o Creek; Xo. 105. Mii^krat Hay; Xo. 309, 

 Lower South Hay: Xo. 4-'S. Dakin H.ay; Xos. 447, 463, Kast I'otter Hay; Xo. 522, 

 Frenchman Island; Xo. 539, Dunham Island: Xr). 622, Hrewerton. 



Enemies and Disease. Faust ('18, ]>. 195) records a treniatode parasite, 

 Stephana phiala parionis (O. F. M.), on this darter. Kvcrmann and Clark ('20, \'ol. 

 I. p. 443) say that this fish more than any other species of fish in l^ake Maxin- 

 kuckee, is susceptible to diplostomiasis. characterized by small round black spots 

 ill the skin, each representinj,' the cyst of a distomid which is said to reach its 

 mature fomi in the stomachs of water birds. These darters were occasionally 

 foun<l in the stomachs of other fishes. 



Refercnees. Hensley, '15; Clemens, '24; Kllis. '14; Kvermann and Cox, 

 V': Faust, '18; Forbes and Richardson, '09; Hankinson, '08, '16; Jaffa, '17; 

 I'earse, '18: Reij,diard, '15. 



Catonotus flabellaris (Rafinesquc). F.xnt.mi. D.\rti:r. F"ive of these 

 darters were taken, one from the lake and four from Frederick Creek. This creek 

 w.is the only j)lace studied where the s|)ecies was at all common, though it may 

 have been more plentiful in the lake without coming to our notice, especially if. 

 as ap]X'ars true, it has strong preference for rocky Imttoms, where it could easily 

 escape the net as well as observation. The marked activity of the fish makes it 

 a «lifticult one tf> capture on broad lake shoals where it is not easily cornered. The 

 taking of only a single individual in Oneida I^ike. then, is not significant, and 

 probably simply means that the species is not abundant there. 



The I'antail Darter is readily identified by the relatively very low anterior 

 dorsal fin. averaging alxiut half the height of the posterior one; an<I in the male this 

 first dorsal fin has spines that end in fleshy ex(>ansions — a condition not foimd in 

 any other of our clarters. 



Iheeding Ilabils and Life History. Wright and Allen ('13. p. 6) give as 

 its breeding jjlace. "( iravelly shallows, on stones." Forl>cs ami Richard.son ('09. 

 p. 314 > took four females ajiparently nearly ready to spawn, in May. (Ireeley ('27. 

 J). f>5) found the eggs of this darter on the lower surface of a stone, almut 400 in 

 ntimlur, placed side by side in a rounti patch. .\ male darter 2}.^ inches long. 

 j)robably the parent, was foimd under the stone. The eggs were i'^2 of an inch 

 in diameter. The locality was I'hilli|)s Creek, .Mlegany County. X. Y., anti the 

 d.ile, Jtme 25, I<i25. The water temi)i'ralure was (>^' V. He found two other nests 

 of the s|H'cies. one on June 22. in Cryder Creek, .Mlegany County, in which the 

 egg mass was al)out two days from hatching and was [il.-iced imder a stone in swift 

 water, with an attending male; tem]KTature of water (^>° F. The other was found 

 in a tributary of .\ngelica Creek, of the Cienesee .System, Inly i). Here, too, a male 

 was with the eggs, which were hatching. The tem|KTature of the water was 76' F. 



llahilal. Wright and .Mien ('13. p. 6) consider its habitat to I>c riffles and 

 shallows of gravelly creeks. Hcan ('03. p. 520) says that it aliounds in clear nnky 

 streams, .\ccording In Jf)rdan and F.venuann ('</>. p. 1007). "It lives in swift 

 waters, and its movements in the water are more active than those of any other 

 species." Forln-s and Richardson C<io. p. 3141 find it to lie a darter mainly of 

 the smaller streams. u>.ifii< i^li .l.itM.,. tl... .uiii.r creeks and brooks, although 



