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BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
The fish fauna of the Florida Keys resembles that of Cuba very closely. Nearly 
all the food and game fishes at Key West are also found at Havana. The warm waters 
of the Keys serve as a more or less effective barrier to the passage of fishes living in 
colder water. As a result many species are found on the east coast of Florida which 
do not occur on the Gulf coast, and vice versa. There are so many species found on 
the west coast of Florida that are not known from the east side that the two coasts 
may be regarded as having separate faunas. This west-coast fauna extends from the 
“bay” to Pensacola and beyond, and is not essentially different from that found 
elsewhere on the Gulf coast. 
In the fresh waters of the northern part of the State the fishes are essentially the 
same as occur in the streams and ponds of the other Gulf States, and include several 
species of minnows, sunfishes, catfishes, suckers, Amia, and a few darters. From the 
little that is known about the fresh water fishes of the extreme southern part of the 
State, it is believed that the species are to a large extent distinct and peculiar to that 
region. There is great need, however, of further investigation in this region. 
Of the 600 species of fishes credited to Florida waters about 51 are fresh water 
species, 20 may be regarded as brackish-water species, and the remaining 529 consti- 
tute the salt-water fish fauna of the State. 
FRESH WATER SPECIES. 
The number of fresh-water species known from the State is not large. They 
belong to the following families: 
Petromyzonidm (Lampreys) 1 
Lepisosteidce (Gars) 3 
Amiidce (Bowlins) 1 
Siluridce (Catfish) 8 
Catostomulce (Suckers) 1 
Cyprinidw (Minnows) 7 
Luciidce (Pikes) 2 
Pceciliidce (Killifishes) 13 
Apliredoderidw (Pirate Perch) 1 
Atherinidce (Silversides) 1 
Elassomidw (Pygmy Sunfishes) 1 
Centrarchidw (Sunfish and Bass) 10 
Percidce (Darters) 2 
Of these 51 species the only ones of commercial importance are the catfishes, 
pikes, sunfishes, and the large-mouthed black bass. This list is remarkable in that 
it contains so few of the Catostomidce, Cyprinidce , and Percidce. Each of these is a 
very large family, the approximate number of species of each in American waters 
being as follows : Catostomidce, 70 ; Cyprinidce, 227 ; Percidce, 88. 
The most southern locality in Florida from which specimens of fresh-water species 
have been obtained is Miami, 8 species having been collected there in the Miami and 
Little rivers in 1896. Doubtless many additional species will be discovered when 
the waters of the State are more thoroughly explored. The regions which promise 
the richest and most important results are the Everglades, the lakes in the interior 
south of Lake George, and the streams crossing the northern boundary of the State. 
BRACKISH-WATER SPECIES. 
In this category may be included all those species which live habitually in brackish 
water, those more truly salt-water species which are also found more or less commonly 
in brackish and even fresh water, and also those more truly fresh water species which 
are occasionally found in brackish water. In this division will fall, of course, all 
anadromous and catadromous species, such as the shad and the common eel. The family 
