NATURAL SCIENCES OP PHILADELPHIA. 10.5 



Ventral fins under or in front of pectorals, angular externally, attached by 

 a small axillar membrane to the breast. 



The skull differs from that of Epinephelus {Serranus gigas C. V., S. morio C.V., 

 = S. erythrogader Dekay, S. lunulatus C. V., S. striatum Poey ex Bl., S. remotus 

 Poey skulls known &c.,) by the wider interorbital area, the parallelism 

 and continuation of the lateral crests forward to the middle of the orbits, 

 inclosing an elongated parallelogram, the surface of which, especially be- 

 tween the orbits, is more uniform ; the absence of a frontal crest ; the simple 

 curvature or straightness of the naso-vomerine ridge and absence of the 

 angle at the suture between the nasals and vomer. 



This genus is recognizable externally by the oblong form, the peculiar 

 structure of the nostrils, the form of the fins, &c, but is more especially dis- 

 tinguished by the development of the skull, which differs in a very marked 

 manner from that of Epinephelus. It is closely related to Mgctcroperca {Ser- 

 ranus olfax Jenyns) but differs in the form of the dorsal and the very scaly 

 supramaxillaries. 



Type T. gutatis Gill ex Bloch. 



To this genus belong the Serranus dimidiatus Poey, S. cameleopardalis Poey, 

 S. cardinal C. V., (T. guttatus Gill ex Bloch), whose crania I have examined, 

 and their allies, S. interstitialis Poey, S.falcatus Poey, S. arara Val., S. brunneus 

 Poey, S. latepictus Poey, S. cyclopomatus Poey, S.felinus Poey, S. rivulatus Poey, 

 S. repandus Poey, S. petrosus Poey, S. tigris C. V., S. undulosus C. V., and S. 

 acutirostris, C. V. 



It may be here remarked that all the genera of the subfamily Serranina?, 

 established by me for West Indian species, are well distinguished by their 

 crania, even Lioperca, which would perhaps be thought to be the most doubt- 

 ful, being so indicated. The species with nine spines, for which I formerly 

 proposed to retain the name Bodianus, are represented by two genera ; one 

 (Enneacentrus, type Serranus out alibi C. V.) with the skull channelled between 

 the orbits and the surface uniform in texture, &c. ; the other (Petrometopon, 

 type S. guttatus Poey) distinguished by the petrous-like convexity between 

 the supra orbital grooves, and its triangular sinus behind, into the angles on 

 each side of which the lateral crests terminate ; the crests are parallel, and 

 the surface between flat or scarcely convex. The name Bodianus cannot be 

 retained apparently for either genus, and as it was originally proposed more 

 especially for the Bodianus bodianus, (Ilarpe rufus), it must either be retained 

 for that type or consigned to that oblivion to which the utterly worthless 

 nature of its original constitution so richly entitles it. 



Trisotropis reticulatus. 



The height is contained four times and a half in the total length ; the head 

 three times, and the caudal more than six times. The eye is contained seven 

 times in the head's total length, and distant about two diameters from the 

 snout. The preoperculum behind is almost vertical, scarcely indented above 

 the angle ; finely serrated above the indentation and more coarsely between 

 it and the angle ; the inferior margin is entire. The spines of the dorsal are 

 moderately weak ; the longest contained twelve times in the length, and the 

 tenth about seventeen times ; the greatest height of the soft portion some- 

 what exceeds an eleventh. The pectoral equals a seventh of the length. 



D. XL 17. A. III. 11. P. 17. 



The color appears to have been brownish, distributed in polygonal spots, 

 surrounded by reticulating bluish gray broad lines which are more distinct 

 on the head, on the hinder portion of which about four or five are on an area 

 about the size of the eye, while around the eye and on the snout they are 

 much smaller. The fins appear to have had no distinct delineations, and are 

 dark purplish brown. 



Two specimens of apparently the same species are deposited in the Smith- 

 sonian Museum; both were obtained at Barbados; one is about eighteen 



1865.] 



