PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 83 



A. Genus SCAEUS. 



SCARUS Foiskal. Descr. Animal, &c., in Orient. Observ. 1775, 25 (psittacus, &c.). 



Callyodox Grouow. Museum Icttbyol., II, 8 (non-binomial). 



Calliodox Blocb & Schneider. Syst. Ichthyol., 1801, 312 {l'meatu8=^croicensis). 



HEAiiSTOMASwainsou. Class'n. Fishes, &c., 1839, II, 22(5 (reticulatus Sw.=q}q)o Ben- 

 nett). 



Petronason Swainson. Class'n, Fishes, &.C., 1839,11, 226 {psittacus, &c.). 



Erychthys Swainson. Class'n, Fishes, &c., 1839, II, 226 (croicensis, &c.). 



Chlorurus Swainson. Class'n, Fishes, &c., 1839, II, 227 (gibhus). 



Callyodon Gronow. Systema, Ed. Gray, 1854, 83 (lineatus, &c.). 



PSEUDOSCARUS Bleeker. Versl. Akad. Wet. Amsterd., XII, 1861, Scaroid. 3 (chlorodon, 

 psittacus, &c.). 



PsEUDOSCARUS Giinther. Poey, Guichenot et Auct. 



ScARUS Jordan & Gilbert. Syn. Fish N. A., 1883, 938 (psittacus, guacamaia). 



The name Scarus was used by the ancients and by some pre-Linnsean 

 writers on zoology for the Mediterranean species of Sparisoma, Lahrus 

 cretensis L. 



Its first use in any way as a generic name in binomial nomenclature 

 is that of ForskS,! in 1775. The genus Scarus of Forska,l was based on 

 several species obtained by him on the coasts of Arabia. A few of 

 these are not Scaroids. The others all belong to the group called Pseu- 

 (ioscarus by Bleeker. Forskal had apparently no acquaintance with the 

 Lahrus cretensis^ and this species cannot in any proper sense be taken 

 as the type of his genus. One of the species mentioned by him should 

 be so taken, and as all his Scari belong to the same group, it makes no 

 special difference which one is selected. Jordan & Gilbert have re- 

 garded Scarus psittacus Forskal as the type. If, however, Sparisoma 

 cretense be taken as the type of Scarus^ the proper name for the present 

 genus would be Calliodon, and several of the useless generic names of 

 Swainson have priority' over Pseudoscarus. 



The genus Scarus contains the majority of the species of this group. 

 It is more widely distributed thau the other genera ; its species reach 

 for the most part a larger size, and in general they are more brightly 

 colored than the others. 



ANALYSIS OF SPECIES OF SCARUS. 



Common characters. — Lower jiharyngeals spoon-shaped, ovate-oblong, trans- 

 versely concave; teeth in each jaw fully coalescent, appearing as tessellations on the 

 surface; jaws with distinct median suture ; edges of jaws even ; upper pharyngeals 

 each wnth two rows of teeth; gill-membranes scarcely united to the narrow isthmus, 

 across which they form a broad fold ; dorsal spines flexible, scarcely different from 

 the soft rays ; upper lip laterally double, the interior fold becoming very narrow or 

 obsolete mesiallj' ; lower jaw included in the closed mouth; lateral line interrupted 

 posteriorly, commencing again on the next series of scales below; tubes of lateral 

 line scarcely branched ; scales on cheek in two to four rows ; scales in front of dor- 

 sal on median line 6 to 8. Species mostly of large size. 



a. Teeth deep green ; no canine teeth ; cheeks with two rows of scales, those of the 

 upper row larger thau those of the second ; one scale below the lower 

 row ; caudal subtruncate, the angles produced, esiiecially in the adult. 

 Olive green, with ill-defined green markings on head ; lower parts more 

 or less reddish; vertical tins browuivsh orange, all edged with deep blue. 

 Size large Guacamaia, L 



