416 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Distance between insertion of the ventral and the snout equals one- 

 fourth, the length of the body. The length of the ventral equals one- 

 third that of the head. Vent, close to the origin of anal, and slightly 

 removed from the medial point of the body on the blind side ; behind it 

 a small papilla, one-fourth as long as the eye. 



Color: Eyed side, grayish brown; blind side, somewhat clouded with 

 darker shade. 



Bad iiil for inula. — D. 87 ; A. G7; C. 8 + 7 ; P. 11 sinistral and 9 dextral; 

 V. 5 ; Scales 13— 57—22. 



4. Blennius asterias, u. sp. 



The types of this species are the following : 2620, two specimens from 

 Garden Key, Florida, collected by G. Wiirdemann; 2625, one specimen 

 collected at the same place by Dr. Whitehurst; 6596, three specimens 

 collected at Tortugas, by Dr. J. B. Holder. They vary from about 2J 

 inches to 4 inches in length. 



Lengtli of head contained 4 times, depth 4 times in total without 

 caudal. D. X 1, 16; A. 19. 



Body moderately elongate, compressed; the head very blunt and deep, 

 almost as deep as long, its anterior profile straiglit or slightly concave, 

 and nearly vertical. Mouth moderate, the maxillary reaching to past 

 front of eye, its length contained 3 times in that of head. The lower jaw 

 with two short, stoutish posterior canines; upper jaw without canines. 

 Teeth about f f . Preorbital deep, its depth equal to diameter of eye and 

 contained 4;^ times in length of head. Interorbital space flat, narrow, 

 two-thirds width of eye. Supraocular cirri small, fringed, their length 

 about equal to that of pupil. Kai)e with a longitudinal dermal crest 

 reaching to front of dorsal, provided with a series of about 20 filaments, 

 the longest about as long as the eye. Gill-membranes forming a broad 

 fold across the isthmus as iu all species of Blennius. 



Dorsal nearly continuous, the last spine a little lower than the first 

 soft ray, not very high, beginning oji the nape iu front of the vertical of 

 the preopercle ; the spines all slender and flexible, the longest three- 

 eighths as long as the head, the longest soft ray four-sevenths as long as 

 the head. The caudal free from dorsal and anal, four-fifths as long as 

 head. Anal moderate, four-ninths length of head. Pectoral somewhat 

 shorter than head; ventral a little more than half length of head. 



The lateral line forming the usual arch above pectoral, and continued 

 backward on the median line to base of caudal, becoming iudistiuct 

 posteriorly. 



Color faded, apparently olivaceous, with about six dark cross-bars, 

 which extend on the dorsal fin. Anal and posterior half of body with 

 numerous round, whitish, stellate spots, probably bluish in life. Bluish 

 streaks from eye across the cheeks. Anal edged with dusky; the other 

 fins vaguely marked. 



5. Blennius favosus, u. sp. 



Of this new species there are two specimens, number 2629, collected 



