1252 Bulletin //, United States National Museum. 



in head. Mandibular teeth in a villiform band which is of moderate width 

 anteriorly and tapers rapidly on sides ; an outer series of distantly placed 

 moderate canines; teeth in iiremaxillaries similar to those below, the 

 canines small, a pair on each side enlarged, but small for this genus ; vomer- 

 ine teeth in a diamond-shaped patch, the sides subequal, concave; pre- 

 ocular margin with a rather deej) emargiuatiou above the angle ; above the 

 emargination the edgt> is very minutely and finely serrulate, at the angle 

 provided with a few short slender rather distant spines. Gill rakers strong, 

 those above angle all short, the one at angle al)ruptly lengthened, about 

 half diameter of eye; seven developed on horizontal limb of arch. Pos- 

 terior nostril elliptical. Five or six series of scales on cheeks, the band 

 running upward to level of upper margin of orbit; a single narrow band 

 of scales on occiput, separated by a naked space from those on nape; top 

 of head, snout, mandible, preopercle, maxillarj', and anterior half of inter- 

 opercle naked; scales above lateral line in series parallel with the lateral 

 line ; scales on the breast not much reduced, as large as those on opercle ; 

 basal portions of dorsal and anal densely scaled, the scales forming a sheath 

 at base; basal f of caudal densely scaled. Dorsal spines heavy, not flex- 

 il)le, the longest 2Hn head; second and third anal spines about equal, half 

 the length of snout and eye ; soft dorsal and anal low, rounded, the longest 

 ray (measured from free edge of sheath) about \ head; caudal lunate, the 

 middle rays | the outer, 1* in head; pectorals very long, nearly reaching 

 vertical from vent, \\ in head; ventrals 1* in head. Color, back and top 

 of head deep olive; lower half of sides and l)elow dark reddish-purple; 

 many of the scales on sides with a silvery spot near the margin, producing 

 faint lengthwise stripes; tins reddish-purple, the basal portion of soft 

 dorsal and caudal tinged with olive; iris silvery, with inner and outer 

 orange circle ; no blue lines on the head ; inner lining of gill membranes 

 and the shoulder girdle largely orange-red ; pectoral lins orange-brown. Of 

 rare occurrence at Panama, but occasionally taken in considerable num- 

 bers. It is a small species, reaching a length of about 17 inches. A strongly 

 marked species, quite unlike any other. (Named for David Starr Jordan.) 



Neomcenis jordani, Gilbert, Fishes of Panama, in Troc. Cal. Ac. Sci. 1897, Panama. 

 (Coll. Gilbert. Type, No. 11988, L. S. Jr. Univ. Mus.) 



1631. NEOM^AIS NOVEMPASCIATUS (Gill). 

 (Pargo PRIETO; Pargo MARENO; Pargo Neoro.) 



Head 2| ; depth 3 ; eye 5^ to 4f in head. D. X, 14 ; A. Ill, 8, rarely III, 7 ; 

 maxillary 2*; preorbital 5i; scales 6-48-13. Body comparatively elon- 

 gate, the back little elevated; i>rofile very gently curved ; snout long and 

 pointed, i length of head; eye small, less than breadth of the wide pre- 

 orbital; maxillary barely reaching to opposite front of orbit, its length 

 21 in head; each jaw with a very narrow band of villiform teeth, outside 

 of which is a single series of larger teeth, those in sides of upper jaw 

 small, 2 in front, however, developed as large fanglike canines, larger 

 than usual in this genus, their length about equal to the diameter of the 

 pupil ; a pair of smaller canines near the middle of the upper jaw, between 

 the large ones; conical teeth of lower jaw distant, cauinelike, 6 to 8 in. 



