FISHES OF COLORADO 87 



of malarial fever.' Several North American Poeciliids feed upon the young of 

 mosquitos as well as other insects and are of value in reducing the numbers of 

 these pests. 



A single genus, Fundulus, is represented in Colorado. 



Subfamily Fundulinae 

 Genus FUNDULUS Lacepede 

 The Killifishes and Top-minnows 

 Fundulus Lacepede, Hist. Nat. Poiss., Vol. V, p. 37, 1803. 



Anal fin of the male not modified to function as an intromittent organ; 

 species oviparous; jaws with two or more rows of fine teeth; lower jaw projecting 

 beyond the upper; caudal fin rounded. 



This genus includes a great variety of species, some of which are marine. It 

 has been broken up by various ichthyologists into numerous genera and sub- 

 genera, but the characters of the several groups of species intergrade to such an 

 extent that these separations are possible only with the extreme species. Two 

 species of this genus, referable to different subgenera, are known from Colorado, 

 these being very abundant in the plains streams of the eastern part of the state. 



a. Dorsal fin of 14 or 15 rays; base of the first ray of the dorsal on or in front of the level of the 

 first ray of the anal fin; body crossed by 11 to 21 vertical dusky bars. 



F. {Fontinus) zehrinus Jordan and Gilbert 



aa. Dorsal fin of 10 or 11 rays; base of the first ray of the dorsal behind the level of the first ray 



of the anal; color plain, olivaceous, fins edged with red . F. (Zygonectes) floripinnis {Cope} 



Fundulus zebrinus Jordan and Gilbert 

 Zebra Fish, Zebra Top-minnow (Figs. 44, 45 and 46) 



Fundulus zebrinus Jordan and Gilbert, "Synopsis," Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. No. 16, p. 891, 1883 

 (after Girard, Hydrargyra zebra Girard, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., p. 60, 1859, name preoccupied 

 in Fundulus) ; Jord.^n, Bull. U.S. Fish Com., Vol. IX, p. 17, 1889 (pond at Canyon City; Fountain 

 Creek at Pueblo); Juday, Univ. Colo. Studies, Vol. II, p. 113, 1903 (Boulder; Longmont); Jud.a.y, 

 Bull. U.S. Fish Com. for IQ04, p. 227, 1905 (Boulder; Longmont). 



Fundulus multifasciatus (Cuvier) — Cope and Yarrow, Wheeler Survey, Vol. V, p. 695, 1875 

 (Pueblo), name preoccupied in Fundulus. 



Body rather short and deep, much compressed back of the pectorals, depth 

 4.4 to almost 5 in the length to the base of the caudal; head long and depressed, 

 3.3 to 3 . 8 in the length of the body; top of the head with the skin thickened into 

 plate-like structures; snout blunt; eye prominent, its dorsal margin even with the 

 top of the head, its diameter 2 or a little more in the Lnterorbital distance, about 

 2 . 5 in the length of the snout and 5. 5 to 6 or a little more in the head; lnterorbital 

 distance 2. 5 to 3 ui the head; nostrils small, dorsal, placed in front of the dorsal 

 margin of the eye; mouth terminal and somewhat dorsal, large and broad; upper 



■ Ballou, Pamphlet Ser. 55, Imperial Dept. Agric. West Indies, igo8. 



