Fishes collected by Emanuel Ritter von Friedrichsthal in Central America between 1838-1841

Abstract

The fsh specimens sent to Vienna by the Austrian naturalist Emanuel Ritter von Friedrichsthal (1809-1842) constitute one of the oldest collections of freshwater fshes from Central America. The holotype of Heros friedrichsthalii and specimens of Atherinella sardina were collected in the Rio San Juan or Lago de Nicaragua drainage in Nicaragua. The types of Cichlasoma urophthalmus stenozonum, Heros melanopogon and Heros triagramma, as well as specimens of Petenia splendida and Eugerres plumieri were most probably collected at Bacalar, Quintana Roo. Cichlasoma loisellei (Bussing, 1989), is synonymized with Parachromis friedrichsthalii (Heckel, 1840). The species hitherto referred to as P.friedrichsthalii takes the valid name Parachromis multifasciatus (Regan, 1905). A lectotype is designated for Cichlasoma urophthalmus stenozonum (Hubbs, 1936), which is synonymized with Mayaheros urophthalmus (Günther, 1862).