390 PEOCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Head ratlier long and pointed ; its anterior profile regularly and ratber 

 weakly arched. Mouth not very large, the maxillary reaching to be- 

 low posterior margin of eye', its length 2^ in head; lower jaw ratber 

 weak, its tip little projecting ; teeth rather strong, in moderate bands ; 

 both jaws with two moderate, curved canines, those in the upj;)er jaw 

 largest. Eye large, 4^ in head, rather longer than snout. Interorbital 

 space very narrow, anteriorly concave, its width 11 in head ; nostrils 

 small, round, close together, the posterior largest. Preopercle weakly 

 serrate, with a salient angle, which is armed with stronger teeth ; a 

 shallow emargination above the angle. Gill-rakers slender, of mod- 

 erate length, about 15 developed below the angle. 



Scales of moderate size, rather strongly ctenoid. 



Dorsal spines rather slender but pungent, the second spine consider- 

 ably higher than the tenth, the third and fourth longest, 2^ in head ; 

 soft rays lower than the highest spines ; caudal fin rounded, its length 

 2 in head. Anal rather high, posteriorly rounded, its longest soft rays 

 2f in head. Second anal spine somewhat stronger than third and rather 

 longer, 3 in head. Pectorals rather narrow, reaching past tips of ven- 

 trals. If in head. 



Color in life, light yellowish olive above, whitish below. Three broad 

 oblique obscure bands of olive running upward and backward on sides; 

 spots on body vivid scarlet red, those above a little darker, the edges of 

 the scales being brown. Inside of mouth mostly pale, partly scarlet. 

 Belly spotted. Dorsal olive-yellow, somewhat clouded, a few red spots 

 on spinous dorsal. Soft dorsal broadly edged with black. Caudal yel- 

 lowish, the posterior half black, its edge white. Anal like soft dorsal. 

 Pectorals, light yellow, with rows of small scarlet spots. Ventrals red, 

 blackish at tips. Branchiostegal membrane spotted like body. The 

 olive bands on sides disappear in spirits, and the red spots above be- 

 come brown, those below gray. 



This is one of the smaller species of the genus, rarely exceeding 18 

 inches in length. It is very abundant in the Havana market, where it 

 is known as Cahrilla. 



The synonymy of this species has been very greatly complicated. 

 Goode has adopted for it the name Upinephelus guttatus, erroneously 

 crediting the Bume guttatus toGmelin, and also erroneously stating that 

 it is based on a figure by Catesby. The name guttatus dates from Lin- 

 nffius, and is based on a number of figures given by prior authors, that 

 of Catesby being one of these, but apparently not the one which should 

 be regarded as the type of the species. For a discussion of the appli- 

 cation of the name Ferca guttata, see our remarks on the synonymy of 

 Enneacentrus gtittatus. 



Of the remaining synonyms, lunulatus, catus, and arara seem without 

 much doubt to belong here. Cubanus is said to differ only in having 

 the eyes smaller and the color of the body of a darker shade. 



