FISHES OF COLORADO 97 



and the more sluggish streams. It is quite abundant in the southern states. This 

 species was introduced into Colorado in 1894 by the United States Fish 

 Commission.' 



Genus LEPOMIS Rafinesque 

 The Sunfishes 



Lepomis Rafinesque, Joiirn. de Physique, p. 402, 1819. 



Body strongly compressed and quite deep, slightly if at all elongate; posterior 

 margin of the operculum with a convex bony or membranous flap; tongue without 

 teeth; anal spines III. 



This genus includes about 15 of the species of sunfish found in the Mississippi 

 Valley, and is represented in Colorado by one native and one introduced species. 



a. Posterior portion of the operculum bearing the black opercular spot stiff and bony; posterior 

 margin of the opercular spot not reaching the free margin of the operculum, but separated from 

 it by one-fourth the diameter of the eye or more; cheeks with many bright blue markings. 



L. cyanellus Rafinesque 



aa. Posterior portion of the operculum bearing the black opercular spot thin and flexible; opercular 



spot large, its posterior margin coincident with the free margin of the opercular flap; a bright 



blue stripe extending from the ventral margin of the opercular spot along the operculum and 



lower jaw to the angle of the mouth or beyond L. pallidus (Mitchill) 



Lepomis cyanellus Rafinesque 

 Green Sxjnfish, Blue-spotted Sunfish (Fig. 63) 



Lepomis cyanellus Rafinesque, Journ. de Physique, p. 420, 1820 (Ohio River); Jordan, Bull. 

 U.S. Fish Com., Vol. IX, p. 17, 1889 (Canyon City). 



Apomolis cyanellus (Rafinesque) — Jitday, Univ. Colo. Studies, Vol. II, p. 113, 1903 

 (Longmont); Jctday, Bull. U.S. Fish Com. for igo4, p. 227, 1905 (Longmont). 



Body somewhat elongate, quite deep and much compressed; back slightly 

 elevated; depth about 2. 5 in the length to the base of the caudal; head large, its 

 length 3 or a little more in the length of the body; eye moderately large, its center 

 nearer to the tip of the snout than to the posterior margin of the operculum, 

 situated in the upper half of the head; diameter of the eye 4 to 5 in the head, 

 about 1.25 in the snout, and 1.5 or a little more in the interorbital distance; 

 posterior margin of the operculum broadly rounded; opercular flap under the 

 blue-black opercular spot, bony; mouth large and terminal, lower jaw very slightly 

 longer than the upper, angle of the mouth when closed not reaching the level of 

 the anterior margin of the eye; spinous and soft dorsals broadly united, the spinous 

 being the lower, the height of its longest spine about one-half the length of the 

 longest ray of the soft dorsal; dorsal of IX or X spines and 10 to 12, usually 11, 

 rays; pectorals small, i . 75 to 2 in the head; ventrals equal to or a little less than 

 the pectorals, base of the spine of the ventral on the level with or slightly behind 

 the last pectoral ray and separated from it by a distance equal to i . 5 the diameter 



■ Rept. U.S. Com. Fisheries Jor i8g4-g;, p. S3, 1896. 



