58 GENUS CATOSTOMUS. 



A mora particular description is not thought neccssaiy, 

 as the figure accompanying this article will convey a better 

 idea of the animal than can be given by any verbal detail. 



A new genus of Fishes, of the order Mdominales, propo- 

 sedy U7ider the name of Catostomus; and the characters 

 of this genus, with those of its species, indicated. By C. 

 A» Le Sueur. Read September 16, 1817. 



The genus Cyprinus of Linne, included a considera- 

 ble number of fishes, of supposed congenerous habits and 

 conformation; and it has since his time been enlarged hj 

 important additions; hence it has become necessary to the 

 advancement of the ichthyological student, to form new 

 genera from this increasing family. Recently Mr. Cuvier 

 proposed as the type of a subgenus, the Cyprinus barbus 

 of Europe; and notwithstanding this division, there 

 still remains a species which will form the basis of ano- 

 ther division, or of a separate genus. This was de- 

 scribed and figured by Forster, under the name of Cy- 

 prinus catostomus; (Phil. Trans, vol. 63,) and is the only 

 (certain) species of the kind recorded by La Cepede, and 

 Shaw. A second was described and figured by Mr. Peck, 

 in the Memoirs of the American Academy of Arts and 

 Sciences of Boston, vol. 2, part 2, p. 55, pi. 2, fig. 4, 

 likewise under the name of catostomus. Dr. Mitchill,. 

 in the Transactions of the Newyork Historical and Phi- 

 losophical Society, describes two species, one under 

 the name of oblongus, and the other under that of teres, 

 which last he conjectured might prove the catostomus of 



