792 FISHES—SILURIDA. 
Amiurus vulgaris, NELSON (1876), Bull. Ills. Mus. Nat. Hist., 50.—JORDAN and COPELAND 
(1876), Check List, 159.—JoRDAN (1877), Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus, x, 85; (1578) Man. 
Vert., ed. 2d., 33. 
Pimelodus ailurus, GIRARD (1858), U. S. Pac. R R. Surv., Fishes, 210. 
Amiurus ailurus, GILL (1862), Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., 44. 
Amiurus elurus, CoPpE (1870), Proc. Am. Philes. Soc., 485 —JoRDAN (1876), Man. Vert., 
302.—JORDAN and COPELAND (1877), Check List, 159. 
Pimelodus dekayi GIRARD (1859), Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., 160. 
Amiurus dekayi, GILL (1862), Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., 44—Cors (1870), Proc. Am. 
Philos. Soc., 485.— JORDAN (1876), Man. Vert., 302. 
Description.—Body moderately elongate; head longer than broad, rather narrowed 
forward; profile rather steep, pretty evenly convex; dorsal region more or less ele- 
vated ; mouth wide, the lower jaw projecting beyond the upper; barbels long; anal 
fin moderate, of about 20 rays; caudal fin truneate; color blackish, belly pale; head 
34 to 4 in length; depth 44 to5; D.I, 6; A.20. Length 1 to 14 feet. 
Habitat, Great Lake Region and Mississippi Valley to Manitoba. Not uncommon. 
Diagnosis—This is the only species of Amiurus in which the lower jaw 
is the longer. From Pelodichthys olivaris it may be known by the longer 
anal fin, as well as by the very different form and coloration. 
Habits.—This species is not very commonin Ohio. It is taken in Lake 
Krie with Amiurus catus, and occasionally in the Ohio River. It is sold 
as a food fish with the ordinary “ Bull-head.” 
18. AMIURUS MARMORATUS (Holbrook) Jordan. 
Marbled Catfish. 
Pimelodus marmoratus, HOLBROOK (1855), Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 54. 
Amiurus marmoratus, JORDAN (1877), Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., x, 89; (1878) Man. Vert., ed 
2d., 332, 407. 
Descripltion.—Body rather stout and chubby; head moderately broad, with a nearly 
even slope from the elevated base of the dorsal to the snout; mouth rather wide; jaws 
aboutequal ; barbels long, branchiostegals 10; dorsal spine high, more than half the length 
of head, inserted nearer the adipose fin than the snout; adipose fin very large; caudal 
fin truncate; coloration usually variegated, the ground color dark, sharply mottled with 
brown, greenish, and whitish, the coloration sometimes nearly plain ; head 32in length; 
depth 4; D.1., 6; A. 20. Length 14 feet. 
Habitat, Southern Illinois to Florida, chiefly in lowland streams. 
Diagnosis.—The color of this species is usually sufficiently distinctive; 
when this is obliterated it cannot be readily separated from A. melas. 
Habits—This species occurs in the Lower Ohio, but it has not yet been 
noticed in the limits of the State. Nothing distinctive is known con- 
cerning its habits, except that it is a species of the bayous, and its range 
is chiefly southward. | 
