ICHTHYOLOGY OF VENEZUELA — SCHULTZ 171 



3a. Dorsal rays usually XV or XVI, 10; anal rays III, 8 to 10, usually 111,8 

 or 9; a dark blotch present under rear of eye; usually 2.5 scales between 

 lateral line and base of first soft ray of dorsal (Amazon, Rfo Negro, and 



Guianas) Aequidens tetramerus (Heckel) 



36. Dorsal rays XIV or XV, 11 or 12; anal 111,8 to 10; a dark bar under rear 

 margin of eye extending downward parallel with edge of preopercle; 

 usually 2 scales above lateral line to first soft ray of dorsal fin (Rfo 



Meta) Aequidens metae ^J Eigenmann 



26. Base of caudal fin with a rather wide dark bar, this bar usually more in- 

 tensely pigmented above the lateral line than below it, the lateral band 

 meeting this bar in its upper half at base of upper caudal fin rays; a dark 

 bar under eye extending toward lower preopercular angle; dorsal rays 

 XIV, 9 or 10; anal rays III, 7 or 8 (British Guiana). 



Aequidens potaroensis ^s Eigenmann 

 16. One and one-half scales between base of first soft ray of dorsal fin and lateral 

 line; blackish lateral streak, if present, extending from eye through black 

 lateral blotch to rear of base of soft dorsal fin or anterior upper edge of 

 caudal peduncle; base of caudal fin with a small to large blackish bar some- 

 times obscure, except at lateral line, usually a little more developed above 

 lateral line than below lateral line or at midaxis of caudal fin; no black spot 

 at base of upper rays of caudal fin; a dark bar or oblong spot, extending 

 from below eye toward lower preopercular angle; gill rakers 2 or 3 + 5 or 6 

 on first arch. 

 4a. Caudal fin base with a bar or with an obscure spot at end of lateral line, 

 oa. The blackish lateral band prominent and extending forward to upper rear 

 edge of orbit, thence across top of head, meeting its fellow between rear 

 margins of orbit; lateral blotch lacking, vertical color bars barely visible; 

 dorsay rays XIV, 9 or 10; anal rays 111,7 or 8; caudal blotch present 

 near end of lateral line on base of caudal fin rays (Rio Meta). 



Aequidens raariae 2» Eigenmann 



56. Vertical bars more prominent than lateral band, the latter indistinct or 



absent between rear of eyes on dorsal surface of head; lateral blotch 



usually obvious; fifth dorsal spine equal to or a little shorter than tenth 



dorsal spine (Trinidad to Colombia) Aequidens pulcher (Gill) 



46. Upper half of caudal fin base with a large prominent spot half size of eye; 

 fifth dorsal ray longer than tenth dorsal ray. 



Aequidens vittata ^3 (Heckel) 



AEQUIDENS TETRAMEKUS (Heckel) 



Acara tetramerus Heckel, Ann. Wien Mus. Naturg., vol. 2, p. 341, 1840. 

 Acara diadema Heckel, Ann. Wien Mus. Naturg., vol. 2, p. 344, 1840 (Rfo 

 Negro in Venezuela). 



AEQUIDENS PULCHER (Gill) 

 MOJARRO 



Cychlasoma ■pulchrum Gill, Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York, vol. 6, p. 382 

 (22), 1858 (Trinidad). 



Aequidens latifrons Eigenmann, Mem. Carnegie Mus., vol. 9, No. 1, p. 197, pi. 33, 

 fig. 1, 1922 (Colombia and Panama, in Magdalena, Atrato, and San Juan 

 Basins). — Myers, Stanford Ichthyol Bull., vol. 2, No. 4, p. 114, 1942 (Que- 

 brado Sargento, tributary Rio Lim6n, north of Maracaibo). 



Aequidens pulcher Eigenmann, Indiana Univ. Studies, vol. 7, No. 44, p. 13, 1920 

 (Isla del Buro, Lago Valencia; Maracay, Rfo Bue, Venezuela). — Pearse, 



" Not yet reported from Venezuela. 



