DEC. 28, 1916. FISHES OF PANAMA MEEK AND HILDEBRAND. 317 



are from brackish water on the Atlantic coast. We have a single female 

 specimen from brackish water from the Pacific coast, which we doubtfully 

 refer to this species. 



Habitat: Southern Mexico south to Panama. 



55. Gambusia episcopl Steindachner. 



Gantbusia episcopi Steindachner, Sitzb. K. Ak. Wiss. Wien, LXXVII, 

 1878, 387, PI. II, figs. 3 & 4 (Obispo, Panama) ; Jordan & Evermann, 

 Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., XLVII, 1896, 683 (Ditches on the Isth- 

 mus of Panama, Obispo Station); Garman, Mem. Mus. Comp. 

 Zool., XIX, 1895, 88 (Panama Railroad between Gorgona and 

 Matachin); Regan, Biol. Cent. Amer., Pisces, 1907, 96. 

 Gambusia latipunctata Meek & Hildebrand, Field Mus. Nat. Hist. 

 Pub., Zool. Sen, X, 1913, 87 (Araijan, Panama). 

 Head 3. i to 3.5; depth 3. 2 to 4.1; D. 8 or 9; A. 9 or 10; scales 26 to 28. 

 Body rather robust; profile from snout to nape straight, from nape 

 to dorsal slightly convex; head flat above; snout rather short 3.2 to 4 

 in head; eye 3 to 3.7; interorbital 2 to 2.6; mouth moderate, the cleft 

 reaching about half the distance to eye; teeth in the jaws pointed, in 

 bands, the outer ones scarcely enlarged; scales large, cycloid, extending 

 forward to eyes, 6 longitudinal rows between anterior part of base of 

 dorsal and base of anal; caudal peduncle strongly compressed, its least 

 depth, 1.15 to 1.6 in head; origin of dorsal in female over middle of base 

 of anal, or slightly anterior to this point, and somewhat nearer anterior 

 margin of eye than tip of caudal; in the adult male the origin of the 

 dorsal is a little nearer end of snout than tip of caudal; caudal fin 

 rounded; anal fin in female usually inserted a little nearer end of snout 

 than tip of caudal, the anterior rays scarcely produced; in the adult 

 male the origin of the anal is slightly nearer base of caudal than end of 

 snout, the modified portion of anal failing to reach base of caudal by 

 about the length of postorbital part of head, equal to or a little longer 

 than head, 3.4 to 3.85 in length of body, the apex scarcely bent backward, 

 no hooks, the two branches of the second ray and the third ray of about 

 equal length and the anterior ray only slightly shorter than the second 

 and third; ventral fins rather small, reaching vent in female, reaching 

 to or past origin of anal in male; pectoral fins reaching slightly past base 

 of ventral, 1.3 to 1.55 in head. 



Color rather variable, apparently depending largely upon the clear- 

 ness of the water in which they live. The sexes similarly colored, 

 olivaceous, with dusky punctulations, which are mostly on the skin 

 underneath the scales, making it appear as if the scales were margined 

 with dark; this dark coloration is much more prominent on some in- 



