902 FISHES— CYPRINODONTID^. 



Chologastee agassizi Putnam. 



Chologaster agassizi, Putnah, Amer. Nat., 1872, 30, Mammoth Cave. — Jokdan, Man. 

 Vert., etc. 



Description. — Uniform light brown; fins somtwhat speckled; head fonr in body, its 

 length scarcely greater than the greatest depth ; pectorals reaching little more than 

 half way to front of dorsal ; D. 9 ; A. 9. Length, ] J inches. 



Habitat, subterranean streams in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Soathern Illinois. 



FAMILY XV. .CYPRINODONTID^. THE 

 CYPRINODONTS. 



Body oblong or moderately elongate, compressed behind, depressed forwards, covered 

 with rather large cycloid scales, which are adherent and regularly arranged ; no lateral 

 line ; head scaly, at least above ; month terminal, email, the lower jaw usually project- 

 ing ; margin of the upper jaw formed by the premaxillaries only ; premaxillariea strong, 

 extremely protractile; teeth incisor-like or villiform, sometimes present on the vomer, 

 but usually in the jaws only ; lower pharyngeals separate, with cardiform teeth ; gill- 

 membranes somewhat connected, free from isthmus; gill rakers very short and thick ; 

 branchiostegals 4-6; pseudobranohise none; dorsal fin single, inserted posteriorly, of 

 soft rays only, rarely with a single spine or rudimentary spinous dorsal ; caudal fin 

 not forked ; ventral fins abdominal, rarely ^wanting ; pectoral fins inserted low ; no 

 adipose fin ; stomach not coscal, without pyloric appendages; air-bladder simple, often 

 wanting, Sexes usually unlike, the fins being largest in the males. Most all are ovo- 

 viviparous, the young well developed at time of birth. Presh-water fishes of Southern 

 Europe, Asia, Africa, and'_ America, some of them occurring in bays and arms of the sea. 

 They are mostly of small size, and the species are very difficult of determination. 

 Genera 30 ; species about 140. 



Analysis of Qenera of CYPRiNODONTiDiE. 



a. Dorsal fin beginning in advance of anal Fundulus. 55. 



OM. Dorsal fin beginning behind origin of anal. . . . Zygonectes, 56. 



Genus 55. FUNDULUS. Lacepede. 

 Fundulus, Lacepede, Hist. Nat. des Poissons, v, 1803, 37. 

 Sydrargyra, Lacepede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., v, 1603, 378 {swampimia). 

 Xenisma, Jordan, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N, Y., 1676, 322 {stelliftr). 

 Adinia, Girard, Proc. Acad. Nat, Soi, Phila., 1859, 117 {muUifasoiaia). 



Type, Fundulus mudfish, Lao. == Cobitio heteroclitus L. 



Etymology, Latin, fundus, the bottom, in^allnsion to the supposed mud-loving habits. 



Body rather elongate, little elevated, compressed behind ; mouth moderate ; jaws, 

 each with two or more series of pointed teeth, usually forming a narrow band ; bones of 

 the mandible firmly united ; scales moderate ; branchiostegals 4 to 6 ; preoperole, pre- 

 orbital, and mandible with mucous pores ; dorsal and anal fins similar, moderately 

 developed or rather large, the dorsal usually inserted in front of the anal ; ventrals well 

 developed ; air bladder present ; sexes differing in color, size, and development of the 

 fins, the anal fin in the male normal ; intestinal canal short ; species very numerous, 

 mostly American, inhabiting fresh waters and arms of the sea. They are the largest in 

 size of the Cyprinodonts, and some of them are very brightly colored. 



