88. SPARID.E PIMELEPTERUS. 561 



obtusely lanceolate incisors, implanted with compressed usually conspic- 

 uous roots posteriorly; behind these a narrow band of villiform teeth : fine 

 teeth on voiner, palatines, and tongue. Branchiostegals 7 ; gill-rakers 

 long. Preopercle obsoletely serrate; preorbital narrow, covering but 

 little of the maxillary. Squaination very complete, the space between 

 and about the eyes being the only naked part ; scales smallish, thick, 

 ctenoid, 60-70 in the lateral line, which is continuous; similar scales 

 entirely covering the soft parts of the vertical fins, and extending up 

 on the paired fins. Dorsal fin low, with about 11 spines, which are depres- 

 sible in a groove of scales; the fin continuous, but the last spines 

 low, so that a depression occurs between the two parts of the fin; the 

 bases of the spinous and soft parts about equal; anal similar to soft 

 dorsal, with 3 spines; caudal fin forked; pectoral fins small ; ventrals 

 well behind them. Intestinal canal long. Pyloric cosca usually very 

 numerous. Species numerous, in all warm seas. Herbivorous. ( 



fat; XTSpo-;, fin.) 



a. Soft dorsal and aual not elevated, the latter rather short. (Pimelepterus.) 



887. P. bosci Lac. 



Dusky, with series of light stripes, about 25 in number, following the 

 rows of scales ; the middle part of each scale pale, the edge dusky ; 

 the stripes along middle of body much broader than the others, the 

 scales along the back and belly being much smaller; a silvery streak 

 along the preorbital. Body ovate, somewhat compressed. Longest dor- 

 sal spine one-fifth the height of the body, rather higher than the soft 

 dorsal and nearly equal to the longest ray of the anal. Horizontal pro- 

 cess of the teeth not much longer than the vertical. Interorbital space 

 2 in head ; top and sides of head finely scaled ; iuterorbital region 

 gibbous, below which point the snout is truncate ; preopercle weakly 

 serrulate ; gill-rakers long. Soft dorsal and anal very low ; median dorsal 

 spines highest; second anal spine highest ; caudal well forked, the lower 

 lobe longest. Head4i; depth 2. D. XII, 12; A. Ill, 11; scales 10- 

 66-20; vertebrae -f 16. Massachusetts to Panama; common southward. 



(? Perca sectatrix L. Syst. Nat. : Pimelepterus bosci Lace"pede, Hist. Nat. Poiss. iv, 429, 

 1802: P. Tfosd Cuv. & Val. vii, 258: P. bosci Giinther, i, 497 : Pimelepterus flavolineatus. 

 Poey, Report, i, 319; Poey, Synopsis Pise. Cubens. 324, 1868.) 



Bull. Nat. Mus. No. 16 - 36 



