FILEFISHES ( MONACANTHIDAE ) OF THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC 



67 



1831. Specimpiis were examined that were ex- 

 tremely diverse in eye diameter, distance from 

 eye to dorsal spine, shape of the snout to dorsal 

 spine profile, body depth, and pigmentation. 

 However, when our complete size series of speci- 

 mens had been acquired and examined, we found 

 that tlie specimens intermediate in these morpho- 

 logical characters were more abundant than the 

 extremely diverse specimens. We were convinced 

 that these specimens represented a single highly 

 variable species. If ^4. punctata exists, we have 

 no specimens of it, and there is no available pub- 

 lication to differentiate it from A. schoepjii. The 

 inadequacy of the original description of ^4. punc- 

 tata was pointed out by Longley (/;) Longlej- and 

 Hildebrand, 1941 : p. 292). Longley also examined 

 the spechnen Jordan and Rutter (1897: p. 127) 

 used for the first redescription of A. punctata, and 

 considered it to be A. schoepjii. We assume ar- 

 tist's license in the excessively low numbers of 

 dorsal fin rays and high numbers of body spots on 

 the drawing of the type specimen of A. punctata 

 {in Spix, 1831, pi. LXXVI). "Cuv. in litt." is 

 given by Agassiz as the author of this species {in 

 SpLx, 1831: p. 137), inferring that Cuvier should 

 be recorded as the author of this name. 



Diagnostic characters. — Dorsal spines, 2. Dorsal 

 soft rays, 32 to 39; anal soft rays, 35 to 41 (table 

 3). Pectoral spine, 1 rudimentary. Pectoral soft 

 rays, 11 to 14 (table 11). Pelvic spine, absent at 

 all sizes. Gill slit, oblique at an angle of about 

 45° to horizontal body axis on specimens larger 

 than 40 mm. S.L. (as in fig. 4). First dorsal spine, 

 inserted over mid or posterior part of eye (as in 

 fig. 4). No deep groove behind the dorsal spines. 

 Body depth, 17.3 to 47.4% S.L. (table 12; fig. 35). 

 Head length, 23.3 to 34.2% S.L. (table 13). 

 Snout length, 12.0 to 28.6% S.L. (table 14). Eye 

 diameter, 4.8 to 8.8% S.L. (table 15). Eye to 

 dorsal spine distance, 3.9 to 13.5% S.L. (table 16; 

 fig. 34). 



Specimens examined. — 258 of 15.0 to 410 mm. 

 S.L., from Bermuda, from Nova Scotia southward 

 along the eastern and Gulf coasts of the United 

 States, and from along the coasts of Cuba, 

 Jamaica, Haiti, Atlantic Panama, and Brazil 

 (fig. 38). 



Color. — In live specimens taken off North 

 Carohna in September 1959, the coloration was 

 variable with background shades of white, orange, 

 or metallic gray. When white was present, it 



was usually most prevalent over the anterior 

 regions of the fish. Orange was nearly always 

 present, at least in the form of spots along the 

 midventral region of the body. The dark metallic 

 graj' color was often present on the dorsal half of 

 the body as well tis on the peduncle. In a few 

 specimens the body was entirely dark, but even 

 in these orange spots were present, and in several 

 specimens the orange spots were extremely numer- 

 ous. Usually when the anterior regions of the 

 fish were white, some orange blotches extended 

 onto the white background. Often the dark gray 

 occiured as large blotches over the orange. The 

 entire coloration fades rapidly when specimens 

 are placed in a preservative — the orange spots 

 are extremely ephemeral. 



Alutera heudelotii Hollard 1855 



(Figures 12 and 25) 



Alutera heudelotii Hollard (1855: p. 13, de- 

 scribed from Senegal, West Africa) occurs in both 

 the eastern and western Atlantic, and its syn- 

 onymy has only recently been determined.' It 

 includes the following nominal species: Alutera 

 Juscus (Fischer, 1885: p. 75, pi. II, fig. 6, from 

 Cameroon, West Africa) ; Alutera blankerti (Met- 

 zelaar, 1919: p. 295, fig. 64, from Cape Blanco, 

 West Africa) ; and Alutera ventralis (Longley, 1935: 

 p. 08, from Tortugas, Florida; redescribed by 

 Hildebrand in Longley and Hildebrand, 1940: 

 p. 278). 



This species has largely been overlooked or con- 

 fused, and we have re-identified specimens in 

 several museums that were incorrectly identified 

 as A. scripta, which species it superficially resem- 

 bles, and as A. schoepjii and its synonym A. 

 punctata. A number of early and recent refer- 

 ences to A. punctata were undoubtedly based on 

 specimens of A. heudelotii. The 44-mm. specimen 

 from off West Africa described and illustrated as 

 A. blankerti by Poll (1959: p. 247, fig. 83) repre- 

 sents this species, as does the 291-mm. West 

 African specimen Poll illustrated as A. punctatu-s 

 (1959: fig. 82). 



Diagnostic characters. — Dorsal spines, 2. Dorsal 

 soft rays, 36 to 41 ; anal soft rays, 39 to 44 (table 

 4). Pectoral spine, 1 rudimentary. Pectoral 

 soft rays, 12 to 14 (table 11). Pelvic spine. 



' Berry, Frederick H., and Max Poll. Manuscript, Synonymy of the 

 Atlantic Ocean fllefish Alutera heudelotii HoUard. 



