146 ICHTHYOLOGIA OHIENSIS 



It is very good to eat and bears many names, such 

 as Spade-fish, Shovel-fish, Shovel-head, Flat-head, 

 Flat-nose, &c. having reference to the shape of its 

 head, which is flattened somewhat like a spade. It 

 is also found in the Mississippi and Missouri, where 

 the French call it La pelle or Poison pelle, which has 

 the same meaning. Size from two to three feet, 

 greatest weight 20 lb. Body rather slender, with 

 small bluish dots on the back and whitish on the 

 sides. Dorsal scales brownish, radiated, punctuated, 

 and spinescent. Lateral scales dimidiated, serrated 

 behind, the posterior smaller : the abdominal nearly 

 similar, hardly serrated. Two nostrils on each side 

 [III. 248] before the eyes, the posterior larger oblong 

 obliqual. Eyes round black, iris coppered. Mouth 

 with eight lobes and verrucose. Tail very long, one 

 fifth of total length, the upper lobe scaly above, 

 slender and with a long filiform terminal process. 

 All the fins trapezoidal, the dorsal falcated with 25 

 rays and nearly opposite to the anal. Pectoral large 

 45 rays. Abdominal 20. Anal 14. Tail, inferior 

 lobe 18, superior 60. 



2d Subgenus. Sterletus. 



Only three rows of scales, one dorsal and two lat- 

 eral. 



98th Species. Fall Sturgeon. Accipenser seroti- 

 mus. Eturgeon tardif. 



Head conical two ninths of total length, snout short 

 obtuse, eyes somewhat oblong. Body cylindrical 

 entirely fulvous brown, belly white. Tail short and 

 truncate obliquely. Dorsal scales 17, two of which 

 behind the dorsal fin, lateral rows with about 30 

 scales. 



