Proceedings of united states national museum. 453 



This species is one of the best marked of the genus, not strongly re- 

 sembling any other. 



15. Liitjanus vivaiius. lied Snapper; I'argo Colorado; largo (liiachiiiatujo ; Silk 

 Snnjjper. 



^ Acara aya, Marcgrave, Hist. Brasil, 1()7, 168. 1648. 



'? Bodianus aija,B]och, Iclitliyol., taf. 227, about 1797 (based on Maicgrave); 

 ? Lacc^pt'df, iv, 28G, 287, 1803 (copied). 



Lutjanus aya, Goode, Bull. U. S. Nat. Miis., v, 1876, 55 (Bermudas). 



^ Bodianns ruber, Bloeli & Schneider, Syst. Icbtby., 1801, :5:?0 (based on Marc- 

 grave). 



Mesoprion vivanus, Cnv. & Val., ii, 454, 1828 (Martinique ; young specimens). 



Liitjanus vivanus, Jordan, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1883, 286 (redescription of 

 types). 



Mesoprion campechanus, Poey, Mem., ii, 149, 1860 (Cuba). 



Lutjanus caw^ec/u'anMS, Poey, Synopsis, 294, 1868 (Cuba); Poey, Ann. Lye. Nat. 

 Hist. N. Y., 317, 1870 (Cuba) ; Poey, Enumeratio, 29, 1875 (Cuba) ; Poey, 

 Bull. U. S. Fish Comm., 1882, 118 (Key West) ; Jordan & Gilbert, Synopsis 

 Fishes North America, 1883, 921 (co]5ied) ; Jordan, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 

 1884, 125 (Key West). 



Lutjanus torridus, Cope, Trans. Am. Philos. Soc, 468, 1869 (St. Kitt's). 



Lutjanus hlackfordi, Goode & Bean, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 176, 1878 (Pensacola) : 

 Goode, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 114, 1879 (St. John's River) ; Goode &, Beau, 

 op.cit, 1879,137,156 (Pensacola); Bean, op. cil., 1880,96; Goode & Bean, 

 op. cit., 1882,238; Jordan & Gilbert, oj>. cit., 1882, 275 (Pensacola); Jor- 

 dan & Gilbert, Syn. Fishes North America, 1883, 549 ; and of recent Amer- 

 ican writers generallj'. 



Habitat. — Pensacola to Aspinwall and the Lesser Antilles. 



Head, 2f (3|); depth, 2f (3|). D. X, 14; A. Ill, 9. Scales, (7) 8- 

 CO-15; pores 4G. Length of a specimen from Key West, 10 inches. 



Body rather deep, moderately compressed, the back well elevated, 

 profile steep and almost straight from snout to nape. Snout rather 

 pointed, 2f in head. Eye moderate, 5A in head (larger in young). In- 

 terorbital space angulate or strongly convex, 5 in head. Occipital 

 keel strong. Preorbital rather broad, 5 in hea<l. Mouth rather large, 

 maxillary reaching front of orbit, 2i in head. Upper jaw with a narrow 

 band of villiforni teeth, outside of which is a row of larger but com- 

 paratively small teeth; 4 canines in fi-ont, two (sometimes duplicated) 

 of them larger, their length about one-third diameter of eye. Lower 

 jaw with a single row of rather small teeth, usually largest on side of 

 jaw, where some of them are almost canine like. Within these is a 

 very narrow band of villiforni teeth in front of jaw only. Tongue with 

 a broad oval patch of teeth, scarcely twice as broad as long; in front 

 of this patch is a small irregular patch. Vomer with a broadly' arrow- 

 shaped patch, with a rather short backward i)rolongation on median 

 line, its length about equaling width of patch in front. Gill-rakers 

 moderate, their length about one-half diameter of eye, 8 on lower arch. 

 Preopercle with its jiosterior margin about vertical, its emargination 

 deep, its edge rather finel;^- serrate above, coarser at the angle, dentate 

 on the lower border. 



