466 PKOCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



ANALYSIS OF SPECIES OF TROPIDINIUS. 



a. Scales suuiU, regularly arriingod, tliosc^ above lateral liue in series parallel with the 

 lateral line; gill-rakerw iiiunerous, ahout 17 on lower part of arch; month rather 

 small, the canines moderate; tongm^ toothless; vomerine teeth in a /^-shaped 

 patch ; caudal well forked ; dorsal spines 10 ; last rays of aual slightly produced ; 

 body rather deep (depth, iif in lenglh); head large; caudal dusky violet, with- 

 out distinct markings Dentatus, 24. 



24. Tropidlnius dentatus. Jniillo. 



ApaUus dvniitluK, Cuichenot, in Jkamon de la Sagra, Hist. C'nl>a, Poiss., 29, pi. 1, 



f. 2, 18 J.-^. 

 Mesopilon (hntalHs, Giinther, i, 188, 18.^)9 (.famaica). 

 Mcsoprlou arnillo, Poey, Mem., ii, 154, 18G0 (Cuba). 

 Tripidin'uis aruillo, (fiill MSS.) Poey, Synopsis, 2\^C), 18()8 (Cuba); Poey, Enu- 



uieratio, '■'>(), 1875. 

 Lutjanus arniUus, Cope, Trans. Am. Philos. Soc, 470, 18ti9 (St. Croix). 



Habitat. — Cuba; Jamaica; St. Croix. 



Head, 3 (3j%); depth, 2} (3|). D. X, 10; A. Ill, 8. Scnkv^, (7), 

 7-60-16; 60 pores. Length of an example from Cuba, lU iuche."^. 



Body rather deep, oblong, elli[)tical, compressed, the back somewhat 

 elevated; i^rotile, from snout to nape, little convex; the nape strongly 

 keeled and considerably convex. Snout rather short and blunt, 3^7 in 

 head. Eye large, 3^ in head. Interorbital space convex, 3i in head, 

 its median line becoming on the occiput a sharp keel. Preoibital very 

 narrow, 7j in head. Mouth small. Maxillary broad, almost reaching 

 pupil, 2i in head. Upper jaw with a narrow band of villiform teeth, 

 outside of which is a series of larger, which are scarcely large eiiough 

 to be called canines. Lower jaw with a single series of small teeth, 

 about 6 of those in front larger, scarcely canine-like, similar to the 

 larger teetli of upper jaw. Inside of this series is a comparatively 

 wide band of villiform teeth in front of jaw" only. Tongue without 

 teeth. Vomer with a /\-shaped patch of teeth, without backward i)ro- 

 longation on median line. Gill-rakers numerous, the longest two-fifths 

 diameter of eye, about 17 on lower half of arch. Preopercle with its 

 posterior margin nearly vertical, very slightly emarginate, scarcely 

 serrate except at angle, where the teeth are quite small. 



Scales rather small, very regularly arranged, the rows running i)ar- 

 allel with the lateral liue both above and below; 7 rows on cheek, the 

 scales of upper row little eidarged, two rows on interopercle, 1^ on sub- 

 opercle, 6 on opercle. Temporal region with four rows of moderate 

 scales; toj) of head, snout, and jaws naked. Base of soft dorsal and 

 anal scaleless. 



Dorsal fin not strongly emarginate, the spines rather slender, the 

 outline of the fin rather strongly convex; 1th spine longest, 2J- in head, 

 10th spine 3| in head. Margin of soft dorsal gently rounded, the mid- 

 dk^. rays little longer than first rays, 2i in head ; last ray not shorter 

 than middle rays. Caudal deeply forked, the upper lobe slightly 

 longer than lower, 2| length of middle rays, which are 2| in head, 

 Ui)per lobe about as long as head. Margin of anal iieaily straight, the 



