1 94 1 CATALOGUE OF FISHES OF TORTUGAS 247 



D. III-XII-9; A. II,i8; P. 16; Evermann and Marsh (Rept. U. S. Fish Comm., 

 pt. 25, 1899 (1900), p. 357, original description) gave D. III-XII-7; A. 11,15. The 

 Tortugas specimen has the breast and belly fully scaled, whereas the Puerto 

 Rican one was described as having these regions scaleless. W. H. L. 



The collection contains 3 specimens, respectively 34, 36, and 36 mm. long. The 

 following proportions are based on 2 of these specimens and the enumerations on 

 3: Head 3.5, 3.6; depth 5.6, 5.7. Eye in head 3.6, 3.8; snout 3.5, 3.8; maxillary 2.3, 

 2.5; pectoral 0.9, 0.9. D. III-XI-8, III-XII-8, III-XI-8; A. II,i6, II,i6, II,i 5 ; P. 15, 

 15, 15; scales 31, 32, 32. 



West Indies to Florida. S. F. H. 



Malacoctenus macropus (Poey) 



Myxodcs macropus Poey, Repertorio, vol. 2, 1868, p. 399 — Havana. 



Malacoctenus moorei Evermann and Marsh, Bull. U. S. Fish Comm., vol. 20, pt. 1, 1900 

 (1902), p. 309, fig. 97 — Culebra Island, Puerto Rico. 



Common about margins of sandy-bottomed holes in turtle grass, very common 

 on the outer edge of Bird Key reef and generally over bottom covered with dead 

 coral fragments. It creeps sometimes over the surface of living Orbicella heads. 



In the Museum of Comparative Zoology (no. 12511) are 2 specimens of this 

 species sent by Poey. The larger fish is of the same length as his type (35 mm.), 

 which we may take it to be. Except for a spine less and a ray more in the anal, 

 the fin formulas (D. XXI, 10; A. 11,19) are correctly given. This fish agrees fur- 

 ther with Poey's description in having the 1st dorsal spine stronger than those 

 immediately behind it. It has teeth on the vomer, none on the palatines. By over- 

 sight it was said to lack filiform appendages on the head and nape. The smaller 

 of Poey's 2 specimens is 30 mm. long. Its fin formulas are D. XX,io; A. 11,19, an 

 anal ray less than in a sample of 30 from Tortugas, showing a variability of D. 

 XXI to XXII,9 or 10 (1 specimen with XX, 10, and another with XXII, 8); 

 A. 11,20 or 21 (3 specimens with 11,19). 



The type of Malacoctenus moorei is a normal specimen of Malacoctenus 

 macropus. Its fin formulas are D. XXI,n; A. II,2i. Its first dorsal spine is 

 broken, and is restored incorrectly in Evermann and Marsh's figure, which shows 

 the dorsal spines of one length anteriorly. 



Copepods and other minute crustaceans occur in its stomach. 



The male is darker and richer in coloration than the female, and it often shows 

 a dark dorsal surface meeting a ventral light one along a rather sharply drawn 

 line running from the snout, tangent to lower margin of orbit, to mid-base of 

 caudal; the dark color is sometimes solid, sometimes interrupted by blotches of 

 white along base of dorsal, and sometimes about six light bands are present. Nape 

 and occiput dark; the cheek, throat, and opercle mottled with red; dorsal dotted 

 with reddish-brown spots on the rays; anal reddish over its basal half. 



The female displays no red, and sometimes is merely speckled with dark on 

 light gray, or may show dark and light gray bands like the male, but not the 

 netted pattern of the branchial region. She may be dark above and light below, 

 but lacks the brown of the male, and sometimes has a greenish cast. 



