1941 CATALOGUE OF FISHES OF TORTUGAS ^ 



and in aquariums replace much of their red with brown. In all color phases the 

 breast, pectoral axil, and belly are plain white; ventrals rosy, unspotted, dusky 

 distally; preserved specimens with vaguely defined dusky blotch below lateral 

 line under spinous dorsal; mouth white within. W. H. L. 



The collection contains 20 specimens, 63 to 145 mm. long. The very shallow 

 occipital pit and the long preopercular spine seem to characterize the species. 

 The high number of pectoral rays (19 or 20) also separates this species from 

 many others of the genus. 



Florida to Texas. S. F. H. 



Helicolenus maderensis Goode and Bean 



Taken at Tortugas in 100 to nearly 300 fathoms. 



D. XII, ii l / 2 or 12V2; A. 111,5^4; P. 19. Web of soft dorsal and anal fins very 

 delicate, often destroyed in the trawl; scales ctenoid, extending on cheeks and 

 maxillaries, and somewhat in interorbital space; pores in the lateral line about 

 30; scales along middle of side about 60. Head 3.0 to 3.25; depth 3.0 to 4.0. Eye 

 very large, longer than snout, 2.8 to 3.0 in head; interorbital width 2.75 to 3.0, in 

 2 specimens 180 and 210 mm. in length; gill rakers slender, 16 more or less de- 

 veloped on lower limb of first arch. 



Ground flesh color, at 100 mm. still fairly irregularly banded with five bands; 

 base of dorsal between spines 8 and 10 with a dark spot half as large as eye. At 

 a length of 220 mm. the body is still flesh-colored, but the bands have nearly dis- 

 appeared; head reddish above, inclining to orange about jaws; soft dorsal and 

 caudal of about same color; outer border of spinous dorsal maroon; pectoral 

 orange above, rosy below; ventrals and anal rosy; mouth posteriorly, pharynx, 

 and operculum slaty within. 



This species has been synonymized with Helicolenus dactylopterns by Jordan, 

 Evermann, and Clark (Check list, 1930, p. 370), but seems distinct. West Atlantic 

 specimens have a slightly smaller eye than 2 from the Azores (U. S. Nat. Mus. 

 nos 23302, 94491), and have almost uniformly a well developed spine on the 

 suborbital ridge, whereas the others have none. W. H. L. 



The collection contains 1 1 specimens, 62 to 235 mm. long. As the character of 

 pectoral rays, whether simple or branched, often is given as of generic import- 

 ance, it is interesting that specimens under about no mm. long have the rays all 

 simple, somewhat larger ones have a few divided ones, and adults have several. 

 One specimen 200 mm. long, for example, has the upper 2 rays simple, the next 

 9 branched, and the lower 8 simple. Norman in his revision of the genera of 

 Scorpaenidae (Discovery rept., vol. 12, 1935, p. 21) pointed out the absence of 

 divided rays in the young. 



This species is listed from several hauls in Dr. Longley's notes, as many as 41 

 specimens having been taken in one haul, and 22 in another. 



Deep water off the Atlantic coast of the United States from southern New 

 England southward. S. F. H. 



