108 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Sandy gray in life, light or dark, the upper parts much mottled with 

 darker olive ; branchiostegals pale yellowish ; top of head without ver- 

 miculations ; dorsal scarcely barred ; caudal dusky ; other fins pale, 

 with little or no yellow; lower parts of head mottled with duskj^; no 

 scapular spot ; tip of snout not black. 



This species is very close to S. foetens, and may possibly be found to 

 intergrade with it. In our specimens the teeth are rather stronger than 

 in S.foetens, the jaws a little longer, the upper H in head ; dorsal shorter 

 and higher than in S. foetens, the anterior rays when depressed extend- 

 ing beyond the tips of the last rays, If in head. Scales as in S. foetens ; 

 jDectorals 2 in head •, ventrals 1:^. D. 1, 9 ; A. 11 or 12 ; Lat. 1. 60. 



Specimens from Cuba agree with these from Key West. One of the 

 Key West specimens is numbered 35098. 



21. Synodus cubanus Poey. Miller^s Thumb. 



(Sam'us intermedius Giinther, v, 396, not of Agassiz and Spix ; Synodus inter- 

 medins, Jor. & Gilb, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1882, 249, and Syn. Fish. 

 N. A., 1883, 889 ; Synodus cuianus, Poey, Euum. Pise. Cul)ens., 1875, 143.) 



Common about rocks, reaching a considerable size (18 inches). Often 

 taken with the hook but not used as food. Our specimens appear to 

 belong to the same species as those from Peusacola, formerly called by 

 us ISynodus intermedius. They seem also to be identical with Poey's ti. 

 cubanus^ although differing in some slight respects. The fish called by 

 Poey Synodus intermedius (Enum. Pise. Cubens., 1875, 143) of which we 

 have numerous specimens from Havana, is still another species, having 

 the mouth smaller than in S. cubanus, the scales larger (lat. 1. 45), and 

 the scapular region without distinct black spot. This species is ap- 

 parently the original 8. intermedius of Spix and Agassiz, not yet known 

 from our coasts. 



The life colors of large specimens of Synodus cubanus are as follows : 



Back olive-gray, with blotches of dark olive-brown; these irregular 

 in form and size and mingled with smaller ones ; eight or nine on back, 

 nine on sides; those on the sides not quite below the dorsal blotches, 

 but more or less in advance of them, especially anteriorly; a dark blotch 

 at base of caudal ; an inky l)lotch on scapula, hidden by the opercle ; 

 top and sides of head mottled like the body ; no yellow below head ; 

 jaws orange within ; breast with a brown line along each series of scales ; 

 two rows of scales on lower part of sides, with an orange spot on each 

 scale, forming continuous stripes ; belly white ; dorsal with olive bars 

 formed of coalescent spots and with whitish spots ; caudal yellowish, 

 with olive-brown bars ; pectorals similar ; ventrals yellowish, the rays 

 bluish white ; anal yellow, whitish at base. 



A specimen from Key West is numbered 35045. 



