The Blue Cat 



which may be an Ameiurus, known only from the Rio Usumacinta 

 in southern Mexico) being important food-fishes. 



a. Anal fin very long, its base nearly one-third length of body, 



its rays 3 1 to 33 ; furcatus, \ 7 



aa. Anal fin snorter, its rays 24 to 29. 



b. Cranial bones lighter, the supraoccipital long and narrow, its 



upper surface nearly smooth; punctatus, 21 



bb. Cranial bones heavy, the supraoccipital broadly triangular, its 

 upper surface finely grooved ; anguilla, 22 



Blue Cat ; Mississippi Cat 



Ictalurus furcatus (Le Sueur) 



This is the largest and most important of all our catfishes. It 

 is found throughout the Mississippi Valley and the Gulf States in 

 all the larger streams and lakes and bayous. It is particularly 

 abundant along the lower Mississippi, and in the Atchafalaya 

 River in Louisiana, from one to two million pounds being shipped 

 annually from the latter stream. It is not certainly known 

 whether this fish is distinct from the large catfish of the Great 

 Lakes. The blue cat attains an immense size. The largest 

 specimen on record weighed 150 pounds, and was caught in the 

 Mississippi at St. Louis. Examples weighing 80 to 100 pounds 

 have not been infrequent. Very large individuals are not often 

 seen now, however. Of 374 examples weighed and about 2.000 

 others examined at Morgan City, Louisiana, in 1897, the largest 

 (a ripe female) weighed 35 pounds, but the average weight was 



17 



