FISHES OF NEW YORK 71 



,epidsosteus ossms Gunther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. VIII, 1870; Jordan & 



Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 91, 1883. 

 lepisosteus osseus Jordan & Evermann, Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 109, 1890. 



The garpike has an elongate, subeylindric body. Its depth 

 3 contained about 12 times in the length without the caudal, 

 'he jaws are greatly produced, the upper being the longer. 

 *he length of the head is one third of the total without caudal, 

 'eeth in the jaws rather fine, sharp and stiff; a single inner row 

 f large teeth, and an outer row of small teeth on each side, 

 'he snout is more than twice as long as the rest of the head, its 

 east width being from one fifteenth to one twentieth of its 

 3ngth. D. 7 to 8; A. 9; V. 6; P. 10. Scales 62 to 65. 



Color greenish; the sides silvery and the belly whitish; nu- 

 lerous round, dark spots on the sides, most distinct posteriorly 

 nd most conspicuous in the young, becoming obscure with age. 

 ^ery young individuals have a blackish lateral band. The fins 

 re generally plain, but the vertical fins have numerous round 

 ark spots. 



The specimen described is no. 36098, U. kS. National Museum. 

 ts length is 24 inches. 



This is the common long-nosed gar pike of the Great lakes, 

 he Mississippi valley and the eastern states from Pennsylvania 



South Carolina. It ranges south to Mexico and west to the 

 lains. Additional names for the species are: billfish, sword- 

 sh, bony gar, bon}^ pike, alligator, alligator gar, and buf- 

 alo fish. Prof. Cope recognizes two varieties of this gar 



1 Pennsylvania. One of these abounds in the Susquehanna 

 nd the lower Delaware. He distinguishes it by its ro- 

 ust form, short face and gill covers and the roughened 

 cales of the front part of the body. The other variety occurs 

 1 lakes and in the Allegheny river and is to be known by its 

 lenderer face and gill covers, its smaller size, generally smooth 

 cales and the absence of dark spots on the body and fins. It 

 hould be remembered, however, that the species is extremely 

 ariable in these particulars, and all of the names based on 

 Qch characters have been generally discarded. 



