No. l8.] TRIASSIC FISHES OF CONNECTICUT. 65 



the head and opercular apparatus is contained three and one- 

 half times. The maximum depth of trunk, which is equal to 

 about one-fourth of the total length, occurs midway between 

 the head and dorsal fin, where there are about twenty longitudinal 

 rows of scales. Scales of lateral line about thirty-three. Dorsal 

 fin arising at mid-length, pectorals nearer to the anal than to 

 the pelvic fins, arising opposite a point directly in advance of 

 tlie dorsal. Caudal not much forked. Anal with ten rays, partly 

 opposed to hinder half of the dorsal, its origin being on the 

 third oblique scale-row in advance of the dorsal fin. Dorsal 

 fin-fulcra about twelve ; anal ten ; ventral and pectoral ten each. 

 Apparently four dorsal fin-fulcra originate on the dorsal margin 

 over the interneurals. The fifth dorsal fulcrum has its origin 

 adjacent to that of the first ray, and is about equal in length to 

 one-half the anterior margin of the fin. Scales smooth and not 

 serrated posteriorly, the deepest ones occurring in the fourth 

 row behind the clavicular arch; these are about twice as deep 

 as they are wide in their exposed portion. Dorsal ridge-scales 

 acuminate. 



As has been stated, the sole criterion relied upon by Newberry 

 , for maintaining the so-called 5. macropterus as an independent 

 species consisted in a supposed relatively greater depth of body, 

 — " the fusiform and slender fish standing for /. fultus, and the 

 broader one for /. macropterus." Curiously enough, it has been 

 shown by Dr. Eaton, after a study of Newberry's originals in 

 the American Museum of Natural History, that, whereas one of 

 the specimens of S. macropterus in its compressed and flattened 

 condition is deeper than a type of 5". fultus, all the others are 

 proportionally more slender.'- J. H. Redfield, after advocating 

 the suppression of the trivial title macropterus, remarks that 

 6". fultus is specially characterized by the length of the dorsal 

 and anal fins, which are even longer than in S. tenuiceps} 



In the New Jersey area, this species outnumbers all others 

 in abundance, and in the Connecticut Valley Trias it is scarcely 

 inferior in numerical importance to the ubiquitous S. tenuiceps. 

 The average length of body is stated by Newberry to be about six 

 inches, the maximum rarely exceeding eight inches, including the 



^Loc. cit., 1903. P- 262. 



= Cited by Newberry, 1888, p. 35. 



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