470 PROCEEDING.S OP UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Vomer willi a iiairow A-sliiipcd patch of teotb, bliiutish in front and 

 without backward prolongation on median line ; no teetli on hyoid or 

 l)terygoid bones; gill-rakers long and slender, their length about f di- 

 ameter of eye, about 15 developed on lower part of arch. Posterior 

 margin of jireoiiercle almost straight and vertical, scarcely emarginate, 

 very finely serrate; the teeth a little coarser at tlui angle. 



Scales rather large, the rows all running parallel with the lateral 

 line. Maxillary with about 12 scales ; region behind eye well scaled; 



7 rows of scales on cheek ; 4 rows on interopercle, 2 on subopercle, and 



8 on opercle. Temporal region with about 4 rows of large scales. Top 

 of head and snout naked. Lower jaw with a few imbedded scales. 

 Base of soft dorsal and anal scaleless. 



Si)inous and soft dorsals connected. Dorsal spines rather high and 

 strong, the first si)ine short, f length of second or longest spine, which 

 is 2 in head, the spines thence becoming almost regularly and gradually 

 shorter to last spine, which is little longer than first spine. Margin oi" 

 soft dorsal straight, the rays 3 in head, the last ray slightly elongate, 

 its lengtli 2^ in head. Anal similar to soft dorsal ; its last ray consid- 

 erably ju'oduced ; its first soft rays when depressed reaching little beyond 

 the base of the last ray; anal spines slender and regularly graduated, 

 the third 3| in head. Caudal very deeply forked, the upper lobe the 

 longer, its length 4 times length of middle rays, which are 3^ in head. 

 Upper lobe almost filamentous, longer than head. Ventrals, If in head. 

 Pectorals falciform, reaching almost to anal, 1^ in head. 



Color in life, brilliant rose red; bases of the scales deeper, sides and 

 belly abruptly paler, rosy. Mouth reddish within; lining of gill-cavity 

 reddish. Fins all rosy. Spinous dorsal and caudal bright red, the other 

 fins paler. In spirits these colors fade, the fish becoming rosy white. 

 This most beautiful species is abundant in the markets of Havana, where 

 it is known as Caclmcho. It is found in rather deep water, with such 

 forms as Lutjanus profundus^ hticcanella,mahogani, RhombopUtes auriru- 

 hens, Aprion macrophthalmus and Tropidhiiun dcntattis. These fishes 

 are a little lower down in the bathymetric scale than lAitjamis vwanus 

 which in turn inhabits deeper water than the other Lutjani. In still 

 deeper water than any of these, is found Verilus sordidns, which is a 

 true deep-water fish. 



The Cachucho reaches a length of two feet or more, and is esteemed 

 as a food-fish. The synonymy of the species offers no complications, 

 although its generic relations have been often misunderstood. This and 

 some other Cuban Li(f}(tnina' bear considerable resemblance to certain 

 Jai)auese types, but it is improper to regard them as specifically identi- 

 cal with their Asiatic representatives until specimens have been fullj' 

 compared. 



VIII.— Genus VEEILUS. 



Verilus, Poey, Meraorias de Cuba, ii, 125, 1860 (sordkhis). 



The genus is technically close to Utelis, although the single known 

 species is very different in appearance from Utelis oculatvs. The cav- 



