1270 Bulletin ^7, United States National Musetwi. 



1645. jVEOM^NIS STNAGRIS (Linnajus). 



(Lane Snappee; Biajaiba; Red-tail Snapper.) 



Head 2|; depth 2^. D. X, 12; A. Ill, 8; scales (7) 8-60-15, 50 pores. 

 Body oblong, compressed, the back moderately elevated, profile almost 

 straight from suout to iiape ; suout rather poiuted, 3 in head ; eye moderate, 

 5 in head ; interorbital space gently convex, 5| in head ; occipital keel little 

 prominent; preorbital rather broad, 4f in head; maxillary reaching front 

 of orbit, 2| in head; npper jaw with a narrow baud of villiform teeth, 

 outside of which is a single series of enlarged teeth ; -1 rather small canines 

 in front, 2 of them larger; lower jaw with villiform band in front only, 

 the single row of larger teeth nearly equal in size, none of them canines; 

 tongue with a single oval patch, its length more than twice its width; 

 vomer with a A or A-shaped patch of teeth, without backward prolonga- 

 tion on median line, or with only a very slight one. Gill rakers rather 

 long, their length slightly more than + diameter of eye, about 5 + 9, and 

 no rudiments before them. Preopercle with its posterior margin slant- 

 ing downward and forward, the emargination broad and moderately deep; 

 preopercle rather finely serrate above,. with coarser teeth at the angle. 

 Scales rather small, the rows almost horizontal below the lateral line, 

 above somewhat undulate, running upward and backward; tubes of 

 lateral line simple; 6 rows of scales on the cheek, 1 row on the interoper- 

 cle, 1 on the subopercle, and 6 on the opercle; temporal region with a 

 broad band of scales, arranged in several series ; base of soft dorsal and 

 anal scaly ; dorsal spines rather weak and slender, the outline of the fin 

 gently convex, the fourth spine longest, 2f in head, the tenth spine 3* in 

 head; soft dorsal short, its margin somewhat angulated, the eighth ray 

 longest, twice the length of last ray and 1| first, 2f in head; caudal mod- 

 erately forked, the npper lobe the longer, 1^ length of middle rays, which 

 are 2 in head; anal rather high, rounded in outline, its middle rays 

 longest, 1| length of last ray, 2f in head, first ray reaching middle of 

 last ray when the fin is depressed; second anal spine stronger than third 

 and of equal length, 3| in head; ventrals If in head; pectorals reaching 

 front of anal, 1|^ in head. Color in life, rose-colored, silvery tinged below, 

 slightly olivaceous but not dark above; a large, round, maroon blotch, 

 larger than eye, j ust above lateral line and below front of soft dorsal, 

 always present; series of stripes of deep golden-yellow along sides; 3 on 

 head, the upper from suout through eye; about 10 on body, the lower 

 nearly straight and horizontal, the upper undulating and irregular, extend- 

 ing upward and backward; belly white, its sides largely yellowish; lips 

 red; maxillary partly yellow; tongue yellowish; iris fiery red; caudal 

 deep blood-red; spinous dorsal nearly transparent, with a marginal and 

 basal band of golden; soft dorsal light red, edged with golden; ventrals 

 aud anal golden; pectorals pinkish. Young quite green above. Simi- 

 larly striped Cuban specimens are generally duller, with the yellow stripes 

 decidedly coppery. In spirits the bright colors fade, only the lateral 

 blotch and the streaks on the head being persistent. West Indies; 

 Floritla Keys to Colon and Brazil; very common almost everywhere from 



