338 Field Museum of Natural History — Zoology, Vol. X. 



line at Gatun, at the "Spill-way," which creates an artificial waterfall. 

 We did not obtain it on the Pacific slope, although it is recorded from 

 the Rio Mamoni. 



This fish is said to reach a length of one meter and is much valued as 

 food. 



Habitat : Southern Mexico to Panama and Cuba. 



Family X. Cichlidae. 



The Mojarras. 



Body elongate, compressed, covered with ordinary scales, which are 

 usually ctenoid; lateral line interrupted under soft portion of dorsal, 

 reappearing lower down on caudal peduncle; mouth large or small, 

 terminal to subinferior; teeth conical, incisor-like, or lobate; vomer and 

 palatines without teeth; premaxillaries freely protractile; the maxillary 

 usually slipping under the broad preorbital; nostril single on each side; 

 dorsal fin single, the spinous portion usually longer than the soft portion; 

 gill-membranes usually connected and free from the isthmus; air bladder 

 present; ventral fins I, 5, thoracic; anal fin with 3 or more spines, the 

 soft portion smaller, though similar to that of dorsal; branchiostegals 

 5 or 6; no pseudobranchise. 



A large family of fresh water fishes inhabiting the lowland streams of 

 Mexico and the waters of Central and South America and Africa. Only 

 a few species occur in Panama. 



KEY TO THE GENERA. 



a. Anal fin with 3 spines. 



b. First gill-arch normal, without a lamelliform lobe above angle; 

 snout usually shorter than postorbital part of head. 



jEquidens, p. 338. 

 bb. First gill-arch with a lamelliform lobe above angle; snout much 

 longer than postorbital part of head. Geophagus, p. 340. 



aa. Anal fin with more than 3 spines. 



c. Teeth all conical. Cichlasoma, p. 342. 

 CO. The outer series of teeth in both jaws compressed, incisor-like. 



Neetroplus, p. 348. 



45. Genus i^quidens Eigenmann & Bray. 



jEquidens Eigenmann & Bray, Ann. N. Y. Ac. Sci., VH, 1894, 616 (type 

 Acara tetramerus Heckel). 



