114 PROCEEDINGS OP THE ACADEMY OF 



XLII. Having had, recently, an opportunity of examining authentic specimens 

 of either species of Limia, inhabiting ihe island of Cuba, and described by 

 Prof. Poey, we are now better prepared to speak of those species which occur 

 along our own shores and in the Mexican provinces bordering the Rio Grande 

 Boundary. 



And before we proceed any further into the history of these fishes, we deem 

 it expedient to recapitulate the characiers of that genus. 



The body, generally speaking, is rather short and deep, very much compressed, 

 and covered with comparatively large scales. The upper surface of the head 

 is depressed, sloping forwards, wedge-shaped in general appearance. The 

 mouth is small, or else, of moderate size, very protractile, directed upwards 

 when in a retracted condition, tlia lower jaw then appearing longer than the 

 upper; but when protracted, the aperture is directed horizontally forwards, and 

 somewhat downwards, assuming the shape of a flattened (depressed) tube, the 

 jaws being equal. Either jaw exhibits a row of slender, curved and acerated 

 teeth, behind which a narrow patch of minute, velvet-like ones may be observed. 

 The anal fin is inserted posteriorly to the an'erior margin of the dorsal, and 

 differently constructed according to the sexes. The dorsal fin itself is higher 

 and longer in the male than in the female. The posterior edge of the caudal 

 is subtruncated or rounded off. 



In the above diagnosis of the generical characters to be assigned to Limia, 

 it is easy to perceive a most intimate affinity between that genus and Pacilia. 

 Indeed, the only difference which is noticeable, resides in the structure of the 

 anal 6n of the male sex, which is narrower and deeper than in the female, and 

 inserted more anteriorly, close to the ventrals ; the anterior rays being much 

 more developed than the posterior ones, which are partly atrophied. Now. 

 such a distinction may not appear of sufficient importance, and ichthyologists 

 might raise the question of preserving these two genera in the nomenclature. 

 In the present state of our personal knowledge regarding these fishes, we should 

 not have established a generic distinction upon that character alone. But, 

 since these genera exist, we shall, for the present at least, speak of them under 

 separate heads, leaving it with future investigations to decide upon their in- 

 trinsic value. Our reason for so doing is the lack of specimens of most of the 

 species referred to the genus Pcecilia, in the " Histoire naturelle des Poissons," 

 and described from specimens of the female sex alone. Moreover, we may ex- 

 pect many new species from Mexico and Central America, which may throw 

 considerable light upon the natural history, yet so imperfectly known, of these 

 little fishes. 



We have examined specimens of Pcecilia multilineata, collected at Palatka, 

 East Florida, by T. Glover. Lesueur himself admits their identity with those 

 he obtained from Lake Ponchartrain. Not having at our command specimens 

 of the latter locality, we are not prepared to express any opinion regarding that 

 point. But we have had under examination from that locality, Mollinesia lati- 

 pinna, which is considered now as the male sex of Pcecilia multilineata. These 

 exhibit the same generical characters which we have assigned to Limia ; there- 

 fore, should further investigations corroborate a generic distinction between 

 Pcecilia and Limia, the latter appellation will have to give way to Mollinesia, as 

 having priority over it. 



Male and female specimens of this same species were collected at Galveston, 

 Texas, by Dr. C. B. R. Kennedy, under Capt. A. W. Whipple. 



XLIII. The species which we have described under the name of P. lineolata, 

 in the " Ichthyology of the U. S. and Mex. Boundary Survey," from specimens 

 collected at Brownsville, near the mouth of the Rio Grande del Norte (Rio 

 Bravo), belongs to the same genus as the former species. It is closely allied 

 to P. multilineata, the female sex being compared, the male sex having not yet 

 come under observations. It differs from the latter by a smaller head, a smaller 



[April, 



