CYPRINID^S. 45. 



Genus: PimephaeES. 

 Key to Species. 



A. Lateral line more or less incomplete; body very short and stout. — promelas. 



AA. Lateral line complete ; body moderately elongate. — notatus. 



Pimephales promelas Rafinesque. Fat-head. 



Head 4; depth 334 to 4; eye 4. D. I, 7; A. 7; scales 7 or S-43 to 47-5 or 

 6. Body very short and deep. Head short, ever} r where convex, almost 

 globular in adult males. Scales deep, closely imbricated; lateral line incom- 

 plete. Color dark olivaceous above, paler below; a dark lateral band and 

 caudal spot; dorsal fin with a dusky shade through it at the middle, Breed- 

 ing males with the head nearly black, with tubercles on snout and lower 

 jaw. Length 2^ inches. 



Recorded by Kirtland. Given by Jordan as most abundant 

 in small streams flowing into the Ohio ; Hamilton County, " very 

 abundant everywhere," Henshall, 1888; Lorain County, "not 

 common, but found in most of the streams," McCormick, 1892 ; 

 Maumee river at Cecil, Lost and Gordon creeks near Cecil, Sugar 

 creek at Lima, Kirsch, 1893 '- Knox County, Big Jelloway creek, 

 rare, Parker, Williamson and Osburn, 1898 ; Ohio river at Iron- 

 ton, Wabash river at Celina, Stillwater and Wolf creeks near 

 Dayton, R. C. Osburn, 1899 ; Niggermill Run at Salem, E. B. 

 Williamson, 1900 ; Pippin lake, Cuyahoga river at Hawkins, 

 Ohio river at Bellaire, R. C. Osburn, 1900. 



Pimephales notatus (Rafinesque). Blunt-nosed Minnow. 



Head 4^; depth 4^ to 5; eye 4. D. I, 7 or S; A. 7; scales 6-45-4, 22 i n 

 front of dorsal, much crowded and irregularly arranged anteriorly. Body 

 rather elongate. Head moderate, the snout very blunt and convex; top of 

 head depressed; mouth small, inferior, horizontal. Color olivaceous, some- 

 times very dark; a black spot at base of dorsal fin in front. Males in breed- 

 ing season with the head black or nearly so, and with about 16 large tuber- 

 cles on the snout. Length 4 inches. 



This species is much more abundant than the preceding. 

 "Swarms in all the streams of the state," Jordan; Hamilton 

 County, " the most abumdant minnow," Henshall. 1888; Lorain 

 County, " very abundant in small streams," McCormick; 189.2; 

 Kirsch records it for every stream of the Maumee river system 

 explored in Ohio; Franklin County, " our most abundant minnow, 



