130 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
This catfish is seldom taken in the Chesapeake proper, except at the head of the bay, where 
the water is usually fresh. It is a common species in the deeper rivers, particularly the Potomac, 
where it occasionally strays into brackish water. The species is included in the present report upon 
receipt of an adult specimen taken from a pound net at Rock Point, Md., on June 25, 1924. The 
water in this part of the Potomac is decidedly brackish, and salt-water species such as weakfish, 
croakers, etc., are commonly caught there throughout the summer. The channel catfish, as its 
name implies, is frequently found in river channels and deep holes. The channel cat of the Mis- 
sissippi is a different species ( Ictalurus punctatus). 
This catfish spawns in the summer. The parent fish are said to build a nest of gravel and to 
guard the eggs and the young until some time after hatching. 
The channel catfish is considered a good food fish, being superior to several other species of cats. 
At Washington and Baltimore it is an important market species. It is known to reach a length of 
about 2 feet and a weight of 5 pounds. 
This catfish is caught chiefly with hook and line and in pound nets and fyke nets. Large 
numbers are caught in the Potomac, in Back River near Baltimore, and in the Havre de Grace 
region of the bay. 
Habitat . — Coastwise streams from New York to Texas. 
Chesapeake localities. — (a) Previous records: Havre de Grace, Baltimore, Patapsco, and 
Potomac Rivers. ( b ) Specimens in collection: Rock Point, Md., pound net, June 25, 1924; Spe- 
sutie Island, Md., August 26, 1921; Elk River, Md., May 8, 1922; Northeast River, Md., August 
29, 1921, collecting seines. Definite density readings are not available; however, it is known 
certainly to enter brackish water. 
Order INIOMI 
Family XXiX.-SYNODONTID/E. The lizard fishes 
Body elongate, more or less cylindrical; mouth large; premaxillaries very long, forming entire 
margin of the upper jaw; maxillaries long and slender, closely adhering to the premaxillaries; 
teeth sharp, present on jaws, palatines, and tongue; gill membranes separate and free from the 
isthmus; branchiostegals usually numerous; pseudobranchise present; gill rakers small or obsolete; 
lateral line present; scales cycloid, rarely absent; adipose fin present; dorsal fin single, consisting 
of soft rays only; caudal fin forked; anal fin moderate or long; pectoral and ventral fins present; 
air bladder small or wanting; intestinal canal short. A single genus of this family is represented 
in the fauna of Chesapeake Bay. 
42. Genus SYNODUS (Gronow) Scopoli. Lizard fishes 
Body elongate; cylindrical; head depressed; snout pointed; mouth very large; premaxil- 
laries long, not protractile; teeth rather large, present on jaws, palatines, and tongue; teeth in 
the jaws compressed, very sharp; branchiostegals 12 to 16; gill rakers small, spinous; scales 
cycloid, present on body, cheeks, and opercles; upper surface of head naked; dorsal fin short, 
placed well forward; adipose fin small, situated over the anal; caudal fin forked; ventral fins 
moderately large, the inner rays longest; pectorals rather small. A single species is known from 
Chesapeake Bay. 
54. Synodus fcetens (Linnajus). Lizard fish; “ Providence whiting”; “Scarpen fish.” 
Salmo fattens Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. XII, 1766, p. 513; South Carolina. 
Synodus fattens Uhler and Lugger, 1876, ed. I, p. 152; ed. II, p. 129; Lugger, 1877, p. 85; Bean, 1891, p. 93; Jordan and Ever- 
mann, 1896-1900, p. 538, PI. LXXXVIII, fig. 236; Evermann and Hildebrand, 1910, p. 159. 
Head 3.8 to 4.4; depth 5.8 to 7.3; D. 10 to 12; A. 12; scales 6-60 to 65-7. Body elongate, 
more or less cylindrical, about as broad as deep; head depressed, broader than deep; snout pointed, 
projecting beyond tip of mandible, 3.4 to 3.7 in head; eye 8.5 to 9.6; interorbital broad, concave, 
5.3 to 5.9; mouth very large, the gape extending far beyond eyes; maxillary long and narrow, 1.6 
to 1.7 in head; teeth present on jaws, palatines, and tongue, those in the upper jaw sharp and com- 
pressed, in two series, the inner and larger series depressible, the teeth in the lower somewhat 
smaller'and in a narrower band, the teeth on the tongue and palatines rather prominent in bands; 
