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DEC 2 5
AUG3 1961

1762S-S

FIELD COLUMBIAN MUSEUM

PUBLICATION 132
ZOOLOGICAL SERIES. VOL.'; \$t

NEW SPECIES OF FISHES
TROPICAL AMERICA

BY

SETH EUGENE MEEK,

Assistant Curator of Department.

CHARLES B. CORY,
Curator of Department.

CHICAGO, U. S. A.

February, 1909.

, 1

NEW SPECIES OF FISHES FROM TROPICAL AMERICA r

BY SETH EUGENE MEEK

During the past year the Museum has received a few small col-
lections of fishes from Tropical America, among which the following
appear to be undescribed:

Rhamdia nasuta sp. nov.

Type No. 6480, F. M. N. H.; length, 125 mm.; Buenos Aires de
Terraba, Costa Rica.

Head 3.65; depth 5.20; D. I, 6; A. n.

Body elongate, moderately robust; top of head flat, interorbital
3 in head; occipital process short, about twice as long as broad at
base; upper jaw the longer; mouth moderate, its greatest breadth
2.40 in head; eye 5.20; snout 2.68; maxillary barbels nearly reach-
ing adipose fin; dorsal spine weak, its length 3.80 in head; pectoral
spine strong, its margins retrorse dentate, its length 2.70 in head;
fontanelle large, from between posterior nostrils to pupil; length of
tubes bearing anterior nostrils greater than diameter of pupil; adi-
pose fin well developed, its distance from dorsal 2.19 in head; length
of adipose fin 3.26 in body, height of adipose fin 5.70 in head; tip
of snout to dorsal spine 2.68 in body; least depth of caudal peduncle
2.38 in head; caudal fin deeply forked, its lobes pointed.

Color olivaceous, sides with an obscure dark lateral band.

One specimen, the type. Collected by Mr. M. A. Carriker.

Astyanax regani sp. nov.

Type No. 6257, F. M. N. H.; length, 130 mm.; Las Canas, Costa
Rica.

Head 4. 66; depth 3. 33; D. n; A. 27; scales 8-39-6.

Body elongate, heavy anteriorly, the head short and blunt; pre-
ventral area broadly rounded, without a median series of scales;
postventral area broadly rounded; predorsal area rounded, with a
partially complete series of ten median scales; occipital process £
its distance from the dorsal, bordered by 3 scales on the side; inter-

207

208 FIELD COLUMBIAN MUSEUM — ZOOLOGY, VOL. VII.

orbital very convex, 2.5 in head; frontal fontanelle y£ as long as the
parietal ; snout short and blunt ; maxillary not quite equal to length
of eye; diameter of eye 3.5 in head; second suborbital leaving a
-naked; 'Space equal to % its own width; premaxillary with four teeth
in each se^es;/ maxillary with 3 teeth; dentary with four large grad-
ti&sed teeth an, front and several smaller ones similar to the last of
the • four Vlargei: ; o£i the sides; gill-rakers short, about 6 + n; dorsal
,a Ettjt; n-sarej snout than caudal, its height about £ in the length;
cauda); afob'ut equal to length of head; origin of anal below the tip of
the last dorsal ray; ventrals below the second scale in front of dor-
sal, reaching a little more than half way to anal ; pectorals reaching
%" to ventrals; scales thin, cycloid, rather irregularly placed on the
belly; no interpolated scales on the sides; an exceedingly low anal
sheath; caudal naked; a very short and broad axillary scale; lat-
eral line but little decurved.

Color silvery, an obscure vertical humeral spot; a plumbeous
lateral band; a caudal spot; middle caudal rays dark.

Named for Mr. C. T. Regan of the British Museum.

One specimen, the type. Collected by Dr. A. Alfaro.

Cyprinodon dearborn! sp. nov.

Type No. 6484, F. M. N. H.; length, 44 mm.; Willemstad, Cur-
acao, Dutch West Indies.

Head 2.7 to 2.9; depth 2.1 to 2.5; D. 10; A. 10; scales 12-24.

Body robust; dorsal region elevated; head large; interorbital
flat, 2.6 to 2.8 in head; snout 3.0 to 3.3; diameter of eye 3.2 to 3.4;
lower jaw stronger and longer than the upper; teeth tricuspid; dor-
sal fin inserted "slightly behind ventrals, its distance from snout 1.7
to 1.8 in body; pectorals 1.3 to 1.5 in head; venfrals 2.8 to 2.9;
caudal peduncle 1.5 to 1.7 in males to 2.0 in females; humeral scale
enlarged.

Color, dark olive to nearly black; males plain, the fins, except
dorsal, tipped with black; females variegated with darker with ten-
dency to form bars ; a narrow dark bar at base of caudal rays ; dorsal
and anal with black ocellus on middle of last rays; none of the fins
tipped with black. This fish resembles Cyprinus riverendi Poey, from
which it differs in having a larger head, more slender body, and darker
coloration. It is also a smaller fish.

Willemstad, Curacao, Dutch West Indies (gc?), 36 to 44 mm. and
(4$), 34 to 38 mm.

Collected by Dr. N. Dearborn, for whom the species is named.

FEB., 1909. NEW FISHES FROM TROPICAL AMERICA — MEEK. 209

Girardinus vandepolli (Van Lidth de Jude).

Poecilia Vandepolli Van Lidth de Jude, Lyden Museum, IX, 137,
1887, Freshwater Curacao.

Head 3.3 to 3.5; depth 3.3 to 3.5; D. 8; A. 8; scales 34 tot 3$.': ;\ ',','

Body robust; top of head flat; interorbital 1.8 to z. i j m ••' hoa'd ;•
jaws weak; teeth pointed, in one series; snout 4.3 to,,^6vinr hoad^'
diameter of eye greater than length of snout, 3.3 to i.6, $ij,;hea,d4 ori>
gin of dorsal nearer base of caudal than tip of snout, its di§tanee;fi;os& >',
tip of snout 1.6 in body; origin of dorsal slightly in advaaoe;bf:.ihat" >
of anal; caudal peduncle deep, 1.6 to 1.8 in head; pectoral 1.3 to 1.4
in head; modified anal of male i.i to 1.2 in head.

Color olivaceous, dorsal with a faint dark bar. Very abundant
in fresh water pools; eggs with eye spots formed, 12 to 16 eggs in
adult females.

Estate of Dr. Van Lier, Curacao, Dutch West Indies (100), 20 to
40 mm. This species is reported by Dr. N. Dearborn, who col-
lected it, to be very abundant in a small brook on the Van Lier estate
which is about 7 miles west of Willemstad.

Poecilia caudata sp. nov.

Type (9) No. 6360, F. M. N. H.; length, 88 mm.; Turrubares,
Costa Rica.

Head 3.9 to 4.1; depth 2.9 to 3.3; D. 9 or 10; A. 9; scales 10-29.

Body robust, compressed, the dorsal region slightly elevated;
top of head flat, interorbital 1.7 to 1.9 in head; snout 3.7 to 3.9;
diameter of eye 3.4 to 3.7 ; origin of dorsal slightly in advance of anal
and much nearer base of caudal than tip of snout, its distance from
tip of snout 1.6 to 1.7 in body; dentition weak; free edge of dorsal
slightly convex; its base 1.9 to 2.1 in head, its longest ray 1.7 to 1.8;
pectoral i.i to 1.2 in head; ventral 1.8 to 2.0; longest anal rays 1.6
to 1.8; caudal peduncle 1.2 to 1.3.

A single male in the collection shows the following measurements :
Head 3.64 in length of body; depth 2.60; tip of snout to dorsal 1.72 ;
eye 3.16 in head; snout 3.60; interorbital 1.80; pectoral 1.15; ven-
tral 1.63; modified anal 1.50; base of dorsal 1.57; longest dorsal
ray 0.70; depth of caudal peduncle 1.12; tips of dorsal rays reach
base of caudal when the fin is deflexed.

Color olivaceous; scales with faint dark centers, forming obscure
lines along rows of scales; a dark blotch at base of dorsal rays; a
blotch on base of caudal rays made up of a number of irregular
blotches; the lower half of dorsal fin of male with many small black

aio FIELD COLUMBIAN MUSEUM — ZOOLOGY, VOL. VII.

dots; anterior half of caudal with a large black blotch made up of
many small irregular black spots ; other fins plain.

Turrubares, Costa Rica, (i 9 ) 88 mm. ; Turrubales, Costa Rica
San Jose, Costa Rica (i 9 ) 55 mm.; Patarra, Costa
68 to 80 mm. Collected by Dr. A. Alfaro.

CicHlasc>rnfc 'ounctatum sp. nov.

{,'] /. Type. Np. 6^478 , F. M. N. H.; length, 98 mm.; Buenos Aires de
•' TeVraVaj Cc-sta Rica.

Head 3. 2 to 3. 3; depth 2.4 to 2.6; D. XVI to XVII, 9 or 10; A. IV
or V, 8; scales 33.

Body moderately elongate and compressed; profile steep, convex,
snout blunt; mouth small, its gape nearly horizontal; margin of
upper lip below eye, a distance nearly equal to diameter of eye;
teeth pointed, subequal, the lateral ones gradually becoming smaller;
maxillary not reaching vertical from anterior margin of orbit, 3.3
to 3.4 in head; mandible 2.5 to 2.7; preorbital deep, 3.5 to 3.6 in
the head; postorbital 2.2 to 2.3; cheek deep and narrow, its depth
equal to postorbital; eye small, its diameter 3.9 to 4.1 in head;
interorbital convex; dorsal fin rather low, its last spine 2.6 in head;
last anal spine 2.5 in head; pectoral fins short not reaching anal, about
1.2 in head; ventral reaching vent 1.3 in head; 5^ scales between
lateral line and origin of dorsal fin, least depth of caudal peduncle 2 in
head.

Color olivaceous, side with indistinct lateral band more or less
broken into 7 or 8 dark bars; snout black which may continue on
profile and on spinous dorsal fin; some scales with black centers,
these forming stripes along rows of scales; these stripes much more
prominent on some individuals than on others; no caudal spot; no
lateral spot.

„ Buenos Aires, Costa Rica (12), 85 to 100 mm. Collected by M. A.
Carriker.

Cichlasoma frontale sp. nov.

Type No. 6358, F. M. N. H.; length, 147 mm.; Turrubales, Costa
Rica.

Head 3.1 to 3.3; depth 2.3 to 2.4; D. XVI or XVII, 13; A. V, 9;
scales sK-SS-nX-

Body moderately elongate, compressed; profile rather steep, the
snout blunt; mouth small, maxillary not reaching vertical from front
of eye, its length 3.5 to 3.8 in head; lower jaw the shorter, mandible

FEB., 1909. NEW FISHES FROM TROPICAL AMERICA — MEEK. 211

2.8 to 2.9 in head; eye 3.5 to 3.7; snout 2.2 to 2.4; fold of the lower
lip interrupted; preorbital deep, 3.6 to 3.8 in head; postorbital 2.4
to 2.5; interorbital strongly convex, 2.5 to 2.7 in head; eye to lower
preopercular margin 2.3 to 2.5; origin of dorsal fin to tip of siloat
2.5 to 2.6 in body, its spines, except first, 3 or 4, subequ&J, i he length
of the last spine 2.3 to 2.4 in head; last anal spine 2.5 to, 2. 5 in hoad;
pectorals not reaching vent, their length 1.2 to i.3.iiA head; ;-entral;5
1.2 or 1.3 ; least depth of caudal peduncle 2.2 to 2.3 in head-; its Ufrgtl}

1.9 to 2.0; gill-rakers short 3+6; caudal fin rounded, its 'middle ray
slightly shortened.

Color light grayish olive; a dark lateral band broken more or
less into 6 or 7 irregular blotches or bars; a dark streak from upper
margin of eye across forehead; a similar streak or band on forehead
from eye downward and forward; vertical fins plain or with indis-
tinct dots.

This fish resembles Cichlasoma underwoodi Regan, also described
from Costa Rica. It, however, differs from that species in the inter-
rupted fold of the lower lip, the fewer gill-rakers, in having a blunter
snout, and in the normal position of the ventral fins.

Turrabales, Costa Rica (i), 147 mm.; Turrubares, Costa Rica (i),
128 mm. Collected by Dr. A. Alfaro.

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