A REVISION OF THE CAVE FISHES OF NORTH AMERICA, 
By Utyssrs O. Cox, 
Professor of Biology, State Normal School, Mankato, Minn. 
This paper deals with the taxonomic characters, the synonymy and 
distribution of the members of the Amblyopside, a small group of fishes 
confined to the central and southeastern portions of the United States, 
apparently entering caves wherever caves exist within the limits of 
their distribution. They are the cave fishes par excellence of North 
America. Their relationships are witb the Umbride or mud-minnows 
and the pikes and killi-fishes, and may be expressed by the following 
key to the families of the Haplomi, modified from Jordan and Ever- 
mann’s Fishes of North and Middle America: 
a. Lateral margin of the upper jaw formed by the maxillaries, premaxillaries not 
protractile; vent normal. 
b. Jaws depressed and produced, basis of cranium double........------.- Esocide. 
Coes SEAM GMIR tg MONUICe Coe cere nae ete ore Susans naeSceeen ceases] oS Umbride. 
aa. Lateral margin of the upper jaw formed by the premaxillaries; basis of cranium 
simple. 
e. Vent close behind the isthmus; premaxillaries little protractile. .Amblyopsidx. 
ec, Vent in normal position; premaxillaries extremely protractile ...-- Peciliide. 
Several characters that have heretofore been used to distinguish the 
genera of the Amblyopside have been examined in detail—namely, 
the character and distribution of the tactile ridges and the number of 
the pyloric ceca. 
Tactile ridges.—W hile the tactile ridges peculiar to this family are 
undoubtedly better developed in the blind members of the family than 
in Chologaster, the difference is one of degree only. The same is true 
of the differences between the different species of Chologaster. In 
this genus they are best developed in C. papilliferus, and in this spe- 
cies they are better developed about the snout than elsewhere. A 
detailed comparison of the ridges of the head in the different species 
«This paper has been prepared under the direction of Dr. Carl H. Eigenmann, who 
has furnished the material and literature for the work and given invaluable assist- 
ance. Cut 8 is by Mr. Thomas Large; pl. 1 and figs. 9 to 11, pl. 11, are by Doctor 
Eigenmann and the author, figs. 4 to 6, pl. 1; fig. 1, pl. 1v; fig. 2, pl. v; and pl. v1 
by Doctor Eigenmann; pl. 11 from photographs made by Dr. D. W. Dennis; cut 22 
is copied from the Proceedings of the U. S. National Museum for 1888, p. 168, and 
the remaining figures are by the author. 
379 
