1514 Bulletin //, United States National Afuseicm. 



1898. iE(^UIDEN(S CffiRULEOPL'XCTATUS (Kner & Steindachner). 



Head rather more than 3 ; depth 2^. D. XV, 10; A. Ill, 8; scales 2^-27-9. 

 Greatest breadth of head | its length. Nape curved, profile of snout 

 straight. Width of interorbital space ? length of head, and more than 

 that of snout. Snout broad, moderately elevated; width of preorbital 

 scarcely more than diameter of eye. Cleft of mouth slightly obli(iue, not 

 reaching vertical from orl)it. Fold of lower lip interrupted in middle. 

 Lower limb of preoperculum more than A length of jiosterior limb. Only 

 8 Series of scales between throat and root of ventral. Dor.sal sjiines of 

 moderate strength, gradually increasing in length posteriorly, length of 

 ninth more than ^ that of head; middle of soft dorsal and anal i)roduced 

 and extending beyond middle of caudal, Avhich is rounded ; pectoral as 

 long as head, reaching only to origin of anal; ventral filament rather long. 

 Three series of scales on cheek. Body with 4 or 5 indistinct cross bands; 

 a large black blotch on middle of sides, and traces of a second on root of 

 caudal; each scale on side of head and chest with a bluish spot. Length 



5 inches. Eio Chagres, Atlantic slope of the Isthmus of Panama. (Kner 



6 Steindachner.) {cceriileus, blue; punctatus, dotted.) 



Acara coeruleopunctata, Knek & Steindachneb, Sitz. bayer. Akad., 222, 1863, Rio Chagres, 

 Isthmus of Panama (Ooll. Salvin) ; Kner <fc Steindachner, A bhandl. bayer. Akad. 

 Wi8s.,x, tab. 2, fig. 3, 1864; GOnther, Fisb. Centr. Am.,449, 1869. 



615. CICHLASOMA, Swainson. 



Cichlasoma, Swain.son, Nat. Hist. Class'nriahea.etc, n, 230, 1839 (punctatus=himaculatns) . 

 Archocentrus, Gill, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1877, 186 (centrarchus) . 



This genus contains those species allied to Astronotus, which have 4 to 

 11 spines in the anal fin, the dorsal and anal not closely scaled and the 

 lower lip interrupted mesially to form a frenum. Species very numerous, 

 chiefly South American. {CichJa, a related genus; (?ft>/ut»body ; mxXi], a 

 thrush; the name Cichla and its synonyms, Turdus and Merida, transferred 

 by early authors to Labroid fishes.) The following analysis of species has 

 little value. A natural arrangement will be possible only after a detailed 

 comparison of the various forms : 



Cichlasoma : 

 a. Anal fin moderate, its spines 4, to 9 in number. 



h. Anal spines 4; body rather slender; sides witb a broad, dark lateral band. Dor- 

 sal rays XVI, 13. eectangulare, 1899. 

 hh. Anal spines .0, occasionally 6. 



c. Dorsal rays mostly XVI or XVII, 11 or 12. 

 d. Depth less than A length of body. 



liARTONI; GODMANNI; SIEIK>LUI; IN- 

 TERMEDIUM; ANGULIFERUM, 1000-1904. 



dd. Depth about i length of body. 



FENESTRATUM; MONTEZUMA, 1905; 1906. 



cc. Dorsal rays XIV or XV, 12 or 13; depth of body U iu its length. 



... , MACBACANTHrM, 1907. 



bbh. Anal spines 6 to 8, rarely 5 or 9. 



e. Depth of body about 1 its length. 



PARMA; MARGARITIFERUM ; SPILUE0M; LONGI- 

 MANUS; BIFASCIATUM; HELLEEI, 1908-1913. 



