1706 Bulletin ^y, United States National Museum, 



ray 3J; eye 5^ in head, 4 in suout; pectoral short, rounded; caudal me- 

 sially convex, the points produced and equal ; first dorsal spine over base of 

 pectoral; distance from tip of snout to tip of pelvis e(|ual to greatest 

 depth of body; dorsal and anal falcate; scales granulated, those on the 

 pelvis and base of dorsal and anal longer than broad; those of caudal 

 region keeled or spinesccnt. Dark brown; vertical fins dusky ; sexes simi- 

 lar; air bladder large; no pyloric ca-cum. Length 2 feet. West Indies, 

 rarely north in the Gulf Stream to Woods Hole, Massachusetts, where 2 

 young individuals, agreeing essentially with Cope's description of C. 

 aspcrrimus, Avere recently obtained by the U. S. Fish Commission. (Sobaco, 

 the Spanish name at Havana.) 



Balistes sobaco, POEY, Memorias, ll, 324, 1861, Havana. 



Balistes asperrimus, Cope, Trans. Am. Phil. Soc. 1871, 478, .supposed to be from St. 

 Martins. 



2121. lANTHIDEKMIS SUFFLAMEX (Mitehill). 



(SOBACO.) 



D. Ill, 27 ; A. 25. Differs from Canthidermis sohaco in the larger eye, 

 which is 3 in the oblique length of snout. Points of dorsal and anal 

 longer, that of dorsal 3 in total length; produced tips of caudal longer, 

 reaching beyond the convex middle of fin. Scales of trunk without 

 median spine or keel. Body more elongate. Dorsal and pelvic spines 

 smoother than in C. sohaco; scales generally less rough. Plain brownish; 

 sexes similar. West Indies; our specimens from Havana. This species 

 and the preceding are referred by Giinther to the synonymy of Canthi- 

 dermis maculatus. This reference seems to l)e incorrect. Canthidermis 

 maoilatus is covered with round white spots; its vertical fins are higher 

 than in C. sufflamen, and the number of fin rays is much less, {sufflamen, 

 an impediment; referring to the second dorsal spine, which prevents the 

 deinession of the first.) 



Sobaen, Parra, Dif. Piezas Hiat. Nat. Cuba, 17, f. 10, 1787, Havana. 

 BalUtes sufflamen, Mitchill, Trans. Lit. and Phil. Soc. N. T., i, 1815, 467, locality unknown; 



said by De Kay to be from the South Atlantic. 

 Balistes macrops, Poey, Memorias, ii, 326, 1861, Havana. 



2122. CAMHIDKUMIS MA( ILATIS (Bloch) 



(Ocean Turbot.) 



Body elongate. D. Ill, 24 (II, according to Bloch, who overlooked the 

 third spine; III, 22, according to Gronow); A. 21 (19). Dorsal and anal 

 fins short and high; body and fins with round blue spots; eye small; 

 scales without median keel. West Indies. (Bloch.) Not seen by us. 

 The description of Bloch agrees apparently with the species called Balistes 

 melanopterus by Cope, who describes a specimen from '^Darien," but 

 whether from the Colon or the Panama side of the isthmus is not stated; 

 probably the former. If we can trust descriptions, this species {viacu- 

 latHS=zmelanoj)tcrus) is closely allied to the one here called Canthidermis 

 sufflamen, differing in the shorter dorsal and anal and the spotted body. 



