PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 263 



caudal bright brick-red, speckled with dark i)oiuts aud edged posteriorly 

 with translucent. Pectorals dusky translucent, with reddish tinge on 

 basal two-thirds of upper rays. Ventrals translucent, with some red- 

 dish on base of central rays and with a distinct small dusky spot at 

 base of outer ray, externally visible through the covering scale. Anal 

 translucent, somewhat white anteriorly. 



Head 4^^ ; depth 5. I). 12 ; A. 14; scales 38-5. 



Body moderately compressed. Head rather short, the short snout 

 4| times in its length ; the large eye 3 times, interorbital space flat, 3 in 

 head. Gill rakers rather long. 



Pectoral fin reaching about to middle of anal, its length If in body, 

 its second ray scarcely shorter than third, not forked. Ventral fin in- 

 serted slightly nearer root of caudal than tip of snout, its tip extending 

 very slightly past front of anal, its length 14 in head. Dorsal much 

 higher than long, its longest rays slightly longer than head, reaching 

 caudal. Lower lobe of caudal slightly longer than head. 



This rare and beautiful species has not been hitherto recorded from 

 our coast. 



The species of the restricted genus Exoccetus (exclusive of Halocyp- 

 selus and Cypselurns) represented in the National Museum from our At- 

 lantic coast, may be recognized in the following analysis: 

 a. Ventrals moderate, shorter than head, reaching little past front of anal ; second ray 

 of pectoral simple. (Farexocccius Bleeker. ) 

 h. Dorsal higher than long, with a black blotch in front ; ventrals plain ; anal 



about as long as dorsal; D. 12, A. 14 IIillianus. 



aa. Ventrals long, longer than head, reaching usually past anal fin; second ray of 

 l^ectoral forked. (Exocoetus.) 

 c. Ventrals pale ; snout not very blunt. 



d. Anal rather long, its base about three-fourths that of dorsal ; its in- 

 sertion nearly opposite front of dorsal ; lower caudal lobe shorter 



than head; D. 11, A. 12 Exioens.* 



dd. Anal short, its base less than half that of dorsal; its insertion behind 

 that of dorsal ; lower caudal lobe nearly one-third longer than head ; 



D. 14, A. 9 NOVEBORACENSIS. t 



cc. Ventrals black, with Avhite edgings; snout very blunt ; anal rather long, 

 its base more than f dorsal ; its insertion slightly behind front of dor- 

 sal ; lower caudal lobe half longer than head ; D. 12, A. 12. 



RONDELETII. X 



SYNGNATHID^. 



39. Siphostoma floridae sp. nov. P. (30826.) 



Body comparatively slender, the belly scarcely keeled, even in the 

 females. Head slender, the snout long, from one-third to one-half longer 



* Exococtus exiliens Gmelin, Syst. Nat. i, 1400, 1788; Giinther v), 291; Goode, Bull. 

 U. S. Nat. Mus. V, 64. 



t Exococlm noveboracensis Mitchill, Amer. Monthl. Mag. ii, 233, 1817 : ExOcoetus mel- 

 anurus C. & V. xix, 101. 



t Exocwtus rondeletii Cuv. & Val. xix, 115. A specimen we examined (21870) from 

 open sea, lat. 46° ; long. 61'^. 



