1941 CATALOGUE OF FISHES OF TORTUGAS 24 1 



in 4, the 1st spine sometimes being so small that dissection was necessary to dis- 

 cover it; P. 20 in 3 fish; head naked; scales 95 to 100, pores of lateral-line system 

 irregularly distributed, anteriorly in a broad band whose borders converge pos- 

 teriorly; teeth rather strong, wide-set, in two series, the inner limited-to a few in 

 front directed backward, particularly in the upper jaw; a single large vomerine 

 tooth; maxillary without supplemental bone, truncate posteriorly, extending 

 beyond eye for a distance equal to diameter of orbit; gill rakers long, slender, 

 compressed, 11 above and 19 below angle of first arch. 



This species is very changeable in shade. Fish which have been for some time 

 in the depths of their burrows are often so dark when they first come up that the 

 dark ocular bar usually shown fails to stand out in contrast with the light ground 

 color. The basic pattern is the same as in O. whitehurstii. On the lighter ground 

 color appear ocular, postorbital, and occipital bars, dark patches in exactly the 

 same number in the two under the base of the dorsal, and a lateral stripe, 

 which in this species shows little tendency to resolve itself clearly into a series 

 of spots. In maxillosus there is, however, a marbling superimposed alike on 

 the olivaceous ground color and the darker bars. The dark tracery of this pattern 

 is finest over head and nape, and along base of dorsal nearly to end of spinous 

 part. On the sides the design changes and the marbling is replaced, particularly 

 throughout the dark lateral stripe, by irregular light spotting. Occipital bar 

 double; dark spots, in series along back, extending on base of dorsal, the upper 

 end of that one falling between 6th and 9th or 10th spines semiocellated in the 

 smaller fish, unocellated in larger ones; dark spots on the rays varying in dis- 

 tinctness; ventrals dark, spotted with lighter color; both dorsal and anal more 

 heavily pigmented than in O. jasciatum, with several series of white spots on 

 anal and more numerous rows of white spots on dorsal than in that species; 

 caudal olive with dark bars and two conspicuous light spots at base; floor of the 

 mouth dusky; tip of the jaw white; a dark spot on either side connected by a 

 broad black band extending far up the inner face of operculum; a black ring 

 about opening of esophagus. 



The infection of this species by a trematode is common and severe. The air 

 bladders of none of the fishes examined were found to be free of cysts, which in 

 one instance numbered 53. W. H. L. 



The collection contains 14 specimens, 44 to 145 mm. long. According to Dr. 

 Longley's records, this species grows larger than the others represented locally. 

 This species resembles O. jasciatum. The proportions do not differ greatly except 

 in the size of the eye, the eye in the present species being notably smaller, a dif- 

 ference readily seen if specimens of about the same size are compared. The scales 

 apparently are a little larger and the gill rakers possibly slightly less numerous. 

 The following proportions and enumerations are based on a specimen 66 mm. 

 long: Head, measured to tip of opercular spine, 3.0; depth 4.3. Eye in head 3.25; 

 snout 8.75; interorbital about 17.5; maxillary 1.45; caudal peduncle 3.2; ventral 

 1.5; pectoral 1.75. D. XI,i5; A. 111,15; P. 19; scales about 90; gill rakers 19. 



The preserved specimens, now as in life, are very similar in color to O. 



