SOME FEATUEES OF OBNAMENTATION IN 

 FEESH-WATER FISHES 



HENRY W. FOWLER 

 The Academy op Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 



The fishes known as the minnows {Cyprinidce) and 

 suckers {Catostomidce) are familiar types to almost 

 everybody. Certain of them during the spawning-season 

 exhibit peculiar dermal excrescences or tubercles, these 

 often rendering their appearance quite striking if con- 

 trasted with that of other seasons. These tubercles have 

 long been known in many forms, though they do not seem 

 to have been elaborately studied in connection with the 

 relationships of the various groups in which they appear. 

 Considerable difficulty may be encountered by those wish- 

 ing to make studies of them, not only as they are seasonal 

 and the fishes often difficult to secure at the required 

 time, but also as they crumble and rub or drop off in al- 

 coholic preparations, sometimes not even leaving the 

 usual scars. It is hardly possible to arrange the dis- 

 tribution of the tubercles into distinctive groups of sig- 

 nificance. Perhaps when enlarged and few in number on 

 the head they contrast strongly with other cases, such as 

 when very numerous and universally distributed. It 

 may also be added that in a great many of the fishes be- 

 longing to the families under consideration no tubercles 

 appear at any season, and this is often generic as well 

 as specific. 



As now understood the minnows embrace the largest 

 family in ichthyology, having about 210 genera and 1,500 

 species in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. 

 They are mostly fishes of great similarity, small in size, 

 weak, and among the most difficult in which to distinguish 

 species. In this respect our local forms are very fre- 

 quently no exception. Passing over the different genera 

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