PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 287 



]>o,steriorly deep violet. Still lower on level of lower edge of i^ectorala 

 deep yellow band about a>s wide a-s a scale, growing narrower and fainter 

 behind. Belly pearly. Head above olivaceous, marked witb blue ; pre- 

 orbital and suborbital region scarlet, with three violet;blue stripes, these 

 margined with cherry red. Cheeks below lowest violet stripe translu- 

 cent yellowish. Opercles bright red, with about 3 oblique violet stripes, 

 the upper forming an oblique blotch behind eye, in the middle of which 

 is a round black ink-like spot ; no dark opercular spot ; chin pearly. Iris 

 red. 



Dorsal light orange, the soft part with three rows of violet spots ; caudal 

 orange, with four rows of spots, the orange arranged in one longitudinal, 

 two marginal, and two convergent orange bands, which are connected 

 by reticulations around blue spots. Anal with a basal orange spot on 

 each membrane, then a blue spot, then a broad yellow band, then a nar- 

 row blue band, and a terminal band of orange. Ventrals light red. 

 Pectorals pale violet, yellow at base ; a bluish oblique band below 

 them. Blue spots of head and posterior parts clear, sky-blue ; elsewhere 

 of a violet shade and less bright. 



This specimen agrees in many respects with Poey's ^'caudaU.s.'^ Poey, 

 however, had a deeper fish (depth 4J in total length), and he makes no 

 mention at all of the broad orange lateral shade so conspicuous in our 

 specimens. It is possible that the latter difference is sexual. Poey's 

 ''pictus'''' has the orange band, but the body is too slender (depth oj in 

 total), and the coloration is otherwise not quite like that of our speci- 

 mens. 



97. Platyglossus florealis sp. uov. P. (30839.) 



Two specimens 3f inches in length were taken with a seine in the 

 Laguna Grande, near Pensacola. They were found in shallow water in 

 masses of Zoster a. 



Head ^ (3|) 5 depth 4 (4f). D. IX, 11; A. Ill, 12. Scales U-2G-8. 



Body rather slender, moderately compressed ; snout not very sharp, 

 3J in head. Eye moderate, 5 in head. Posterior canines small. Dorsal 

 spines rather low, stiff and pungent, lower than soft rays. Caudal 

 truncate, If in head. Pectoral U in head. Scales on breast suuxll ; 

 head naked. 



Coloration in life: ground color olive-brown; a rather dull olive-green 

 stripe from above snout along sides of back to tail, midway between 

 lateral line and dorsal ; a brownish area along lateral line ; below this 

 a distinct dark brown band from gill-opening to middle of caudal on 

 level of eye, and about as broad as eye, ending in a small dark spot 

 at base of caudal. Below this another light l)rownish area bounded by 

 a dark bronze stripe on level of pectoral, the belly abruptly pale. Each 

 scale of side with a narrow crescent of deep greenish-blue towards its 

 base. These spots are very distinct, especially anteriorly, giving the 

 whole fish a bluish cast. Sides of head pale orange ; a bright blue wavy 



