FISHES OF NEW YORK 



93 



emarginate; caudal fin very obliquely truncated or rounded, its 

 base also obliquely rounded; many rudimentary rays both above 

 and below the caudal peduncle; anal fin short with 12 to 23 

 rays; ventrals rounded; pectoral fins with a sharp spine of vary- 

 ing form; vent well in front of anal fin; lateral line complete. 

 A poison gland opening by an orifice in the axil of the pectoral, 

 so that wounds made by the pectoral spines are very painful. 

 Size small. Fresh waters of the eastern United States among 

 rocks and weeds, specially in small brooks. (After Jordan and 



Evermann; 



52 Schilbeodes gyrinus (Mitchill) 



Stone Cat 



Silurus yyrinus Mitchill, Amer. Month. Mag. II, 322, March, 1818 (Wallkill 

 River, N. Y.); De Kay, N. Y. Fauna, Fishes, 186, 1842 (generic distinc- 

 tion recognized). 



Noturus gyrinus Rafinesque, Journ. de Physique, 421, 1819; Ichth. Ohien. 

 (>8, 1820; Jordan, Man. Vert. 303, 1876, Bull. 10, U. S. Nat. Mus. 102, 

 figs. 66, 67, 1877; Jordan & Gilbert, Bull. 16, U. S. Nat. Mus. 98, 1883; 

 Bean, Fishes Penna. 20, 1893. 



Schilbeodes gyrinus Bleekee, Act. Soc. Sc. Indo-Nederl, IV, 258, 1858, fide 

 GiJNTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. V, 104, 1864; Jordan & Evermann, 

 Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus. 146, 1896. 



The tadpole stonecat has a short and stout body, sloping 

 rapidly downward from the dorsal origin to the tip of the 

 snout; its greatest depth contained four and one third times in 

 total length without caudal; its width contained four and one 

 half times. The head is short, broad and depressed, its width 

 nearly equal to its length, which is one fourth of the total with- 

 out caudal. The width of the mouth equals two thirds the 

 length of the head; the jaws nearly equal. The width of the 

 maxillary band of teeth equals one third of length of head; there 

 are no lateral backward extensions. The snout is short, two 

 sevenths as long as the head. The eye is small, one seventh as 

 long as the head. The maxillary barbel reaches to the base of 

 the pectoral; the outer mandibulary barbel is slightly longer. 

 The nasal barbel is one half as long as the head. The distance 

 of the dorsal from the tip of snout equals that from origin of 

 ventral to end of anal. The base is as long as the snout and 

 eye combined; the spine is one third as long as the head, and the 



