COTTOGASTEE. 969 



Description. — Body stout, heavy forward, compressed behind ; head broad and thick, 

 resembling that of Diplesium ; eye large, 3^ in head ; month large and broad, the lower 

 j aw wide, a little shorter than the npper ; maxillary reaching to the eye ; cheeks, oper - 

 cles, and neck scaly ; chest naked ; belly naked anteriorly, scaly in front of the vent ; 

 scales rather large ; doreal fins large, the first larger than the second, which is smaller 

 than the anal, though longer ; the two dorsal fins well separated ; anal fin large, very 

 deep, in some specimens (males ?) reaching to the caudal ; anal spines strong, the first 

 the larger ; color dark, densely but vaguely blotched with darker ; sides with 8-10 ob- 

 scure blotches, the anterior ones bar-like ; a large black spot on base of spinous dorsal 

 behind, and a small one in front ; second dorsal, caudal, and pectorals barred ; a very 

 strong black suborbital bar, and a faint dark line along muzzle; head 3 2-5 ; depth 5 ; 

 D. X, 15 ; A. II, 11. Length 3 inches. 



Habitat, Wabash River to Illinois and Arkansas ; not abundast. Not yet seen in 

 Ohio. 



Diagnosis. — From other Darters of similar appearance, this species is 

 known by its protractile mouth. 

 Habits — Nothing distinctive is known of its habits. 



Genus 75. COTTOGASTER. Putnam. 



f Cottogaster, Putnam, Bull. Mns. Comp. Zool., i, 1863, 5. 

 Bheocrypta, Jordan, Bull. U. S Nat. Mus., x, 1877, 9. 

 Type, Boleosoma tessellatiim, Thompson, not of DeKay. 



Etymology, Kottos, Cottus ; gaster, belly. 



Body rather robust, little compressed ; head moderate, bluntish ; mouth small, the 

 lower jaw included; premaxillaries protractile; maxillary not adherent to the preor- 

 bital ; teeth on vomer ; gill-membranes nearly separate ; scales ctenoid, those of the 

 middle line of the belly enlarged and spinous, falling off at times, leaving a naked strip ; 

 lateral line continuous ; dorsal fins large, the second usually smaller than the first and 

 smaller than the anal ; anal spines two, strong, the first the stronger ; size moderate. 



137. Cottogaster copelandi Jordan. 



Bheoorypta copelandi, Jobdan, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., x, 1877, 9 ; Man. Vert. E. U. S., 

 2d Ed., 1878, 222, and elsewhere. 



Description. — Body rather slender and elongate ; head pretty large, rather long, some- 

 what narrowed, resembling that of Boleosoma; mouth small, horizontal, subinferior; 

 eye large, ?i in head ; cheeks naked ; operoles and neck each with a few scales ; throat 

 naked; ventral plates well developed ; scales moderate, strongly ctenoid ; color brown- 

 ish olive, a series' of rather small, horizontally oblong black blotches along the lateral 

 line forming an interrupted lateral band ; back tessellated ; blackish streaks forward 

 and downward from eye ; ventral fins dusky ; vertical fins with dusky specks ; a black 

 spot on anterior rays of spinous dorsal ; head 4i ; depth 5^^ ; D XI, 10 ; A. H, 9 ; Lat. 

 1. 56. Length 2i inches. 



Habitat. This species has thus far been taken only in White River, near Indianapolis, 

 Indiana. 



