814 FISHES — CATOSTOMID^. 



Head very small, short and slender, its length contained six to seven times in that of 

 the body, its upper surface rounded; eye quite small, nearly median, not very high up, 

 its length six to eight in that of the side of the head ; suborbital bones rather small and 

 quite narrow ; foutanelle entirely obliterated by the union of the parietal bones ; mouth 

 small, entirely inferior, overlapped by the projecting snout, the upper lip thick, pen- 

 dent, covered with three to five rows of tubercles, the outer q uite large, the inner small ; 

 lower lip moderate, formed somewhat as in Catosiomua, but less full, incised behind ; 

 jaws without cartilaginous sheath ; muoifeious system not greatly developed ; opercular 

 apparatus not greatly developed, the operculum smooth and narrow ; isthmus moderate ; 

 gill-rakers moderately long, soft ; pharyngeal bonei strong, the teeth stout, increasing 

 in size downwards, rather wide apart ; body elongate, moderately compressed, not much 

 elevated, the caudal peduncle long, the greatest depth contained four to six times in 

 length ; scales moderate, about equal over the body, not closely imbricated, with wide 

 exposed surfaces, the number in the lateral line from fi5 to 60, and about 17 in a trans- 

 verse series from dorsal to ventrals ; edges of scales serrate ; lateral line well developed, 

 nearly straight ; fins rather large ; dorsal fin beginning in front of ventrals and 

 ending just before anal, of about 30 rays, strongly falcate in froLt, the first and tecond 

 developed rays in length more than half the length of the base of the fin, the rays 

 rapidly shortened to about the eighth, the length of the remaining rays being nearly uni- 

 form and all short; caudal fin large, widely forked, the lobes about equal; anal fin 

 quite small, low, of 7 or eight developed rays, scaly at base ; ventrals moderate, with 

 ten rays ; pectorMs elongate, soHewhat falcate ; sexual peouliaritifS somewhat marked; 

 the males in spring wiih a black pigment ; the head then covered with small tubercles; 

 air-bladder with two chambers, the anterior short, the posterior elongate. But a single 

 species of this singular genus is as yet known. It is found in the waters of the Mis- 

 sissippi Valley, and, although not a rare fish, it is by no means as generally abundant as 

 are many others ot its family. 



37. Cycleptus elongatus (LeSueur) Agaseiz. 

 BlacR Horse; Oonrd-seed Sucker ; ITIissuiiri Sucker ; Suckerel. 



Catostomus elongatus, LbSueur, Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci, Phila., 1817, 103. — Eafinksque, 

 Ich. Oh., ISaO, 60.— KiRTLAND, Rept. Zool. Ohio, 183d, 16t ; Boston Journ. Nat. Hiet , 

 V, 1845, 267.— DbKay, New York Fauna, part iv. Fishes, 1842, 203.— Cdvier et 

 VALBKCtENNBS, Hist. Nat. des Poiss., xvii, 1844, 455.— Storkr, Synopsis, 1846, 422. 



Cycltpius elongatus, Agassiz, Am. Journ. Sci. Arts, 2d series, xix, 1855, 197, — Jordan, 

 Fishes of Ind., 1875, 222; Bull. Buffalo Soo. Nat. Hist., 1876, U5 (name only) ; Man. 

 Vert., 1876, 298; 2d Ed., Ifc78 ; Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., ix, 1877, 38; xii, 1878, 189.— 

 Nblson, Bull. No. 1, Ills. Mus. Nat. Hist , 1876, 50.— Jordan and Copkland, Check 

 List, 1876, 158 (name only).— Jordan and Gilbert, in Klippart's Kept., 1876, 53 

 (name only). 



Sclerognatkus elongatus, Gunther, Cat Fishes Brit. Mus., vii, 1868, 23. 



Cycleptus nigrescens, Eafinesqtje, Journal de Phjsique, 1818, 421 ; Ich. Oh., 1820, 61, 



Description. — Body elongate, the depth four to five in length ; head six to six and 

 a half ; eye small, six to seven in length of head ; longest ray of dorsal a little longer 

 than laead ; pectorals rather longer than head ; coloration very dark, the females oliva- 

 ceous and coppery, the males chiefly jet black with coppery shadings ; fins dusky ; dorsal 

 39 ; scales 9-56-7. Length, 11 to 2J feet ; weight, 2 to 15 pounds. 



Habitat, Mississippi Valley. 



