of. 



Family Amiid^b (The Bowfixs). 



jiiiiia <-aLra Linnaeus. — Dog'-fish; fJrindle: Prairie Bass. 



Of some commercial importance, beinfr regularly shipped from the Illinois River in win- 

 ter. Occasionally sold by fish liuckst rs as "prairie bass." Considered worthless and unfit 

 for food in the northern part of the State; in tiie southern part, under the name of "^rindle." 

 replacing tlie black bass as the most sought game fish, and considered a good table fash. It is 

 a good hghter when hooked and takes bait well. 



Abundant in sloughs and lakes adjoining the Mississippi and Illinois rivers and in the 

 sluggish streams of southern Illinois. Apparently not abundant northward. 



Family Sn,ri!ii>.E (Jiik Catfish). 



ARTIEICIALKEY TO THE CATFISHES OF ILLINOIS. 



a. Tail forked; color usually light or silver>'. 



b. Bony process from back of head articulating with the base of the dorsal fin. making 



l)f)hy ridge from head to dorsal fin. 



c. Anal fin with .32 to 35 ray ICTALURUS FURCATCS 



cc. Anal fin with 2.") to 29 rays; barbels long I. PUNCTATUS. 



bb. Process from back of head not articulating with front of dorsal fin; bf)nv ridge in- 

 complete A.MEICRUS LACCSTRIS 



aa. Tail not forked; color brown, yellow, greenish, black or gray; not silvery. 



d. Adipose fin a small lobe, its posterior margin not attached to the back. 

 ■ -.!/,.. .e- Spines well developed. 



if. Anal fin 24 to 27 rays; length of base more than I4 the length of body; skin thin and 



-.i:r'r ;i; smooth A. XATALIS 



i-- :::!.-ff- Anal 1.5 to 22, less than 14 the body in length. 



g. Lower jaw projecting ; anal rays 20 A. vulgaris 



gg. Lower jaw not projecting. 



h. Anal rays more than 20 A. xebclosus. 



hh. Anal rays 17 to 19, with black membranes A. melas. 



ee. Spines short, ^^ the height of fin, a fleshj- continuation extending about as high 

 as fin; spines harmless, mufHed by thick skin; head flat; upper portion of caudal 



fin light or white Leptops olivaris. 



dd. Adipose lin keel-like and continuous with the caudal fin or separated from it onlv 

 . ( by a notch. 



' i. White crescent under the posterior margin of the dorsal fin evident; head flattened, 



with fleshy mounds on either side of a median groove Noturcs fdavus. 



' ■ ii. White crescent behind dorsal fin absent or obscure; small fishes, not exceeding 

 6 inches, 

 j. Body heavy; muscle plates evident on sides; longitudinal dark lines at angles of 



muscle plates Schilbeodes gyrixcs. 



ij. Body more slender; color uniform, mottled, punctulate. .. 

 k. Adipose fin contiuuous with caudal, not separated by notch; color plain black- 

 ish ... . S. xocTURxrs . 



kk. Adipose fin more or less separated from caudal by notch. 



I. Body not blotched with black; head small; body slender; color in life yellowish. 



brown, or greenish S. exilis. 



II. Body more or less blotched with black; head broad. 



m. Saddle like blotches faint; adipose and caudal fins entirely separated. 



S. ELErTHERUS 



mm. Body mottled with black and gray, with 4 saddle like blotches on back; adipose 

 ■ and caudal not entirely separated S. mil'RI's. 



Ictnhinis fnrcatiis (Le Sueur) — Channel Cat: Blue Cat: Great Fork-tailed 

 Cat: Mississippi Cat. 



Taken here and there throughout the State in the larger streams tributary to the Missis- 

 sippi; not, however, so abundant as the common channel cat (A pioiCtHits^. ' Recent exami- 

 nations by Dr. Evermann of specimens of the "Mississippi Cat" show it to be this species 

 instead of A>iieiur!ts /'aiiis/ris as previously supposed. (Ci. Bull. U. S. National Museum, 

 Vol. III. p. 2789.) 



IctalKvus nnuuilht Eyermann it Kendall. — Channel Cat: Eel Cat: Willow 

 Cat. 



Probably taken in our lar.crer streams with other channel cats, but not yet positively recog- 

 nized. 



Ictalunis innicUttus (Rafinesque). — Channel Cat; Blue Cat: White Cat. 



The most abundant of the channel cats. An excellent and marketable food fish. The 

 young stay most freciuently in the deep swift water of the rivers and larger creeks. A strong 

 swimmer. 



Our collections of this species are from 123 localities, distributed throughout tlie State with 

 the exception of the upper Illinois v;vlley above the mouth of the Fox River, and the Lake 

 Michigan region. It occurs, however, in three collections from Iroquois county. It does not 

 appear to be common soutiiward of the Illinois basin. 



Amehirus lacustrift (Walbauiu). — Catfish of the Lakes. 



. Known from other Illinois members of this genus by its forked hiil, larger number of anal 

 rays, and silvery appearance. In these respects it approaches the trenus htalitrus, but differs 

 in not having the occipital process articulated with the bones at the base of the dorsal fin. 



Doubtless not so common in Illinois as hitherto supposed; until lately generally confused 

 with A.V(7/«r/M./wrri7/;/.s-, under which see note. " " 



