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X. Check List of the Fishes of the Fresh Waters 

 of North America 



BY DAVID S. JORDAN, M. S. M. D. AND HERBERT E. COPELAND, M. S. 



This list is designed to include all the species of fishes now de- 

 scribed, from the fresh waters of North America north of Mexico, with 

 tlie geographical distribution of each as far as recorded. The authors 

 are well aware that it is incomplete — the necessary condition of a first 

 check list — and, what is much more to he regretted, very redundant, 

 for which workers in American Ichthyology are responsible. It is 

 believed, however, that it gives a fair view of the present state of 

 our knowledge of our inland fishes. 



About one-third of the species here recorded, and a number of 

 the genera, are considered by the authors as "doubtful." The 

 nature of the doubt is indicated, as in Prof. Gill's " Catalogue of 

 the Fishes of the East Coast of N. A.," by the following signs : 

 d. s., doubtful species ; d. g., doubtful genus ; d. a. s., doubtful as 

 to species ; d. a. g,, doubtful as to genus. 



Those. genera and species not so marked, are : (a), those which are 

 undoubtedly valid; {h), those which, from the peculiar characters 

 assigned to them, seem to be valid; and (c), those which, for various 

 reasons, we do not feel warranted in calling into question. 



The doubtful species are of two classes. Firstly, those doubtful 

 as species, but well known, and at least representing well-marked 

 varieties. To this class belong such fishes as Poeciliclitliys spedaMlis 

 and Argyrosomus sisco. Secondly, a much larger class, including 

 those not satisfactorily verified since their original description, when 

 the description itself is wanting in truly distinctive characters. To 

 this class belong nearly all the species described by Girard, from the 

 region beyond the Mississippi river. 



The mere question of priority of name is not regarded as affecting 

 the validity of a species or genus as herein printed. 



The following grades of "species" are omitted: 1. Generally 

 admitted synonyms. 2. Species we know to be synonymous, al- 

 though not hitherto considered as such. 3. Species described 



