ETHEOSTOMA .SOS 



brown lateral band, from which 8 narrower dark bluish bands more or 

 less completely encircle the belly; paired, anal, and caudal fins golden, 

 brown-spotted ; middle half of the first dorsal crimson ; a series of round 

 crimson spots near the base of the second dorsal; occiput, a band on 

 muzzle, and one below eye, black; a black spot on operculum and one at 

 base of pectoral; females duller and speckled, with vcntrals barred and 

 lateral bars feebler" (Jordan and Evermann). Preserved male speci- 

 mens with whole body and fins more or les's dusky, obscuring color 

 pattern; dorsal, anal, pectorals, and ventrals a dark smoky blue, densest 

 in the membranes; bars on body 11 or 12, only the last 7 or 8 (behind tips 

 of reflexed pectorals) distinct; second dorsal, anal, and pectorals (and 

 ventrals of females) barred in the rays; first dorsal with a row of large 

 dark spots in membranes near base, and barred in rays of upper half. 

 Head rather small, short, 4 to 4.9 in length; width of head 1 . 6 to 

 1.9 in its length; interorbital space 5.3 to 6.9; eye small, round, not 

 protruding, 2 . 9 to 3 . 7 in head; nose short, blunt, and scarcely decurved, 

 3.2 to 4 in head; mouth small, subinferior, maxillary scarcely past front 

 -of orbit ; cleft 3 . 4 to 4 . 8 in head ; jaws nearly e'qual ; gill-membranes con- 

 nected across isthmus in a broad curve, distance from muzzle to their 

 free margin about If to 1£ times that from muzzle to back of orbit. 

 Dorsal fin X or XI, 10-12; spinous and soft portions scarcely separated 

 .at base; height of first dorsal 1.7 to 2.1 in head, second 1.4 to 1.7 

 (height of first 76 to 94 per cent, of second) ; caudal lunate; anal II, 7 or 

 •8; pectorals . 9 to 1 in head; separation of ventrals less than § their width 

 at base. Scales 6, 46-53, 6 or 7 [8 or 9], weakly ctenoid; lateral line 

 nearly straight and usually complete, 2 to 6 pores occasionally lacking; 

 cheeks, opercles, and nape fully scaled; breast usually fully scaled, some- 

 times partly naked; belly covered with ordinary scales. 



The banded darter is one of the typical members of its sub- 

 family, but with an extraordinary distribution in Illinois. It is 

 limited, according to our experience, to the northern half of the 

 state, with the exception of a single collection from the Wabash, 

 and is distinguished also by its frequency in 'the smaller rivers rather 

 than in streams which could be classed as creeks. Our thirty-five 

 collections, from almost as many localities, give us a frequency 

 coefficient of 4.42 for small rivers, l" 37 for creeks, and .2 for the 



•larger rivers, the species not having occurred at all in standing water 

 of any description. In the streams which it inhabits, it is found 



•almost wholly in the swifter parts on a bottom of rock or sand. 



The general distribution of this darter extends from Lake Erie 

 westward through Ohio, Indiana, and Iowa to Mankato, Mont., 

 southward to the Saline and Washita rivers in Arkansas, to the 

 Black Warrior in Alabama, to the Holston in Virginia, and to the 

 French Broad in North Carolina. It is said by Jordan and Ever- 

 mann to occur commonly in small clear streams, and to be locally 



•abundant in weedy or gravelly places. 



