282 PBOCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



scaled soft dorsal and aual fius. All the species have more or less of 

 orange on the inside of the mouth, a trait of coloration not found in 

 Poniadasys. The amount of redness is greatest in those species having 

 the largest mouth. It is true that certain species of Pomadasys {crocrOy 

 Tiumilis, &c.), have the mouth larger than in certain species of Hcemulon 

 {tceniatum, chrysargyreum). It is also true that while the soft dorsal and 

 aual in many of the species referred to Pomadasys are free from scales, in 

 certain of the subgenera of the latter genus {Hceimdopsis^ Anisotremvs) 

 these fins are scarcely less scaly than in Hcemulon. It is probably also 

 true that certain species of Hcemulon {tccniatum) are more closely re- 

 lated to species of the section Hcemulopsis of Pomadasys {axillaris, ni- 

 ticlus, leuciscus) than this section is to some other species usually placed 

 in the same genus. 



There is no doubt, however, that the species of Hcemulon form a natural 

 group, and no writer since Desmarest and Cuvier has questioned the 

 right of this group to generic rank. 



It has been generally conceded that the group will not admit of 

 further subdivision. The most aberrant of the species [maculicauda) was, 

 in 1862, recognized bj" Dr. Gill as the type of a distinct genus Orthos- 

 tcechus, distinguished by the arrangement of its scales. In 1862 these 

 fishes were the subject of an elaborate study by Mr. Samuel H. Scud- 

 der. Nothing has, however, been published by this writer, our knowl- 

 edge of his conclusions being limited to a nominal list published by Mr. 

 F. W. Putnam. (Bulletin Mus. Comp. Zool., 1863, 12.) 



In this list four generic names are recognized, two of them new, but 

 not defined, and hence undeserving of notice. The species are thus 

 grouped : 



H^MYLUM, formosum {plumieri), elegans, arara {plumieri). 



DiABASis, albus. 



Anarmostus, flavolineatus, serratus (parrce). 



Bathystoma, melanurum {aurolineattim), chrysopterum {rimator). 



Later, another genus, Brachygenys, likewise left undefined, was pro- 

 posed by Mr. Scudder for tceniatum, Poey. It is mentioned by Poey, 

 (Syn. Pise. Cubens., 1868, p. 319.) 



We are unable to see any distinction whatever for the groups called 

 Hcemylum, Diabasis, and Anarmostus, and think that if these be recog- 

 nized as genera, most of the remaining species should be elevated to 

 the same rank. Bathystoma and Brachygenys are better difterentiated, 

 but neither in our opinion should be regarded as a distinct genus. No 

 advantage to science comes from such minute generic subdivision. 



Most writers have adopted for this genus the very appropriate name 

 of Hcemulon, given to it by Cuvier in 1829. This name is not strictly 

 correct in its form, and it has been sometimes written with a greater 

 approach to classical exactness Hcemulum, which is an abridgment of 

 the full form, Hcematulum. By a curious blunder several purists have 

 written Hcemylum, which is much worse than Hcem^don. The name is 



