24 



KBY TO ILLINOIS SONFI8HE8 OF THE QENKRA APOMOTIS, LEP0MI3, AND KUPOMOTIS. 



a. Body elongate; depth 2-5 of lengrth; scales In lateral line 45 to 55; mouth large; usu- 

 ally a stellate black spot on >ase of soft dorsal; In life with a coppery margin 

 on opercular flap and pale blue spots on the scales Apomotis cyanellus. 



aa. Body not elongate; depth 1-9 to 5-10 of length. 



b. Lateral line developed on less than half the scale Apomotis btmmxtricus. 



bb. Lateral line well developed, porestjn all but a few scales. 



c. Black opercular flap without margin of lighter color. 



d. Anal rays 8 to 10; scales in lateral line 36 to 45.31 to 40 developed pores: oper- 



cular flap frequently large and long, always broad, and striate longitudinally. 



LKPOMIS MEOALOTI8. 



dd. Anal rays 10 to 12; scales in lateral line 43 to 62. pores developed on 40 to SO scales; 

 opercular flap not much elongate; a black spot on dorsal fin. 



Lepomis pallidus. 



cc. Opercular flap with a margin of light color or a red spot on posterior edge. 



e. Scales in lateral line usually less than 40. 



f. Anal with 8 to 10 soft rays; sides regularly spotted with red, orange, or dark 



brown spots. 



g. Opercular flap short, portion on bone of operculum black, membranous portion 



pale Lepomis garmaki. 



gg. Opercular flap an elongate membrane, the center black and the margin very 

 pale pink or silvery white Lepomis hdmilis. 



ff. Anal usually with 11 soft rays; sides not regularly spotted as described above. 



Eupomotis hekos. 



ee. Scales in lateral line 40 to 47. 



h. Opercular flap with a pale margin Apomotis ischtbus. 



hh. Opercular flap with red spot on edge; 4 rows of scales on cheeks; also wavy 

 blue streaks Eupomotis gibbosus. 



Apomotis cyanellus (Rafinesque). — Blue-spotted Sunfish; Green Sunfish. 

 (307) 



Of suflBcient size to make it a pan-fish of some economic importance; taken readily by 

 unskilled anglers. 



Distributed with remarkable impartiality throughout the State in the smaller streams, 

 the largest specimens coming from small sluggish creeks. We have taken it in 220 local- 

 ities. 



Apomotis ischyrus (Jordan & Nelson). (310) 



Our collections of this species include the original type, from the Illinois River, and two 

 or tliree others of very doubtful identity. 



Apomotis symmetricus (Forbes). (309) 



This species is represented in our collections by specimens from Union county, from 

 Cairo, and from several points on the lower Wabash River; has also been taken in the Illi- 

 nois River. 



Lepomis garmani Forbes. 



A very handsome fish, of dark color, with rows of orange-colored spots on the sides; 

 amoiig the most finished in appearance of all sunflshes. 



F'rom Pecatonica River at Freeport, a creek near Warsaw. Round Pond at Hamilton, 

 midiile course of the Illinois River, creeks near Lincoln, and Big Fox Kiver in White county. 



Lepomis megalotis (Rafinesque). — Long-eared Sunfish. 



In this fish the opercular flap is quite variable in size, being ^ the length of the head 

 sometimes in large specimens. 



(Common in clear streams southeastward of the region of Pontiac. which is the locality 

 of farthest northward occurrence. Not yet taken from the Illinois River or from streams 

 west of it. 



Lepomis humilis (Girard). — Orange-spotted Sunfish. 



This fish may be easily recognized by the silvery white or pale pink margin of the thin 

 flexible opercular flap; the palest of our sunflshes. A considerable degree of sex dimor- 



