Jordan and Evermann. Fishes of North America. 983 



than in Elassoma zonatum ; the head thick, moderately pointed anteriorly, 

 flattish, and moderately wide above. Mouth oblique, very small, its out- 

 line curved, upper jaw very protractile, lower jaw projecting ; snout very 

 short, not longer than pupil ; preorbital very narrow. Maxillary of mod- 

 erate width, barely reaching the vertical from front of eye, its length 4 

 in head. Teeth in narrow bands, those of the outer series enlarged, close- 

 set, slender, and curved. Apparently a few teeth on the vomer. Cheeks 

 and opercles scaly, the former with 3 or 4 rows of scales. Preopercle 

 entire; opercle unarmed, emarginate behind. Gill membranes broadly 

 connected across the isthmus. Breast with small scales ; scales of body 

 very large, cycloid; no trace of lateral line. Gill rakers very small, 

 tubercular. Pseudobranchiae very small, apparently covered by skin, as 

 in the Centrarchidcu. Vent normal in position. Dorsal fin low, the first 

 spine short, the others graduated; ventral fins very slender and narrow, 

 their filamentous tips nearly reaching front of anal ; their rays I, 5 ; the 

 inner ray short, so that the number appears on a hasty examination to be 

 1,4; pectoral 1 in length of head ; caudal slightly emarginate, 1 in 

 head. Color, in spirits, dusky olive, without cross bands or scapular 

 spot ; centers of scales paler, thus forming faint longitudinal streaks ; 

 many scales of back and sides each with a dark brown spot ; these irreg- 

 ularly scattered ; body and head soiled with dark points ; dorsal, anal, and 

 caudal conspicuously marked with cross bands formed of dark dots; ven- 

 trals and anal largely dusky, similarly but more faintly barred. Length 

 li inches. Swamps of southern Georgia and Florida, locally common in 

 dark waters tributary to the Everglades. Extremely variable in colora- 

 tion and in number of fin rays, if all the known specimens really belong 

 to one species. 



Elassoma evergladei, JORDAN, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1884, 323, Indian River and Lake Jessup, 

 Florida; (Type, No. 25326(8). Coll. K. Edward Earll); GILBERT,* Bull. U. S. Fish Comm., 

 vni, 1888, 228; WOOLMAN,| Bull. U. S. Fish Comm., x, 1890 (1892), 299 and 300, pi. 53, fig. 



* " A single specimen from the Satilla River at Waycross, answering well the original descrip- 

 tion, but with the anal III, 7, instead of III, 5 ; D. IV, 9 ; scales 27. Fins all high, the ventrals 

 reaching slightly beyond origin of anal, the longest dorsal ray \Y A in head. In spirits, faint 

 traces of 6 or 7 dusky cross bars; a white area on base of caudal. In life, a blue band under 

 eye and a number on sides. Dorsal spines with blue." Gilbert. 



f Woolman gives the following account of specimens or this species from Hillsboro River, 

 Florida: "Two very fine specimens were taken in Pemberton Creek, which differ in several 

 particulars from the types of this species (Elassoma evergladei). Total length of specimens 25 and 

 27 mm. respectively; length to caudal fin 22%, 23 mm.; greatest height of body 6,7 mm.; depth 

 of caudal peduncle 3, 3 mm; length of head 6, 7 mm. ; interorbital area 2, 2 mm. ; eye, 2, 2 mm. ; 

 distance from tip of snout to front of dorsal, 10, 10 mm. Number of dorsal spines and rays, III, 

 8; III, 8; length of base of dorsal 7, 7 mm.; longest dorsal spine 3, 3, mm.; longest dorsal ray 5, 

 5; anal IV, 5; IV, 5; ventrals reaching anal; scales 28, 28. Ground color, very dark brown, 

 nearly black, with 3 cross bars behind dorsal, between which there is a dark metallic blue space; 

 spot on opercle of a dull carmine color; 2 small spots of the same color at base of caudal; spots 

 of blue on other parts of body, notably along lateral line; fins dark; upper half of dorsal black; 

 2 lighter spots on the last rays of dorsal. 



"Several specimens were obtained in Mill Creek which correspond more closely with the orig- 

 inals of Elassoma. The measurements of 3 of these are as follows: Length 25, 25, 23 mm. 

 respectively; length to baso of caudal 21, 21, 19 mm.; greatest depth 6, 7,5 mm.; depth of caudal 

 peduncle 3, 3, 3 mm.; length of head 6, 6, 6 mm.; eye 1%, 1%, 1% mm.; distance from end of 

 snout to origin of dorsal 9, 9%, 8 mm. Dorsal rays IV, 8; IV, 9; IV, 9; anal rays III, 5; III, 5; 

 III, 5; number of scales 27, 28, 27. Ground color dark brown, thickly covered with darker spots 

 having no definite arrangement; a few deep lustrous blue scales on body; dorsal dark, showing 

 in some specimens a double row of dark-red spots, forming 2 stripes parallel with edge of fin. 

 There seems to be some variation, in size of eye and width of interorbital space." (Woolman, I. c.) 



