..The fishes of Illinois . inally given, the common name of carp-sucker, already considerably used, is much to be preferred. In Illinois they are distributed throughout the greater rivers ofthe state and their larger tributaries, and occur also in Lake Michi-gan and the smaller lakes of northern Illinois. They are extremelycommon in the lakes and ponds of the river bottoms. The carp-suckers are rather filthy feeders, swallowing a greaterquantity of mud than the nearly related buffalo-fish. The struc-tures of food prehension carry to its extreme a development of thegill-rakers and a correlative
..The fishes of Illinois . inally given, the common name of carp-sucker, already considerably used, is much to be preferred. In Illinois they are distributed throughout the greater rivers ofthe state and their larger tributaries, and occur also in Lake Michi-gan and the smaller lakes of northern Illinois. They are extremelycommon in the lakes and ponds of the river bottoms. The carp-suckers are rather filthy feeders, swallowing a greaterquantity of mud than the nearly related buffalo-fish. The struc-tures of food prehension carry to its extreme a development of thegill-rakers and a correlative degradation of the pharyngeal jaws andteeth. The pharyngeal bones are very thin and brittle, each withabout 200 teeth, minute above and gradually enlarging downwards,but not thickening or lengthening greatly on the lower part of thearch. The intestine is very slender, and about four times as long asthe head and body taken together. The gills are remarkably com-pacted, the upper and lower ends nearly meeting when the mouth. CARPIODES—CARP-SUCKERS / 3 is closed, and the longest of the anterior series are a little longerthan the corresponding filaments. Nineteen specimens, representing 13 localities from extremenorthern to extreme southern Illinois, and various dates from Aprilto October, indicate that our native carp -differ from their nearallies, the buffalo-fishes, in the smaller amount of vegetation eaten,in the greater quantity of mud mingled with the food, and in a de-ficiency of the larger insect larvae. The vegetable food of thesespecimens was only 8 per cent., mostly the small duckweed, made about a fourth of the food, all the thin-shelled bivalveSphcerium. Insects averaged about a third, the greater part larvaeof Chironomus. Entomostraca made nearly a fourth, and includeda considerable list and variety of our more abundant species. Key to the Species of CARPIODES found in Illinois a. Snout short, 3| to \\ in head; nostrils well forward, the distance f
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidcu31924, booksubjectfishes
