FISHES OF NEW YORK 471 



<cular spot about as large as the eye. The dorsal begins farther 

 "back than the pectoral, its spines low, the longest equal to dis- 

 tance from tip of snout to middle of pupil; pectoral short, not 

 reaching to anal; ventrals nearly reaching vent, the spine about 

 one half the distance from origin of ventral to vent. D. X, 9 to 

 10; A. Ill, 8 to 9. Scales 6-40 to 46-11 to 12; pores 37 to 42; 

 '6 to 8 rows on cheek. 



Color in life clear olive green clouded with darker, usually 

 without red or blue; a dusky spot on each scale more or less 

 distinct; vertical fins mottled with dusky; a faint spot on last 

 rays of dorsal bordered by paler; three oblique dusky bars radi- 

 ating from eye; belly yellowish. 



The warmouth inhabits the eastern United States from the 

 Great lakes to South Carolina and Texas, ranging west to Kansas 

 and Iowa. It occurs chiefly west or south of the Alleghanies. 

 The fish reaches a length of 10 inches and is a food species of 

 some importance. It is extremely voracious and, consequently, 

 a favorite for angling. In form and color it varies greatly. 



Genus enneacanthus Gill 

 Body rather short and deep, compressed; mouth small; the 

 supplemental maxillary bone well developed; teeth on vomer 

 and palatines, none on the tongue; opercle ending behind in two 

 flat points, with a dermal border; preopercle entire; scales 

 rather large, the lateral line sometimes interrupted; gill rakers 

 short, nine or 10 below angle of arch; dorsal fin continuous, 

 normally with nine spines; anal fin smaller than the dorsal, with 

 three spines; caudal fin convex behind; branchiostegals six. 

 Species of small size and bright coloration, intermediate 

 between L e p o m i s and Centrarchus. Abnormal vari- 

 ations in the number of dorsal and anal spines have given rise 

 to the nominal genera Hemioplites and Copelandia. 



235 Enneacanthus obesus (Baird) 

 Banded Sun fish 



Fomotis obesus Baied, 9th Ann. Kept. Smith. Inst. 324, 1855, Beesleys 



Point, N. J. 

 Bryttus fasciatns Holbrook, Jour. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 51, pi. 5, fig. 3, 1855, 



St John's River, Fla.; Gunther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. I, 260, 1859. 



