9b PROCEEDINGS* OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



2. Scarus cceruleus — Continued. 



Scarus ohtusua Poey, Memorias Cuba, ii, 1>:'60, 217 (Cuba). 

 PseudosfMrus obivsus Poey, Synopsis, 349 ; Poey, Enumeratio, 117. 

 Scarun nuchalis Poey, Memorias, ii, 1660, 220 (Cuba). 

 FseudoHcaruf) nuchalU Poey, Synopsis, 348 ; Poey, Enumeratio, 117. 

 PseudoHcarus chloris Giinther, iv, 1862, 227 (Jamaica; Excl. Syn.). 

 Pseudoscarus quadrhpinoHUH Goode, Bull. U. S. Nut. Mus.,v, 34. (Not Scarus 

 quadrisjjinoiiiifi Cnv. «fc Val.) 



Head, 3J (3|); depth, 3i (3|); length of example described (Ila- 

 vana), 10|^ laches. 



Body rather elongate. 



Jaws whitish in the adult, rosy in the young; .no canine teeth; upper 

 lip covering about half of upper jaw. 



Eye small, o§ in head ; snout rather acute, 2| in head ; cheeks with 

 two rows of scales, the scales of the upper row nearly twice as broad 

 as those of the lower ; below the lower row is a partial row of two 

 scales ; six scales on median line of back before dorsal. 



Caudal slightly rounded ; when spread open its outer rays a little 

 produced, If in head, in young of a foot in length, said to be much 

 longer in adult ; color in life, of partly-grown si>ecimens from Havana, 

 bright sky-blue eveywhere ; some brown on upper scales ; lower lip red- 

 dish brown, edged with blue ; fins blue, with some brown ; teeth pale 

 reddish. 



Color of young (4 inches), taken at Key West, light, livid blue- 

 gray, tinged with brownish on back, quite bluish below ; yellowish olive 

 on top of head, but no sharp markings anywhere except on fins ; jaws 

 rather bright flesh-red, the snout bluish ; teeth pale; dorsal edged with 

 bright blue; below this dull orange; its base livid; caudal grayish; faintly 

 banded with olive, its upper and lower edge bright blue ; anal flesh-color, 

 edged with light-blue; ventrals green i.sh-blue color fading on last rays; 

 pectorals flesh-color, axil light blue. 



Color in spirits greenish-olive above, pale below ; dorsal dusky; caudal 

 and anal grayish ; fins otherwise pale. 



This species is common in the Havana markets. A single young 

 specimen was taken at Key West. 



No specimens of more than a foot in length were obtained, and these 

 show but slight traces of the fleshy hump on the snout, which is said 

 to be very conspicuous in the adult fish. They correspond fairly to the 

 Loro of Parra and to the Scarun obtusus of Poey. It is possible tliat 

 these specimens are not the young of the large-humped cceruleus, but 

 as no differences other than in the development of the hump and of the 

 lobes of the caudal are to be found, we refer them, without much hesi- 

 tation, to tS.cceruleus. The same opinion is expressed by Giintherj who 

 considers his c7iZon> as probably the yonn^ of cceruleus. His chlor is is 

 evidently our fish, though not the chloris of Bloch. 



There is some confusion in regard to the original Coryphcena coerulea 

 of Bloch, which must be regarded as in part only based on this species. 



