Jordan and Erermann. Fishes of North America. 999 



Lepomis symmetricn*, FORBKS, in JORDAN \' GII.HEUT, Synopsis, 473, 1883, Illinois River, (Coll. 



Forbes); BOLLMAN, I. t-., 571; EVERMANN & KENDALL, Bull. U. S. Fish Comm., xn, 1892 



(1894), 111, pi. xxxii, fig. 2. 

 Apomolixxi/itnm'triciix, Bori.ENCKii, Cut., i, '21, 



459. LEPOMIS, Rafmesque. 



(SUNFISHES.) 



Lepomis, RAFINESQXTE, Journ. do Physique, 402, 1819, (cmrilns). 



1'ontntix, llAriNEsoi-K, Journ. do Physique, 402, 181!), (imrilnx); the name transferred by CUVIER 



to the group of which v>ilj<iris( =- gibbosus) is type. 

 Ichtlielis, RAFINESQUE, Ichth. Ohiensis, 27, 1820, (anrUus); HOI.BROOK, Ichth. S. Carolina, i, 12, 



I860. 



Heliopcrca, JORDAN, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., 1876, (1877), 335, (pallidus). 

 Kricltiirta, JORDAN, in Klippart's Kept. Fish. Comm. Ohio, 1876 (1877), 48, slip for Helioperca, 



uncorrected in proof, (pallidm). 



Xeiiotu, JORDAN, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1877, 76, (fallax). 

 Li-piopomus, JORDAN, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., 1877, 316, (emendation of Lepomis). 



Body oblong or ovate, more or less compressed, the back in the adult 

 somewhat elevated. Mouth moderate or small, the jaws about equal; 

 maxillary narrow, the supplemental bone reduced to a mere rudiment or 

 altogether wanting. Teeth on vomer, and usually on palatines ; none on 

 tongue or pterygoids ; lower pharyngeals narrow, the teeth spherical or 

 paved, all or nearly all sharp, few or none of them conical. Gill rakers 

 mostly short; preoperculum entire ; operculum ending behind in a con- 

 vex flap, black in color, which in some species becomes greatly developed 

 with age. Branchiostegals 6. Scales moderate. Dorsal fin continuous, 

 with 10 spines ; anal with 3 spines ; caudal fin emarginate ; pectorals 

 long or short ; vertebrae usually 13 -f 16 or 17 = 29 or 30. Coloration 

 brilliant, but evanescent. A large genus, one of the most difficult in 

 our fish fauna in which to distinguish species. The form of body, devel- 

 opment of ear flap, and height of spines vary with age and condition, 

 while the general appearance and the numbers of fin rays and scales are 

 essentially the same in all. Several attempts have been made to subdi- 

 vide the group,* but the characters used, drawn from the pharyngeals, 

 gill rakers, palatine teeth, and pectoral fins are themselves subject to 

 variation, changing or disappearing by degrees without marked gaps. 

 The following analytical key, based largely on work of McKay, Bollman, 

 and Boulenger, will generally serve to identify adult examples ; only by 

 careful comparison, aided by long experience, can young individuals be 

 distinguished. As to the difficulty of defining the genera of sunfishes, 

 McKay has the following pertinent remarks: "This genus (Lepomis) 

 as understood by me, includes Apomotis, Xenotis, Bryttus, Helioperca, 

 Xystroplites, and Eupomotis of authors. Apomotis has been separated 

 from Lepomis on account of the large size of "the supplemental max- 

 illary. On careful comparison this is found to be scarcely larger than 



* Dr. Boulenger divides Lepomis and Eupomotis as here understood into genera, thus denned : 

 a. Supplemental maxillary absent or reduced to a slight rudiment; pectoral fin obtuse. 



LEPOMIS. 

 cut. Supplemental maxillary absent; pectoral fin acutely pointed. EUPOMOTIS. 



