OBSERVATIONS ON FISH SCALES. 157 
Boleichthys fusiformis (Girard). St. Francisco River, Ark. Scales broader than long, like those 
of Etheostoma, with prominent rectangular laterobasal comers; basal radii about 12 to 14. 
Microperca punctulata Putnam. Lake Maxinkuckee, Ind. Scales very small, conspicuously 
broader than long (length about 765 /*, breadth 1040); about 11 to 14 basal radii. Easily known 
from Boleichthys scales by the smaller size and obtuse laterobasal comers. 
M.fonticola (Jordan & Gilbert). San Marcos, Tex. Scales like those of M. punctulata. 
For the North American percid scales described above I am indebted to the Bureau of Fisheries, 
and for the European species to the National Museum, in each case through Dr. H. M. Smith. 
In general, the scales of the Percidae are quite distinct from those of the Centrarchidae, though of 
the same essential character. The scales of the two families approach in such genera as Archoplites and 
Lucioperca (L. sandra ), but in the Archoplites the nucleus is not so far apicad as in the other. 
The Validity of Boleosoma olmstedi (Storer), as Indicated by its Scales. 
BY T. D. A. COCKERELL AND MARY ESTHER ELDER. 
We recently received from the Bureau of Fisheries some scales of Boleosoma olmstedi 
(Storer), a form which has been treated as a subspecies of B. nigrum , but which Dr. W. C. 
Kendall believes to be a valid species. It was suggested that perhaps the scales might 
Fig. 16 .—Boleosoma ni¬ 
grum. Apicalmargin. 
i.-'tfei 
Fig. 17 .—Boleosoma po. 
dostemone. Apical 
margin. 
Fig. 18 .—Boleosoma 
olmstedi. Apical 
margin. From speci¬ 
men 3-j 1 * inches long. 
Fig . 19 .—Boleosoma olm¬ 
stedi. Apical margin. 
From specimen iVa 
inches long. 
afford characters which would throw light on the question of the distinctness of B. 
olmstedi. We hardly expected positive results, on account of the undoubted affinity 
of the fishes, but a study of the material shows that, at least so far as our material goes, 
the scales of B. nigrum and olmstedi are readily separable. The observed difference 
can not well be a matter of age, as olmstedi scales were examined from fishes 1H inch 
and 3^ inches, respectively, while the B. nigrum scales came from a fish 2X inches long. 
We also took occasion to compare scales of B. podostemone (cotype fish, 1 H inches long), 
and found good characters to distinguish them from those of the others. The scales of 
the three may be diagnosed as follows: 
(x) Boleosoma nigrum (Rafinesque). Columbus City, Ind. Apical teeth rather long, the greater part 
free from the marginal membrane; subapical elements below the teeth transversely elongated, 
and usually in four rows. 
( 2 ) Boleosoma podostemone (Jordan & Jenkins). Roanoke River, Va. Apical teeth very Jong, the 
' ’ greater part free from the marginal membrane; subapical elements below the teeth in two or 
three distinct rows, subtriangular in form. .. 
(,) Boleosoma olmstedi (Storer). Falmouth, Mass. Apical teeth moderate, less than half free from the 
(3 marginal membrane; subapical elements below the teeth in two or three distinct rows, sub- 
triangular. 
