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



47. Genus Cichlasoma Swainson. 



Cichlasoma Swainson, Nat. Hist. Class. Fishes, Amph. and Rept., H, 



1839, 230 (type Scicsna bimaculata Linnaeus). 

 Theraps Giinther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus., IV, 1862, 284 (type Theraps 



irregularis Gunther) . 

 Parapetenia Regan, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. 7, XVI, 1905, 324 



(type Acara adspersa Gunther). 



Body ovate to oblong, compressed; mouth rather small to large; 

 premaxillary moderately protractile, the maxillary slipping under the 

 preorbital; fold of the lower lip continuous or not; teeth conical, to 

 slightly compressed in a few species; a few anterior teeth canine-like in 

 species with large mouths; anal spines IV to XL 



To this genus belong many species, some are deep, others more or 

 less elongate. In many of the species the mouth is small, the gape 

 horizontal or nearly so, and the anterior teeth conical to slightly com- 

 pressed. In others the mouth is terminal, oblique, and with some of 

 the anterior teeth enlarged and canine-like. The efforts to break this 

 group into several genera or subgenera have not met with much success, 

 since the characters on which they have been based are too variable and 

 overlap. Only five species are known to occur in central and eastern 

 Panama. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



a. The outer series of teeth in the jaws somewhat enlarged, and 

 regularly increased in size anteriorly; mouth small or moderate; 

 the maxillary not reaching past vertical from anterior margin of 

 eye. 



b. Lower lip narrow, its margin not free at symphasis; teeth all 

 sharply pointed. 



c. A large black blotch present at base of caudal, and usually with 

 another large black blotch on sides under tips of pectorals; sides 

 without distinct cross-bars; lateral band present only in very 

 young; scales in lateral series 31 to ;^^; lower lateral line on 

 third row of scales below upper lateral line. 



maculicauda, p. 343. 

 cc. Young with cross-bars; adults with a single series of black 

 blotches along middle of sides; spot at base of caudal com- 

 paratively small; black dots on rows of scales, forming dark 

 lines; scales in lateral series 34 to 41; lower lateral line present 

 on fifth row of scales below upper lateral line; 6 or 7 rows of 

 scales between lateral line and base of anterior dorsal spines; 

 anal with 6 or 7 spines. tuyrense, p. 344. 



