1454 Bidhtin //, United States National Mnseimi. 



rakers 5 + 7, shorter than the diameter of the pupil; longest dorsal spine 

 2J in head; second anal spine If in the longest ray, 3? in head; pectorals 

 as long as ventrals, 2 in head; scales of the breast embedded, cycloid; 

 soft dorsal scaleless; caudal fin slightly concave, about A as long as 

 head. Color grayish silvery, iridescent; often washed with coppery red; 

 each scale with a center of dark points, these forming rather obscure, 

 irregular, undulating brown stripes along the rows of scales; a jet-black 

 ocellated spot about as large as eye at base of caudal above, this some- 

 times duplicated ; the body occasionally covered with ocelli. Length 2 

 to 5 feet 5 the weight 10 to 75 pounds. South Atlantic and Gulf coasts of 

 the United States, New York to Texas; very common along our coast, 

 especially southward, where it is one of the largest and most important 

 food-fishes. On the Texas coast it exceeds in economic value all other 

 fishes found there, (ocellatus, having eye-like spots.) 



Perca ocellata, Linn.eus, Syst. Nat., Ed. XII, 483, ITCG, South Carolina. 



Lutjanus triangulum, Lac6pede, Hist. Nat. Toiss., IV, 181 and 216, pi. 24, fig. 3, 1802, 



Sumatra. 

 Scicena imberbis, Mitchill, Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. New York 1815, 411, New York. 

 Corvma ocellata, Uuvier &. Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., 134, pi. 108, 1830. 

 Johnius ocellatus, Girard, TJ. S. &. Mex. Bound. Survey, 14, pi. 8, figs. 1^, 1859. 

 Sciceiia ocellata, GDnther, Cat., ii, 289, 1860 ; Johdan & Eigenmann, I. c, 405, pi. 4, 1889. 



584. SCIiENA* (Artedi) Linua-us. 

 (Black Drums.) 



Scicena, part, Artedi, Genera Piscinm 1738. 



Scioena, Linn^us, Systema Naturfe, Ed. x, 289, 1758 {umbra,- cirrosa). 



"It is v(M'y (lirticult to d^a^^ gen(>ric distinctions in tlii.s p.irt of tlio growp of Seicenidce 

 It is likewise uiisatislactdry not to attcin]it Id draw tlicni. as iai-go nroui)S scarcely admit 

 of dctiiiition. Wi- liavc ilpcid<Ml to admit jirdv isioi;all\ as i^encra tlie minor groups of 

 iSciiriiiilir with Ion- -ill rakt-rs, allied to ,S7i'»(/"c auA J!(iinli,ll((. Among those with 

 short gill lakcfs, we have clidseii to recognize Opldoscion, Sciceiwps, and Pseudosclcena, 

 retelling tla n >t to diic ^ellus Scicena, a heterogeneous group which runs close to 

 OpJiinsi-hni (jii the diie hand, and diverges far from itonthe other. Jordan and Eigenmann 

 observe; We are eompelled to place in a single genus the great hulk of those Scicenidce 

 whicli liave short gill rakers, inferior mouth, and no barbels on the lower jaw. In spite 

 of the marked ditferences between the extremes of the series, the inlergradation in char- 

 acters IS so perfect that we are unable to draw any sharp distinctive lines among them. 

 This is especially true when the Asiatic species, forming the groups called J5oZa and 

 Johnius. AW taken into arcount. It is also tine 111. at one of the species oi Bairdiella 

 [chryxoleuca) is very clcise to souk; dftlie ineiiibers of the present group. In this case, 

 however, there is feallv oih' diliereiice— the length of the gill rakers, which, though small, 

 is constant, and holds ^duil in all the know 11 species. 



With a view to the di-i(.vei\ di a basis for generic subdivision, we have especially 

 compared the follow ini; s|M(ies; .sck/zk* (Scicenops) ocellata, Scia-na (Pseudogcicena) 

 U'luila. Scicena {Bidu) liiacantliu, and Sciana (Callaus) deUcioiia. If these species could 

 be satisfactorily arranged in ditiereut genera, it would be comparatively easy to find 

 characters on which to detach the rather more aberrant types of Scicena (umbra), 

 Che'dutrema (saturna and faaciat a), Ophioxcion. nni Johnius. 



The 4 species first meutidiied agree in (he position of the anal flu. Its second spine is 

 very weak in aquila, and adnatc id ilie liist r.ay. It is somewhat , so in the others, and 

 it is not large in any. In .Inlmin^ I'lmxn mini) it is also small, hutin Scicena, Clieilotrema, 

 and Ophioscion it is consideralily <'iilarged. 



The scales are smallest in aquila, largest in ocellata, but the dilfereiiee is not sharp 

 enough to warrant generic division. In all 4 of the species Ilist mentioned the pre- 

 orbital is flat and rather broad, broadest in deliciosa (7 in head) :ind narrowest in aquila 

 (lOJ). In the other forms it is generally still broader and more gibbons. 



The silts and pores abcmt the sodni are distinct in ocellata and deliciosa, little marked 

 in diacantha and nearly or i| niii diisolcte in aquila. In Johnius, Sciceiia, Cheilotrema and 

 Opliiiixcion these are more or l,>s disiinet. 



In all the 4 species the unmth is ui moderate size, slightly oblique, with the lower .jaw 

 included, the maxillary reaching to opposite the posterior border of the eye. The mouth 

 is largest in ocellata, smallest in aquila. In all the others {Ophioscion,cic.) the mouth is 



