PKOCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 291 



BATEACHID.E. 



102. Batrachus tau (L.) C. & Y.—Sarpo. P. (30811.) 



Very common iu grassy lagoons about Pensacola. Our specimens 

 belong to the scarcely tangible var. fi. of Giintber. Tbe "white'' spots 

 on the body and fins are bright olive-yellow in life. 



103. Porichthys plectrodon sp. iiov. G. (30894.) 



Allied to Porichthys margarltatus (Rich.), but with the palatine teeth 

 very different. 



Head 3| (4|) ; depth 5f (G). D. II, 37 ; A. 34. 



Body rather elongate, tapering aud compressed behind. Head de- 

 pressed, two-thirds as broad as long aud half wider than deep ; lower 

 jaw considerably projectiug, maxillary reaching to well behind eye, its 

 length I'l in head. Teeth iu single series on jaws, vomer, aud palatines; 

 those of upper jaw verj^ small, a few of the anterior and two or three of 

 the lateral teeth somewhat enlarged, the latter strongly hooked for- 

 wards. Teeth in lower jaw strong, rather weaker than in P. manjari- 

 iatus; those in the front of the jaw hooked strongly inwards; the lateral 

 teeth, which are larger, hooked backwards and iuwards; one or two 

 strong canines on each side of vomer, these curved backwards and out- 

 wards. Teeth on palatines distant, few in number (usually 4 or 5); 

 among these are one to three very strong canines (usually, but not 

 always, much larger than canines on vomer), strongly curved forwards 

 aud inwards. In P. margaritatus* and P. j^orosissimus, the palatine 

 teeth are not especially enlarged, subequal and more numerous ; the 

 canines on the vomer being much larger thau any of the other teeth. 



Gill openings extending from upper edge of pectoral to just below 

 lower edge. Pectoral without axillary foramen. 



Height of soft dorsal about 3 in head. Length of caudal nearly 2. 

 Height of anal 3^. Length of pectorals 1| ; of ventrals 2|. 



Color in life light brown above, the top of head much darker and 

 clouded with dark brown ; a row of about ten bar-like dark blotches along 

 middle of side, each larger than eye ; those anteriorly deeper than long, 

 the others longer than deep. Each of these blotches is usually more or 

 less confluent with a saddle-like dark blotch across the back, A cres- 

 cent-shaped pale translucent area below the eye ; below this a larger 

 blue-black area, irregularly crescent-shaped, covering the preorbital 

 aud suborbital region, bounded below and behind by a row of shining 

 mucous pores. On it are about four large pores, and above and behind 

 it, close behind and below eye, is a large shining pore bordered with 

 black. Cheek steel-bluish. Sides of body silvery, becoming golden 

 below. Lower part of head and belly bright golden. A dark stripe along- 

 base of dorsal. Soft dorsal with 2 or 3 rows of small round dark olive 



*Tlie identity of the Pacific species (marfiaritatxs 'Ric\i.=notati!s Grd.) with the 

 Surinam ''imrosissimiin" is not yet proven, and is not very pro))ablt'. 



