98 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO STUDIES 



of the eye; anal fin short, of III spines and 9 or 10 rays, the length of its base 2 

 or more in the length of the base of the entire dorsal, base of the first anal spine 

 on a level with the last dorsal spine or the first ray of the soft dorsal; caudal fin 

 broadly rounded and not deeply forked; caudal peduncle broad, abruptly joined 

 to the body just posterior to the dorsal and anal fins; scales large, cycloid, 7 or 8, 

 45-50, 15 to 17, lateral line prominent, strongly arched dorsally. 



General color yellowish green, darker dorsally, shading into almost orange 

 below; top of the head, premaxillaries and preopercula dark bluish green, the 

 opercular region marbled with numerous bright, light-blue blotches; lower jaw 

 lighter; opercular spot dark blue to almost black, its posterior margin and that of 

 the operculum edged with white; body sometimes crossed by 8 or more incom- 

 plete, dusky, vertical bars (these bars quite prominent in young specimens and 

 usually very indistinct in adults) ; dorsal, anal and caudal fins greenish yellow to 

 olivaceous; the last three to five rays of the dorsal and anal fins, crossed near their 

 bases by broad, ill-defined black spots, that of the dorsal often quite suffuse; 

 scales rather distinctly outlined with dusky, giving the body a reticulated pattern; 

 eye bright red ; length up to 7 inches. 



The Green Sunfish ranges from the Great Lakes region south throughout the 

 Mississippi Valley and west into Colorado. 



Colorado specimens. — University Museum: St. Vrain Creek, Longmont, October 17, 1903 

 (2 specimens, 75-80 mm.), C. Juday and D. \V. Spangler, No. ig; Boulder Lake, Boulder, May 

 29, 1912 (9 specimens, 100-125 mm.), Philip Miller, No. 398; Lodgepole Creek near Ovid, July 

 20, 1912 (3 specimens, 60-110 mm.), J. Henderson and M. M. Ellis, No. 399; Rio Grande, Alamosa, 

 July 27, 1912 (6 specimens, 50-65 mm.), M. M. Ellis, No. 400; Republican River, Wray, October 

 26, 1912 (69 specimens, 30-150 mm.), A. G. Vestal and M. M. Ellis, No. 401; Sells Lake, Canyon 

 City, November 8, 1913 (4 specimens, 30-35 mm.), A. G. Vestal and M. M. Ellis, No. 402; State 

 Historical and Natural Nistory Museum: Wray, from mouth of a large watersnake, June 16, 1900 

 (lOo mm.), H. G. Smith; Sloans Lake, near Denver, August 4 and 7, 1900 (2 specimens, 100-115 

 mm.), W. C. Ferril; Summit Lake near Denver, August 11, 1901 (80 mm.), W. C. Ferril. Reported 

 common near Greeley, A. E. Beardsley. 



Lepomis pallidus (Mitchill) 

 Bream; Blue Gill (Fig. 49) 



Labrus pallidus Mitchill, Tran. Lift. Phil. Soc. N.Y., p. 407, 1815 (New York). 



Body short, much compressed and quite deep, broadly oval in outline; depth 

 2 to 2.3 in the length to the base of the caudal; head large and short, 3 to 3. 5 in 

 the length; eye moderately large, its diameter about equal to the length of the 

 snout, and 3.5 to 4 in the length of the head; posterior margin of the operculum 

 broadly rounded, the portion bearing the black opercular spot thin and flexible; 

 angle of the mouth when closed not reaching the level of the anterior margin of 

 the eye; dorsal fin long, of X spines and 10 to 12 rays; pectorals about equal to 

 the head in length; ventrals shorter than the pectorals, inserted on or slightly 

 behind the level of the last rays of the pectorals; anal short, length of its base 2 



