Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 139 



apparently of 15 or 16 rays and much shorter than head, the spines small, 

 the occipital bridge apparently complete as in Ictalurus (to which genus 

 it may belong), and the color entirely black, as is the case with nearly all 

 fishes in black-water swamps. The type is from Kissimee River, near 

 Lake Okeechobee, in the everglades of Florida. 



Irtalin-iis okeechobeemis, HEILPRIN, Trans. Wagner Inst. Sci. Phila., r, 1887, pi. 18, Kissimee 

 River, Florida. 



Subgenus AMEIURUS. 



214. AMEIURUS EREBENNUS, Jordan. 



Body rather elongate, compressed, the depth about 4 in length. Dorsal 

 region rather elevated; the head quite long and narrowed forward, 4 times 

 in length of body. Head more narrowed than in A. natalis ; width of 

 head in front of eye little more than | its length ; width of the mouth 

 about i length of head. Greatest width of head contained l\ times in its 

 length. Dorsal fin slightly nearer thesnout than the adipose fin, unusually 

 high, its spine long. Pectoral spines strong, about i as long as the 

 head. Anal fin long, deep, nearly the length of the body, of 22 

 to 24 rays. Adipose fin large; caudal fin rather short, truncate behind. 

 Jaws subequal. Supraoccipital process but little free behind. Color 

 black; belly paler; fins and barbels black. Coast swamps and black- 

 water streams from New Jersey to Florida. Close to 4. natalis, but with 

 narrower head and longer spines. (ipe(3evv6c, color of Erebus, which is 

 very black.) 



Ameiurm erebennm, JORDAN, Bull. II. S. Nat. Mus., x, 85, 1877, St. Johns River, Florida ; 



JORDAN & GILBERT, Synopsis, 105, 1883. 

 Amiw-us prosthistlm* COPE, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1883, 133, Batstoe River, N. J. 



215. AMEIURUS NATALIS, (Le Sueur). 



(YELLOW CAT.) 



Anal rays 24 to 27. Body more or less short and chubby, sometimes 

 extremely obese (var. natalis), sometimes more elongate (var. liridus). 

 Head short and broad; mouth wide, the jaws equal (var. lividus), or the 

 upper jaw longest (var. cupreus). Yellowish, greenish, or blackish. Great 

 Lake region to Virginia and Texas, and southward ; generally abundant, 

 extremely variable, and running into several varieties.! (natalis, having 

 large nates, or buttocks.) 



* Except that the caudal fin is said to he rounded rather than truncate, A. prntlhinliu* agrees 

 with A. erebemms, with which we think it will prove identical. Greatest width of head equal 

 to depth of body; eye small, 5 iu interorbital width; dorsal spine inserted much nearer tip of 

 snout than adipose fin ; pectoral spines a little larger than dorsal spine ; maxillary barbel reach- 

 ing middle of pectoral spine ; humeral process extending a little farther ; black, whitish below ; 

 fins black; pectoral and ventral pale at base; head 3%; depth 4%. D. I, 6; A. 24 to 27. 

 Batstoe River, New Jersey. Cope. 



t These varieties have been thus diagnosed: 

 a. Dorsal considerably nearer snout than adipose fin. 



6. Jaws equal; spines very short; anal rays 25; colors yellowish brown. Ohio Kivert 

 Arkansas, North Carolina, and south. LIVIDUS. 



bb. Jaws unequal, the upper the longer. 



c. Anal rays 24 or 25, the fin rather low, its base 3% iu body, nape not swollen. 

 d. Colors pale, yellowish brown. Mississippi valley and south. 



