Rev. Biol Trop., 23 (2) : 189-211, 1975 Taxonomy and biological aspects 01 the Central Amer'ican cichlid fishes Cichlasoma sieboldii and C. tuba by William A. Bussing'lí< (Received for publication May 22, 1975) ABSTRACTo' The complex taxonomic history of Cichlasoma sieboldii is re· viewed. Cichlasoma punctatum and its synonym Theraps terrabae are induded for the first time in the synoymy of C. sieboldii. A report of C. guttulatum from Pa­ namá is attributable to a misidentification of C. tuba, which had not been pre­ viously reported from that countIy. The morphologic and meristic variation, coloration, ecology and geographic distribution of C. sieboldii and C. tuba are discussed.. M:orphologic and distri­ butional evidence suggest that these twÜ' species are Pacific and Atlantic slope de­ rivatives of a common Pliocene' ancestor. There is a marked resemblance between the ciehlid fauna of the Atlan­ tic slope of lower Central Ameriea and the southeastern region of Costa Rica. The historieal reasons fo! this similarity have been discussed (4). The present study reviews the taxonomic history and discusses the biology of a Pacifie slope species, Ci¡h/asoma sieboldii, and its Atlantic versant counterpart, Cieh/asoma. tu­ ba (Fig. 1). MATERIAL AND METHODS Body measureinents are expressed in standard length (SL) in millime­ ters (mm). Body propartions of C. sieboldir as parts per mil appear in Table 1. The last two dorsal and anal rays are counted as ane only when their bases are in contact; when the base of the last ray is not touching the penultimate ray, each ray is counted separately. For eomparative purposes a lateral-series, scale count as. defined by MrLLER (14) is included in the descriptions: "The lateral­ series scale count begins with the first scale in the upper lateral line, goes to ... Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, and Research Associate in Ichthyology, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles Country, California. 189 REVISTA inOLOGIA TROPICAL 190 DE the last one in that line, tl1en continues with the scale on the lower lateral line that is next behind the transverse row that extends downward and forward from the last pored scale of the upper lateral lineo The last scale recorded is at the end oI the lower lateral line, where it meets the base of the caudal fin ..." . Collections are listed by country and drainage basins in the following manner: catalog number, general locality witb, the elevation in meters (m), and the number of specimens in parentheses. Abbreviations , are- spelled out when used for the first time. The specimens utilized for the study are deposited at the California Aca­ demy of Sciences (CAS and IU) , Field Museum of Natural History (CNHM), Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (LACM), the :Miuseo de Zo­ ología, Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR), and the United States National Museum (USNM), and are listed below. Ciehlasoma sieboldii COSTA RICA (Pacific versant). RJO GRANDE DE TARCOLES DRAINAGE: VCR 98-2: Río Turrubares, 30 m (1). COASTAL STREAM, QUEPOS REGlaN: VCR 311-3: Quebrada Bonita, 10 m (37). fuo TERRABA DRAINAGE: CNHM 6478 (holotype of C. punctatum ) and 6479 (9 paratypes of e, punctatum), Buenos Aires de Térraba, 390 m (10); VCR 4{}-4: Río Pe­ dregoso, 700 m (7) VCR 393-10: Río Pedregoso, 660 m (7); LACM 2940: Río Peje, 560 m (3); LACM (2949) : Same locality as LACM 2940- (1); LACM 2852: Same 10- cality as LACM 2940 (9); VCR 41-3:.Same locality as LACM 2940 (1); LACM .2915: Río General, 500 m (18); LACM 4741: Río Convento, 540 m (1); LACM 4758: Stream 45.4 km SE of San Isidro de El General, 300 m (1). RIO SIERPE DRAINAGE : VCR 112-17: Tributary of Río Sierpe, 20 m (7). RJO ESQUINAS DRAINAGE: VCR 111-17: Quebrada 36, 80 m (74) ; VCR 757-7: Quebrada Angelina, 60 m (59). fuo COTO DRAINAGE : VCR 102-2: Tributary of Río Claro, 20 m (6); LACM 4860: Quebrada Kilómetro 19, 20 m (5); LACM 4817: Quebrada San Antonio, 20 m (2); LACM 4795 and 4796: Stream 12.6 km E of Golfito, 15 m (7); LACM 4772 and 4774: Río Caracol, 20 m (157); VCR 756-13: Same locality as LACM 4772 (40); LACM 4738: Río Nuevo, 20 m (7); VCR 101-20: Same locality as LACM 4738 (3); VCR 104-17: Tributary of Río Corredores, 40 m (1); VCR 103-8: Quebrada La Palma, 9Q m (11). PANAMA (Pacific versant) RIO' CONCEPCJON DRAINAGE : VCR 450-4: Chiriquí Province, stream 30 km E of Paso Canoas, 160 m (12). RJo SAN PABLO DRAINAGE: VCR 452-1: Veraguas Province, Río Santa, Clara, 130 m (100). Cieh/asoma tuba NICARAGUA (AtIantic versant) RJo ESCONDIDO DRAINAGE: VCR 268-9: Chontales Department, Río la Coocha, l�O m (5). BUSSING: BIOLOGi" OF ClCHlASOMA SIEBOLDlí AND C. TUBA 191 COSTA RICA (Atlantic versant) LAKE NICARAGUA DRAINAGE : VCR 122-18: Río Sapoá, 40 m ( 2 ) ; VCR 123-9: Río Cabalceta, 60 m (80) ; VCR 124-15: Río Las Vueltas, 60 m ( 5 ) ; VCR 247-1: Río Zapote, 50 m (2). Rro SAN JUAN DRAINAGE: UCR 835-6 and VCR 836-7: Tributaries of Río Are­ nal, 530-535 m (9 ) ; VCR 263-4: Quebrada Máquina, 90 m (77); LACM 9115-1, 9122-2, 9137-3, 9142-3, 9150-11 and 9196 7: Río Puerto Viejo, 35-55 m (7); VCR 769-10: Quebrada Sábalo, 40 m ( 11) ; LACM 9177-1: Quebrada Salto, 40 m (1); LACM 9146-1: Río Sarapiqui, 35 m (1). RIO PAIUSMINA DRAINAGE : VCR 10-2: Río El Destierro, 100 m (1) . RIO MADRE DE DIOS DRAINAGE: LACM 9109-2: Río 1vIadre de Dios, 50 m ( 1 ) ; VCR 444-9 : Quebrada Salsipuedes, 20 m (49). PANAMA (Atlantic versant). RIO GUARUMO DRAINAGE : IV 17544: Río Guabito ( 1 ) ; IV 17547 : Río Guaru­ mo (2); VSNM uncataloged: Río Guarumo ( 11). Rro CIUCAMOLA DRAINAGE : IV 17546, 17543 and 11550: Río Cricamola ( 6) ; IV 17545: Contonigabi Creek (3) . CICHLASOMA SIEBOLDIl KNER AND STEINDACHNER (Figs. 2 and 3 ) Reros sieboldii Kner and Steindachner, in Kner, 1863, Sitzllngsber. Bayer Akad. lViss. Miinche¡¡, 2: 223 (type: Pacific slope of Panamá); Kner and Steindachner, 1865, Abh. Akad. Wiss. Miinchen, 10: 13 [descrip., fig.; Panamá and "Neu-Granada" ( = Panamá»); Günther, 1869, T1'ans. Zool. Soc. Lond., 6: 466 (probably = R. godmani); PeIlegrin, 1904, Mem. Soco Zool. F"ance, 16: 208 (synonym of C. godmani). ' Astronotus sieboldil, Eigenmann, 1893, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 16: 59 (Iisted). Cieh/asoma sieboldií, Jordan and Evermann, 1898, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., 47: 1516 (copy of orig. descrip.); Regan, 1905, Ami. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 7, 16: 235 (apparent copy of orig. descrip.) ; Regan, 1906, Biología Centl'ali - Americana, Pisces, 8: 21 and 186 (Iisted); Eigenmann, 1910, Rept. Prinee­ ton Univ. Exped. Patagonia, 1896-1899, 3: 474 (Iisted); Meek and Hil­ debrand, 1916, Fieldiana Zool. Ser., 10: 345 (copy of Regan's descrip.); Hildebrand, 1938, Fieldicma Zool. Ser., 22: 335 (descrip.; Río Coto, Costa Rica); Loftin, 1965, Ph.D. diss., Florida State Vniv., p. 145 (Chiriquí and Veraguas Prov., Panamá ); MilIer, 1966, Copeia, 1966: 791 (Iisted; Pacific slope Costa Rica and Panamá) ; Bussing, 1967, Rev. Biol. Trop., 14: 237 (Iisted). Pal'aneetropllls sieboldii, Regan, 1908, Ami. Mag. Nat. Ris!., ser. 8, 2: 464 (RíO' Grande de Térraba, Costa Rica); Behre, 1928, Ann. Carnegie Mus., 18: 323 (Río. Chiriguí del Tiré, Panamá), Hubbs, 1953, Copeia, 1953: 147 (darification of type locality); Gosse, 1966, Bull. Inst. Roy. Sci. Na!. Belgiqlle, 42 ( 28) : 19 (descrip.; Río Esquinas, Costa Rica). Neet1'Opllls sieboldií, Jordan, Evermann and Clark, 1930, Appendix 10, Rept, V. S. Comm. Fish. for 1928, p. 423 (Iisted), Rerichthys Imde1'woodi Regan, 1906, op. cit., p. 30 and 186 (type: Costa Rica; fig.; synonym oE C. sieboldii ); JOl'dan, Evermann and Clark, op. cit.: p� .423 (erroneously listed as synonym of Tomocichla underwoodi) . 192 REVISTA DE llIOLOGIA TROPICAl Ciehlasoma underUJoodi, :'Meek 1914, Pie/diana Zool. Ser., 10: 127 (Río Grande de Tál'coles, Costa Rica); Alfaro, 1937, Investigaciones científicas. San José, p. 229 (Esparta, Costa Rica). Cieh/asoma punetatmn Meek, 1909, Pie/diana Zool. Ser., 7: 210 (type: Buenos Aires, Costa Rica); Eigenmann, 1910, op. cit., p. 477 (listed); Meek, 1914, op. cit., p. 127 (listed); Grey,. 1947, Pieldiana Zool. Ser., 32: 134 (catalog number of holotype). 1'heraps punetatum, ]ordan, Evermann and Clark, 1930, op. cit., p. 417 (listed). Cichlasoma frontale Meek, 1909, op. cit., p. 210 (type: Turrubares, Costa Rica) ; Eigenmann, 1910, op. cit., p. 477 (listed); Meek, 1914, op. cit., p. 127 (synonym of C. underUJoodi) . 1'heraps frontalis, ]ordan, Evermann and Clark, op. cit., p. 417 (listed). 1'heraps terrabae Jordan and Evermann, 1927, Proe. Calif. Aead. Sci., ser. 4, 16: 507 (new name for C. punetatum); ]ordan, Evermann and Clark, op. cit., p. 417 (synonym of Theraps punetatum). Ciehlasoma terrabae, Miller, 1966, op. cit., p. 793 (listed); Bussing, 1967, op. cit., p. 237 (listed). TAXONOMIC HISTORY: After KNER and STEINDACHNER (8) published the original description of Heros sieboldii from Panamanian specimens, subse­ quent authors have listed the species in several other genera. Other authors have based descriptions of new taxa on Costa Rican specimens of the same species. REGAN described Heriehthys Ul'lderwoodi from a single specimen Üom "Costa Rica", but in the supplement of the same volume he correctIy synony­ mized it with C. sieboldii (1 S ). MEEK (10) described C. punetatum from Bue­ nos Aires, Costa Rica and C. frontale from Turrabales (sic), Costa Rica. Later, MEEK (11) correctly synonymized frontale with underwoodi but unlike Regan, he still considered the latter form distinct from sieboldii; he continued to list C. punetatum as a valid species.