1941 CATALOGUE OF FISHES OF TORTUGAS l0 g 



through the eye is especially sharply defined. Hypoplectrus indigo is represented 

 in the Museum of Comparative Zoology by 3 specimens, and in the U. S. 

 National Museum by 2, all from Cuba. 



In Poey's paper on the genus, in which seven new species are described 

 (Memorias, vol. 1, 1852, pp. 60-76), the sex of the specimens he examined is 

 repeatedly mentioned. The outward differences were so many, the fundamental 

 structural differences so few, he seems to have suspected sexual dimorphism. 

 Actually he found no evidence of it. Indeed, he seems to have discovered no 

 males at all, although as many as 7 females in five of his species are mentioned. 



The Museum of Comparative Zoology has some of the specimens, I have no 

 doubt, on which Poey's record is based. There are probably others in the U. S. 

 National Museum which received attention by him also. There are in these insti- 

 tutions 20 or 21 specimens, partially dissected, in all but 2 of which ovaries may 

 be readily demonstrated. The other 2 are not demonstrably females, but are no 

 more surely males. No males, but numbers of apparent females have been noticed 

 in my own collections at Tortugas. It seems just to conclude, then, that in this 

 genus functional hermaphroditism occurs, as it does in a number of other genera 

 of the lesser Serranidae. W. H. L. 



Hypoplectrus puella (Cuvier and Valenciennes) 



Plectropoma puella Cuvier and Valenciennes, Hist. nat. poiss., vol. 2, 1828, p. 405, pi. 37 — 



Martinique. 

 Plectropoma ephippium Cuvier and Valenciennes, ibid., p. 408 — locality unknown. 

 Plectropoma crocota Cope, Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc, vol. 14, 1871, p. 466 — St.-Martin, 



West Indies. 

 Hypoplectrus maculijerus Poey, Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. New York, vol. 10, 1871, p. 78 — 



Havana. 

 ^Plectropoma guttavarium Poey, Memorias, vol. 1, 1852, p. 70 — Cuba. 

 ^Plectropoma gummigutta Pbey, ibid. 



^Hypoplectrus pinnavarius Poey, Repertorio, vol. 2, 1868, p. 291 — Havana. 

 }}Plectropoma chlorurum Cuvier and Valenciennes, Hist. nat. poiss., vol. 2, 1828, p. 306 — 



Martinique. 

 }}Plectropoma nigricans Poey, Memorias, vol. 1, 1852, p. 71 — Cuba. 

 ? ^Plectropoma accensum Poey, ibid., p. 72 — Cuba. 

 }}Plectropoma affine Poey, Memorias, vol. 2, 1861, p. 427 — Cuba. 

 }}Pristipomoides vanderbilti Borodin, Bull. Vanderbilt Marine Mus., vol. 1, art. 4, 1934, 



p. 113, pi. 1, fig. 2 — Sombrero Light, Florida. 



In the extended synonymy above are three groups of names. The first (un- 

 questioned names) embraces forms which seem identical with Hypoplectrus 

 puella. Nothing appears to distinguish them but fleeting changes in color and 

 pattern such as any individual may show. 



Since H. ephippium is a name introduced as a substitute for H. unicolor Wal- 

 baum, regarded as inappropriate, it would seem that a further reduction might 

 be effected by relegating H. puella itself to synonymy. But the type of Plectro- 

 poma ephippium was not Walbaum's specimen, but another merely assumed to 

 be the same, hence judgment is reserved for the time being. 



Hypoplectrus puella shows a characteristic pattern of light blue markings on 

 the head, including several spots on the preorbital margin, more or less elon- 



