OF GENUS CICHLA. 215 



Low to red, and to burnt-umber, with a blue margin 

 of a very deep colour in some individuals. 



Dorsal iiu long ; spiny part half as low as the soft 

 part, with large spiny rays, imbricated so as to rest 

 in the dorsal groove ; pectorals rounded, placed 

 pretty low and near the operculum. Thoracic fin 

 triangular, sufficiently long to reach the basis of the 

 anal tin, and attached to the thorax by a small mem* 

 brane ; first ray long and thorny ; caudal slightly lu- 

 nulated ; lobes rounded ; anal long, with six strong 

 spiny rays in the anterior part ; these fins are marble- 

 coloured, of a reddish-brown and blue ; the soft part 

 of the dorsal fin is maculated with small irregular 

 spots ; the anal and dorsal have a black border, and 

 are of a dark-brown at their bases, where the rays 

 are distinguished by their light colour. 



The general colour is brilliant coppery, with irre- 

 gular spots of a blackish-brown, and olive upon the 

 back, the head, and the opercula ; the jaws, lips and 

 the throat are black ; thorax bluish-grey ; these co- 

 lours, which are very beautiful during the life of the 

 fish, disappear when it dies, and become of a bluish- 

 gray, brown or black ; scales round, mutic, large on 

 the sides, smaller on the back and abdomen, small on 

 the breast, on the neck, and on the opercular, none on 

 the snout and between the eyes ; lateral scales with 

 their base, and. extremity black, so that by their junc- 

 tion, they produce those lines of black spots which 

 ornament this fish. 



Length 8 to 10 inches. 



This fish is edible ; we took many of them by 



