84. CENTRAKCIIIDJE - MESOGONISTIUS. 471 



bine border, and a pearly spot in front; a dark bar about width of 

 pupil extending obliquely downwards below eye ; sides of head, whole 

 body and vertical fins, in fche males, with round bright blue spots ar- 

 ranged in irregular rows, these spots most distinct on the cheeks and 

 opercles and on the lower part of the sides; females duller, with larger 

 and fainter spots more regular in position. A dark bar below eye. 

 Head 2f ; depth 2|. D. IX, 10; A. Ill, 9 (occasionally D. X, or A. IV, 

 in abnormal specimens) ; scales 3-30-9. New Jersey to North Carolina; 

 abundant near the coast. 



(Hemioplltes simulans Cope, Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1868, 218; based on speci- 

 men with 4 anal spines: Ennencanlhus margarotis Gill & Jordan, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. 

 x, 28, 1878: Enneacanthus gutfatus Cope, Jouru. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 18G9, 219: 

 Enneacanthus pinniger Jordan, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. x, 27, 1878, a southern form, dis- 

 tinguished by the larger size, brighter color, and larger fins, all doubtless the result 

 of more favorable surroundings.) 



249. MESOGONISTIUS Gill. 



Banded Sun-fislies. 

 (Gill, Amer. Journ. Sci. Arts, 1854, 92: type Pomotis chcetodon Baird.) 



Body short and deep, compressed. Mouth small. Teeth present on 

 vorner and palatines, none on the tongue; supplemental maxillary bone 

 small. Gill rakers rather strong, dentate. Opercle ending in two flat 

 points, with a dermal border; preopercle entire. Scales large. Dorsal 

 with ten spines; outline of the fin augulated, the middle spines being- 

 much longer than some of the posterior ones; anal fin much smaller 

 than the dorsal, with 3 spines; caudal fin posteriorly rounded. Size 

 small, (pzffoz, middle; ijma, angle; <5<mov, sail.) 



735. M. cheetodon (Baird) Gill. Black-banded Sun-fish. 



Body suborbicular, compressed. Head moderate, the profile nearly 



* 



concurrent with the dorsal curve. Mouth very small, the maxillary 

 reaching nearly to the eye. Eye large, 3 in head. Cheeks with 3-4 

 rows of scales. Fins rather large; dorsal fin high in front, the middle 

 portion depressed. Lateral Hue continuous. Coloration clouded straw- 

 color, the sides with 6-8 conspicuous but rather irregular black vertical 

 bars, the first through the eye, the second in front of pectorals, inter- 

 rupted on the operculuin, the third at the front of the dorsal covering 

 the membrane of the first three spines, and forming a medial black 

 stripe on each ventral fin, the fourth at front of soft dorsal, the fifth 

 opposite its last ray, the last at the base of the caudal; black oper- 

 cular spot, with a crescent-shaped paler centre. Fins mottled. Head 3 ; 



