JULY, 1907. FISHES OF GREAT LAKES, NICARAGUA MEEK. 119 





 n. No dark lateral band; vertical fins profusely spotted. 



nicaraguense 129 

 nn. A dark lateral band ; vertical fins unspotted. balteaum 129 



Parapetenia. 



Cichlasoma managuense (Gunther). GUAPOTE. 



Heros managuensis Gunther, Fishes Cent. Amer., 463, PI. LXXVII, 

 fig. 3, 1869, Lake Managua; Lake Nicaragua. 



Head 2.6 to 2.8; depth 2.5 to 2.7; D. xvm or xix-io to 12; A. 

 viiorvin-8 or 9; scales 6 or 7-36-11. Body elongate, robust, pro- 

 file slightly concave in interorbital area, the rest convex; mouth large, 

 the gape slightly oblique ; end of maxillary reaching slightly past ver- 

 .tical from anterior margin of orbit, its length 2.1 to 2.5 in head; lower 

 jaw the longer, mandible 1.6 to 1.8 in head; lips thick, the lower with 

 free border; teeth in jaws in one series, the anterior two in upper jaw 

 enlarged; two canine-like in lower jaw on each side; teeth conical; 

 snout long, pointed, its length 3.2 to 3.5 in head; preorbital narrow, 

 8.1 to 9.5 in head; postorbital 1.8 to 2.1 in head; cheeks broad, cov- 

 ered by six rows of scales; eye 4.3 to 5.3 in head; gill rakers 3 to 10; 

 dorsal and anal fins low, the spines weak; longest dorsal spine 2. 6. to 

 3.5 in head; longest anal spine 2.6 to 3.3 ; middle rays of soft dorsal 

 and anal longest, their tips reaching near middle of caudal fin; pec- 

 torals short, not reaching beyond ventrals, 1.4 to 1.6 in head; ven- 

 trals to first anal spine, length 1.4 to 1.7 in head; origin of first dorsal 

 spine to tip of snout 2.5 to 2.6 in head; a line from lower margin of 

 upper lip to base of last anal ray passes lower margin of orbit and 

 upper margin of pectoral base, to middle of caudal passes through 

 lower portion of eye. 



Color dark olivaceous, much mottled; no distinct vertical bars; 

 usually a dark lateral band broken into blotches; a dark band from 

 eye to upper portion of opercle ; a similar one from eye to base of pec- 

 toral ; usually three rows of blotches parallel to this one and below it ; 

 a black spot on base of pectoral ; vertical fins with large black blotches, 

 sometimes arranged in rows; ventrals dark; pectorals plain. The 

 coloration of the sexes in this species is the same. 



This species is very abundant in Lake Nicaragua. It was also 

 taken in considerable numbers in the Lagoon Jenicero, north of Lake 

 Nicaragua. This lagoon at the time of my visit contained only a 

 small amount of water. The mud in it was so thick that a seine could 

 not be used. The temperature of the water was 83 F. One would 



