

GENUS CATOSTOMUS. 



151 



by the inhabitants. They n\n up the rivers to spawn in June ; feed on 

 the bottom and eat the spawn of better fish ; spawning beds on gravel ; 

 bite at hook sometimes ; are extremely numerous, and are considered 



luisance by the fishermen, but they meet with a ready sale in winter 



an average price of 2J cents per pound." 



Specimens in United States Rational Museum. 



Genus CATOSTOMUS Le Sueur. 



itomus LE SUEUR, Journ. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phila. i, 1H17, 69. (Equivalent to family Ca- 



tostomida*.) 

 Typentelium KAFINESQUE, Journ. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phila. i, 1818, 421. (As submenus of Ezo- 



glossum.') 

 Decactylus RAFINESQUE, Ichthyologia Ohiensis, 1820, 60. (As subgenns of Catostomus, 



including the 10-rayed species.) 

 Eylomyzon AGASSIZ, Am. Journ. Sc. Arts, 1855, 205. 

 Minomus GIRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phila. 1856, 173. 

 Acomus GIRARD, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phila. 1856, 173. 

 Catastomus GILL, Canadian Naturalist, 1865, August. 

 Decadactylus JORDAN, Man. Vert. 2d ed. 1878, 319. (As subgenns.) 



Type, Cyprinus catostomus Forster, = CatostoniMS liudsonius Le Sueur, = Catostomus Jon- 

 girostrum Le Sueur. 



Etymology, /caro, low ; oro^/a, mouth. 



Etymology of Synonyms. 



Hypentclium : probably i -o, below; Trtvre, five; ylo,3of, lobe, as the name is said to 

 refer to the 5-lobed lower lip, supposed to distinguish it from the 3-lobed submenus 

 MaxiUingua ; possibly, however, from r-5, below; evre/j/?, perfect. 



Decactylus: de/caf, ten; SuKruloe, tee, t. e., 10 ventral rays, hence properly Deca- 

 dactylus. 



Hylomyzon : r?,e, mud ; /zu^aw, to suck. 



Acomus and Hinomus are probably meaningless words, without etymology. 



Head more or less elongate, its length ranging from 3J to 5 times in 

 that of the body, its form varying considerably in the different subgeu- 

 era. Eye usually rather small, high up and median or more or less pos- 



