332 Field Museum of Natural History — Zoology, Vol. VII. 



Microperca punctulata Putnam. Least Darter. 



Head 3.6 to 4.0; depth 4.6 to 5.2; D. V1-9; A. 11, 5 or 6; scales 

 32 to 36. 



Body robust, somewhat compressed; head bluntly rounded, in- 

 terorbital space narrow, convex; mouth subterminal, its cleft slightly 

 oblique, 3.5 to 4.0 in head; maxillary reaching to middle of eye; 

 snout bluntish, 4.8 to 5.5 in head; eye 3.7 to 4.1; gill membranes 

 scarcely connected; spinous and soft dorsals separated by a space 



Fig. 75. Least Darter. 



Microperca punctulata Putnam. (From Forbes and Richardson.) 



about equal to pupil ; separation of ventrals less than half width of 

 their base; cheeks, breast, and nape naked; opercles with few scales; 

 lateral line absent. 



Color olivaceous, sides closely speckled with vague bars and zig- 

 zag markings; soft dorsal and caudal barred. 



Length i to iX inches. . 



This fish ranges from Minnesota to Michigan and Arkansas. 



Hickory Creek, Marley, Illinois; Hickory Creek, New Lenox. 

 Illinois. 



Family Serraiiida^. 



The Sea Basses. 



Body oblong, more or less compressed; head large, mouth large, 

 with conical teeth on jaws, vomer, and palatines; ventral fins thoracic; 

 dorsal fin with spinous and soft part connected or not; preopercle 

 usually more or less serrate; air bladder small; stomach coecal, with 

 few or many pyloric appendages. 



a. Spinous dorsal separate from soft portion; sides with dark 

 lateral stripes not interrupted; base of tongue with teeth. 



Roccus, 333 

 aa. Spinous dorsal joined to soft portion; sides with dark lateral 

 stripes broken on posterior half of body; base of tongue tooth- 

 less. M or one, 333 



