L'94 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



nine teeth short, those of lower jaw small. Eye rather large, 5f in 

 head. luterorbital space gently convex, its width 7f in head. Nostrils 

 round, subequal. Preopercle well serrate, its outline strongly convex, 

 without distinct emargination. Gill-rakers moderate, about 15 below 

 angle of arch. 



Scales moderate, rather strongly ctenoid. Dorsal spines rather 

 strong, the third and fourth subequal, 3i in head. Caudal fin slightly 

 rounded, 1-fo iii head. Anal high, its longest ray 2f in head. Second 

 anal stronger than third, but rather shorter, 5 in head. Pectorals reach- 

 ing beyond tii)s of ventrals. If in head. 



Color, in spirits, brown, clouded with darker and with faint dusky 

 cross-bars ; body and fins everywhere covered with roundish dark-brown 

 spots. These are larger and fewer below ; smallest and most numerous 

 on the fins, and everywhere very distinct. Soft dorsal with 3, spinous 

 dorsal with about 2 rows of dark spots. In life they are probably orange- 

 brown, on an olivaceous ground, as in E. ascensionis, to which species, 

 as the name indicates, this fish is extremely analo^ious. No distinct 

 dusky edgings to fins. No evident dark blotches along base of dorsal. 



This species is generally common on the Pacific coast of Tropical Amer- 

 ica, where it represents U. ascensionis of the Atlantic. It differs from the 

 latter species, as well as from all other known Epinepheli, in the posses- 

 sion of but 10 dorsal spines. This number is constant in all the many 

 specimens examined. 



IV.- Genus ALPHESTBS. 



Alphestes, Bloch & Schueider, Syst. Iclitliyol. IHOl, 236 (afer). 



Prospinus, Poey MSS., Gill, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 18G2, 237 (chloropterus=afer). 



Plectropoma sp., Auct. {nee typus). 



We adopt the name Alphestes for those species which differ from 

 Epinephelus proper in the presence of a strong antrorse spine on the 

 lower limb of the preopercle. In this respect the species approach the 

 genera Plectropoma and Rypoplectrus, with which group they have usually 

 been associated. The three species admitted by us are very simihir in 

 form and evidently closely related. All of the species of Alphestes 

 are American. All the species are of small size, most of them smaller 

 than any of the true Epinepheli. 



ANALYSIS OF SPECIES OF ALPHESTES. 



a. Second anal spine considerably longer than third, its length more than one-third 

 head ; head small ; scales mostly cycloid. 

 6. Preopercle with two antrorse spines below the angle; silvery white, with rose- 

 colored markings; maxillary extending to below middle of eye PiCTUS, 26. 



bb. Preopercle, with a single strong antrorse spine below its angle, 

 c. Olivaceous, the ground color nearly uniform, the body and fins closely covered 

 with small dark-brown spots ; breast plain ; snout slender, pointed ; lower jaw 



rather strongly projecting Multiguttatus, 27. 



cc. Olive, clouded with dusky, the body with rather few dark orange spots ; 

 breast with x»early spots ; a dark mustache above the maxillary ; lower jaw 

 little projecting Afer, 28. 



