1350 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



outline of snout being slightly curved; in adults the antedorsal region is 

 very sharply compressed and somewhat gibbous, forming above eye an 

 angle with rest of profile. Greatest depth of preorbital more than \ head 

 in adult. Mouth small, the maxillary scarcely reaching vertical from 

 front of eye, 2| in head. Outer teeth strong, about 10 to VI in number, 

 the outer one on each side in one or both jaws sometimes enlarged, canine- 

 lilie, but sometimes, especially in old examples, directed more or less hori- 

 zontally forAvard. Gill rakers small, about 4 + (>. Dorsal spines stronger 

 and lower than in C.pror'ulenfi, the longest 2;^ in head; pectorals reaching 

 slightly beyond vertical from front of anal, rather more than i^ length of 

 body; ventrals 4i in length; anal spines robust. Color in life, silvery 

 with bluish rellections; the base and central portions of each scale 

 golden, formiug distinct longitudinal stripes, the stripes between these 

 pearly or bluish; rows of scales on cheeks and opercles with the pearly 

 stripe median, the golden marginal ; a deep violet streak below orbit, not 

 extending forward on snout nor backward on opercles; preorbital deep 

 dull violet like the snout, the ground color formiug reticulations around 

 conspicuous round brassy spots which cover half the surface; naked part 

 of the preopercle sometimes similarly marked, more often colored like the 

 body; edge of opercle gilt; lower jaw dusky violet; axil golden; base of 

 pectoral above with a violet bar; fins all pale, vaguely blotched with dull 

 orange; ventrals more or less dusky on inner rays; commissure of lips 

 yellow; iris golden. Length 15 inches. West Indies, north to Florida 

 Keys; generally common about Key West and Havana, less abundant than 

 proridens or hajonado.* (calamus, a reed, the equivalent of jje~ dc j'luma.) 



Pagclhis calamus, Cuvier & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., vi, 206, pi. 152, 1830, Martini 

 que; San Domingo. 



Calamus megacephalus, Swainson, Nat. Hist. Fish., ii, 222, 1839; after Cuvier & Valen- 

 ciennes. 



Pagellus orbitaritis, Poey, Memorias, ii, 201, 1860, Havana. 



Calamui macrops, Jordan & Gilbert, Synojjsis, 927, 1883, Garden Key, Florida. 



Chrysophrys calamus, GtiNTHER, Cat., i, 487, 1859; aeveral species confounded. 



Spams orbitarius, Poey, Synopsis, 308, 1868. 



Calamus calamus, Jordan & Gilbert, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1884, 17 ; Jordan & Fesler, 

 I. c, 511. 



1721. CALAMUS PBORIDENS, Jordan & Gilbert. 



(Little-head Pokgy; Pez de Pluma.) 



Head 3i to 34 in length (4^ in total) ; depth 2 to 2^ (2| to 3") ; eye mod- 

 erate, 4 in head in adult (11 inches long), 3 in head in young of 6 inches. T>. 

 XII, 12; A. Ill, 10. Scales 9-58-16. Body much elevated, more so than in 

 any other known species except in C. calam us. In adults the anterior prolilo 

 rises in a straight line very steeply to the nape, thence in a gentle curve to 

 front of dorsal. In the young the profile rises less rapidly and is convex; 



* Among the specimens in tlie musenm at Cambridge are some of the type.s of Calamus 

 orbitarius. In some of thi-se none of the canines is turned forward, and none of the speci- 

 mens collected by Dr. Jordan at K(>v "West and Havana sliows this character. In others, 

 however, the outermost of the 7 or 8 canines in tin- upjicrjaw is turned directly forward, 

 as in C. proridens. Some of tlitse also sliow an aii]ir(i\iiiKiti<iu to the litad coloration of 

 C. proridens. The dorsal spines and the depth of the preorbital show that all these 

 belong to C, calamus. 



