Apologies to all for the lateness of this post. The esteemed Carl Steen
has brought this past discussion to my attention recently.
    In regard to texts for the identification of fish remains here are a few
more that may be of help, however, there is no substitution for an adequate
comparative collection of the species that may possibly be encountered.
Identifications made using line drawings alone should be considered tentative
at best. One reason for this is that closely related species(and similar
morphologically)within the same family may occupy different habitats calling
for a different capture strategy, or perhaps indications of a seasonal
exploitive strategy or cultural bias toward particular species or habitats.
    One example: catfish remains that may be recovered at coastal
archaeological sites may belong to the channel catfish, white catfish,
gafftopsail seacatfish, hardhead seacatfish, brown bullhead and even perhaps
the flat bullhead(not flathead catfish). A note here, these catfish are from
two families, Ictaluridae and Arridae, but are very similar in bone
morphology(second cousins?). All may be found at some time in brackish
estuarine/coastal riverine/coastal waters. Some more so than others but all
can potentially be found in varying degrees of saline water.
    Anyway, enough long winded explainations, here goes:
 
Calovich, F. E. and D. A. Branson
        1964    The Supraethmoid - Ethmoid Complex in the American Catfish, Ictalurus
and                                             Pylodictis. The American Midland Naturalist
71:335-343.
 
Gregory, W. K.
        1933    Fish Skulls: A Study of the Evolution of Natural Mechanisms.
Transactions of the                                     American Philosophical Society
23:75-481.
 
Harrington, Robert W. Jr.
        1955    The Osteocranium of the American Cyprinid Fish, Notropis bifrenatus,
with                                            annotated Synonomy of the Teleost Skull Bones. Copeia
1955:267-290.
 
Krause, Jeffery D.
        1977    Identification, Cultural and Ecological Implications of Catfish Remains
from                            Cahokia Mounds, Illinois. unpublished Master's thesis, Department of
Biology,                        Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, Illinois.
 
McMurrich, J. Playfair
        1884    The Osteology of Amiurus catus. Proceedings of the Canadian Institute
2:270-449.
 
Norden, C. R.
        1961    Comparative Osteology of Representative Salmonoid Fishes, with
Particular Reference                    to the Grayling, Thymallus arcticus and its Phylogeny.
Journal of the Fisheries                        Research Board of Canada 18:679-791.
 
Mundell, Raymond L.
        1975    An Illustrated Osteology of the Channel Catfish(Ictalurus punctatus).
National Park                   Service, Midwest Archaeological Center, Lincoln, Nebraska.
 
Paloumpis, Andreas A.
        1963     A Key to the Illinois Species of Ictalurus (Class Pisces) Based on
Pectoral Spines.                        Transactions of the Illinois Academy of Science
56:129-133.
 
Parker, W. K.
        1873    On the Structure and Development of the Skull of the Salmon, Salmo salar
L.                              Philosophical Transaction of the Royal Society 163:95-145.
 
Wilson, M. V. H. and P. Veilleux
        1982    Comparative Osteology and Relationships of the Umbridae(Pisces:
Salmoniformes).                         Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 76.
 
 
Martin Maestas
 
Department of Anthropology
University of Tennessee
[log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask]