1 94 1 CATALOGUE OF FISHES OF TORTUGAS 219 



the Museum of Comparative Zoology has 8 specimens from Havana and 8 from 

 the Barbados, with an average length of 187 mm. for the 16 and a maximum of 

 215 mm. One Cuban specimen and 1 from Barbados, each at the length of 185 

 mm., have 2 posterior canines on one side; and 1 of the latter, at 215 mm., has 

 1 on each side. These observations show that, contrary to descriptions, these teeth 

 are sometimes developed by this species. 



The type of Fowler's Callyodon margarita, 138 mm. long, I think is another of 

 these exceptional specimens, with 3 posterior canines on one side and 4 on the 

 other. In this opinion I am supported, in effect, by Fowler's independent judg- 

 ment, since he has referred margarita to synonymy under emblematicus, al- 

 though his emblematicus is surely croicensis, represented by 2 specimens, 166 and 

 174 mm. long, without canines, in the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. 



At Tortugas S. evermanni attains a scant two-thirds of the length reached by 

 S. croicensis south of the Florida Strait. In a sample of 7 specimens from Tor- 

 tugas in which the scales in the short row on the cheeks were counted on each 

 side of each specimen, the following results were obtained: 3 scales appeared 2 

 times, 2 scales appeared 11 times, and 1 only 1 time. By contrast, in 16 Havana 

 and Barbados fish, 4 scales appeared 11 times in this row on the cheek, and 3 

 scales appeared 9 times. In 6 specimens from Puerto Rico, 3 scales were present 

 4 times, 2 appeared 7 times, and only 1 was present 1 time. Therefore, the dif- 

 ference that seemed to appear between the first two lots from different regions, 

 coinciding with the greatest barrier in the region, fails to be substantiated by the 

 specimens from Puerto Rico. 



If the Puerto Rican material is correctly assigned to croicensis, only the pre- 

 vailing difference in size and in the color of the three fine stripes on the side of 

 the belly remain to distinguish the two. But the black-streaked form is found as 

 far south as Curacao, where Van der Horst collected 6, 105 to 130 mm. long, now 

 in Amsterdam. In these, the third row on the cheek has 3 scales once, 2 scales 

 9 times, and 1 scale once only. 



On the relation of S. evermanni to S. croicensis little more may be said profit- 

 ably until material is available in wider range of sizes from the same or other 

 localities. Until then it must remain an open question whether the species are 

 two or one. In the latter case S. croicensis appears to be represented by a some- 

 what depauperate race in the northern and western part of its range. 



Panama, West Indies, and Florida. W. H. L. 



Scarus acutus Poey 



Scants acutus Poey, Memorias, vol. 2, i860, p. 216 — Havana. 

 Pseudoscams gnathodus Poey, Repertorio, vol. 2, 1867, p. 240 — Havana. 



This species, which may or may not develop canine teeth, includes Pseudo- 

 scarus gnathodus, separated from it largely on the supposition that it developed 

 canine teeth, which Scarus acutus failed to do. 



It is one of the less common parrot fishes. The young sometimes join mixed 

 schools of S. croicensis and S. punctulatus on the reefs, and are very similar to 

 the dark-tailed phases of the former. 



According to Poey, S. acutus is violaceous with a broad whitish lateral band. 



