FISHES OF NEW YORK 477 



ings, and the anal is margined in front with orange. The iris 

 is red and the cheeks are striped with blue. The specimen 

 described, no. 36313, U. S. National Museum, from the Sac river, 

 Mo., is 7 inches long. 



The blue-spotted sunfish, also known as the green sunfisb 

 and redeye, occurs from the Great lakes region, throughout the 

 Ohio and Mississippi valleys south to Mexico. It does not occur 

 in the Middle Atlantic states east of the Alleghanies. Dr Meek 

 did not find this fish near Ithaca. A few specimens were taken 

 near Montezuma N. Y. None of the collectors of the U. S. Fish 

 Commission obtained it in the Lake Ontario^ region. 



The species reaches a length of 7 inches, and is an extremely 

 variable one. Prof. Cope refers to it as a good panfish and 

 states that it is abundant in the Ohio basin. In the Ohio valley 

 it is one of the characteristic fishes, inhabiting ponds and 

 ascending small streams. It frequents deep holes and the 

 shelter of overhanging roots. 



Genus lepomis Eafinesque 

 Body oblong or ovate, more or less compressed, the back in 

 the adult somewhat elevated; mouth moderate or small, the 

 jaws about equal; maxillary narrow, the supplemental bone 

 reduced to a mere rudiment, or altogether wanting; teeth on 

 vomer and usually on palatines, none on tongue or pterygoids^ 

 lower pharyngeals narrow, the teeth spherical or paved, all or 

 nearly all sharp, few or none of them conical ; gill rakers mostly 

 short; preoperculum entire; operculum ending behind in a con- 

 vex flap, black in color, which in some species becomes greatly 

 developed with age; branchiostegals six; scales moderate; 

 dorsal fin continuous, with 10 spines; anal with three spines; 

 caudal fin emarginate; pectorals long or short; vertebrae 

 usually 13+16 or 17^29 or 30. Coloration brilliant, but evanes- 

 cent. A large genus, one of the most difiScult in our fish fauna 

 in which to distinguish species. The form of body, develop- 

 ment of ear flap, and hight of spines vary with age and con- 

 dition, while the general appearance and the numbers of fin 

 rays and scales are essentially the same in all. Several at- 



