THE FISHES OF NEW JERSEY. 173 



Schilbeodes insignis (Richardson). 



Plate 15. 

 Mud Cat Fish. Poison Cat Fish. Stone Cat. 



Head 4; depth 6% ; D. I, 6; A. iii, 13; width of head lyi in 

 its length; snout 2^ ; eye 5^4 ; width of mouth 2% ; interorbital 

 space 2^; third dorsal ray i^; third developed anal ray 2; 

 caudal i^; pectoral 1^/7; ventral 2; pectoral spine 2: dorsal 

 spine 3 ; least depth of caudal peduncle 2. Body rather long. 

 Head broad, depressed, flattened in front. Snout a little broad 

 and depressed. Eye a little elongate, anterior. Upper jaw pro- 

 jecting a little. Teeth fine, pointed, in bands in jaws. Maxillary 

 barbel reaching axil of pectoral spine. Nasal barbel extending 

 about an eye-diameter beyond posterior margin of orbit. Outer 

 mental barbel a little shorter than maxillary, and inner reaching 

 half way to origin of pectoral. Interorbital space broad and flat. 

 Gill-rakers 2 -f- 7, lanceolate, and longest about equals pupil. 

 Origin of spinous dorsal about midway between tip of snout and 

 first third of base of anal. Anal inserted midway between base 

 of caudal and origin of pectoral. Caudal rounded, with many 

 rudimentary rays. Pectoral reaching about opposite base of 

 fourth dorsal ray, and its spine about opposite base of dorsal 

 spine. Ventral inserted about opposite base of last dorsal ray and 

 reaching about j/5 of space to anal. Color brown, belly and 

 lower surface of head paler. Vertical fins all with dusky margins. 

 Length 3^ inches. Crosswicks Creek, near Trenton. 



This species attains a larger size than the preceding and appears 

 to be less abundant. Large examples of 10 inches in length are, 

 however, rare. It is not distinguished from Schilbeodes gyrinus 

 by most fishermen, who usually regard all small cat fish as the 

 young of the larger individuals of Ameiuriis. The coloration of 

 this fish is a little paler than that of the preceding species, from 

 which it may be told chiefly by its dark-edged vertical fins and 

 more slender body. The only Xew Jersey examples I have were 

 taken in Crosswicks Creek, near Trenton, where I found the 

 species rather rare. 



