230 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OP [1884. 



Chaodon chirurgus Bloch, Ausl. Fish., 1784, 99, sp. n. 24, taf. 208 

 (on a drawing by Plumier) ; Gmelin, Syst. Nat., 17S9, 1259 (copied). 



Acanthiirus cJdrurgus Bloch & Schneider, Systema Ichth., l':01, 214 

 (co; ied) ; Cavitr & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., x, 1835, 16S, 

 (Martinique; Brazil; Cuba); Gimther, Cat. Fish. B:if. Mus., iii, 

 1861, 329 (Bahia; Puerto Cabello ; Caribbean Sea ; West Indies) ; 

 Poey, Syn. Pise. Cub., 1868, 355 (Cuba) ; Goode, Bull. U. S. Nat. 

 Mus., 1876, 42 (Bermudas) ; Poey, Anal. Soc. Nat. Hist., Madrid, 

 18:0, 245, pi. 6 (Cuba) ; Goode & Bean, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1883, 

 237 (name only) ; Jordan & Gilbert, Syn. Fish. N. A., 1882, 617. 



Acanthurus pJdebotomus Cuvier & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., x, 

 1835, 176 (Martinique ; Brazil ; Havana ; New York) ; Dekay, New 

 York Fauna Fish, 1842, 139, pi. 73, fig. 234 (copied) ; Poey, Repor- 

 torio, 1867, i, 256 (Cuba) ; Poey, Syn. Pise. Cub., 1868, 245, fig. 7 

 (Cuba) ; Poey, Soc. Hist. Madrid, 18S0, 245 (Cuba). 



Acronunis fuscus Gronow, Cat. Fish., ed. Gray, 1858, 191. 



Acanthurus nigricans Jordan & Gilbert, Syn. Fish. N. A., 1882, 941 

 (copied). 



Habitat. — Atlantic Coast of America. Key West; Cuba; 

 West Indies ; Puerto Cabello ; Martinique ; Caribbean Sea ; 

 Brazil ; Bahia. 



This is the most abundant species of the genus, being appar- 

 ently common throughout the West Indies, and certainly so at 

 Cuba and Key West, and ranging northward occasionally on our 

 South Atlantic Coast, perhaps as far as Charleston, but certainly 

 not to New York, where it is reported on the authority of the 

 confused collection of Milbert, 



Two questions arise in the synon3'my of this species ; first, as 

 to the identity of phlebotomus with chirurgus ; second, as to the 

 availability of the Liuuiiean name hepatus and nigricans for it. 

 As to the first point, the description and figure of Cuvier and 

 Valenciennes agree too well with our specimens for us to doubt 

 their identity. Poey recognizes a species, A. phlebotomus^ as 

 distinct from A. chirurgus Poe}^ but . on characters of slight 

 importance and variable with age. The Linnaean name nigricans 

 has been used both for this species and for T. cseruleus. The 

 name is based on a deserii)tion of Artedi, which has been con- 

 sidered b}^ Cuvier and Valenciennes as probably belonging to an 

 Asiatic species. The locality of the original specimen is uncer- 

 tain, and the species cannot be positivelj^ made out. No 

 American species should therefore be called nigricans. 



The name hepatus has been used by Cuvier and Valenciennes 



