THE FISHES OF NEW JERSEY. 165 



Genus FkIvIChThys Swainson. 

 The Gaff Topsail Cat Fishes. . 



Felichthys marinus (Mitchill). 



Plate 14. 



Sea Cat Fish. Salt Water Cat. Sea Cat. Channel Cat. 

 Oceanic Cat Fish. 



Head 4; depth 4^^ ; D. I, 7; A. iv, 16; width of head i>^ 

 in its length; snout 2^ ; eye 6^ ; width of mouth 1% ; inter- 

 orbital space 1%; least depth of caudal peduncle 3^^ ; pectoral 

 spine 1^/7; ventral fin i^. Body long, back elevated to origin 

 of dorsal, and lower surface anteriorly depressed. Head broad, 

 depressed, rather short, and rounded anteriorly with broad snout. 

 Eye large, elongate, anterior. Mouth broadly crescent-shaped. 

 Bands of villiform teeth on vomer and palatines forming crescent- 

 shaped band parallel to those in jaws. Maxillary barbels reaching 

 a trifle beyond tip of pectoral spine. Mental barbel about 2 in 

 interorbital space. Interorbital space broadly convex with rather 

 broad depression of fontanel in center. Gill-rakers rather short 

 and few. Occipital buckler oblong, not much broader before than 

 behind. Dorsal inserted close behind head, its spine shorter than 

 that of pectoral, and with long filament. Anal inserted a little 

 nearer base of caudal than origin of dorsal, and lobe extending 

 back further than tip of last ray. Caudal deeply forked, lobes 

 slender, pointed, and upper longer. Adipose fin over middle of 

 base of anal. Pectoral filament reaching beyond ventral's bast. 

 Ventral inserted about midway between tip of snout and base of 

 caudal, and reaching anal. Color dusky-bluish above, below sil- 

 very. Length i6}i inches. Great Egg Harbor Bay. 



Dr. C. C. Abbott records this fish from the lower Delaware 

 waters, though it is unusual out of salt-water. I have several 

 examples from the Great Egg Harbor Bay and others from 

 Harvey Cedars. 



