Jordan and Evermann. — Fishes of North America. 1707 



Possibly Giinthei- is right iu referring sufflamcn, macrops, oculatus, and 

 nullnnhheii to tiie synonymy of maculatus, but in that case the variations 

 in color and in iin rays must be unusually large, {maculatus, spotted.) 



llalistes radio dorsale ventralique humilimo, etc., Ghonow, Zoopliyl., 192, 1765, American 



Ocean; dorsal rajs HI, 22; A. 19; belly spotted with white. 

 Balistes maeultttus, Block, Ichthyologia, pi. 151,1786, West Indies (based on a specimen 



with D. II, 24; A. 21 ; body and fins spotted with blue) ; Gunthe&, Cat., viii, 213, 1870; 



in part. 

 -Baiistes am«ricanM«, Gmelin, Syst. Nat., i, 1472, 1788, America; after Gronow. 

 Balistes macroptenis, Walbaum, Artedi Pise, in, 465, 1792, America; after Gronow. 

 >. Balistes oculatiis,* Gray, Hardwicke's Illust. Ind. Zool., Fishes, pi. 8, fig. 1, 1832, India 



(young) ; figured by Bleeker, with white spots. D. Ill, 24 ; A. 21. 

 Balistes rvfus, Gronow, Cat. Fishes, Ed. Gray, 36, 1854, American Ocean. D. Ill, 22; 



A. 19; after Gronow. 

 Balistes longus, Gronow, Cat. Fishes, Ed. Gray, 37, 1854, American Ocean. D. Ill, 24; 



A. 21 ; color reddish, paler below ; eye moderate, 

 Balistes nielanopteriis,\ Cope, Trans. Am. Phil. Soo. 1871, 478, Darien. 

 Batistes mactdatus, Day, Fishes of India, 688, 1878,* in part. 



2123. CAXTHIDEUJIIS WILLl'GHBEII (Lay & Bennett). 



Head I^; dei)th 2^- eye moderate, about 4 iu snout. D. Ill, 20; A. 17- 

 scales about 63. Body elongate, covered with smoothish scales, those on 

 caudal peduncle not keeled. Third dor.sal spine small, not far behind 

 second ; ventf al flap as in Xanthichthys, obscure, immovable, scaled over 

 in adult. Ja^ys subequal. Dorsal and anal short and high, the longest 

 dorsal ray 3A iu body, longer than base of fin. Caudal mesially rounded, 

 with sharp angles. No lateral line. Greenijih, with round bluish spots 

 from size of pupil nearly to size of eye, on body and bases of vertical fins. 



* The following is Day's description of the East Indian species, Ganthidermis oculatus 

 (Gray ) , to which he gives the name Ganthidermis maculatus. This description apparently 

 refers especially to Ganthidermis oculatus, but it includes Atlantic specimens, and may be 

 confused with Ganthidermis sufflamen : 



"B. VI. D. Ill, 26 or 27; P. 15; A. 24 or 25; C. 12; scales 46 to 55 ; L. tr. 28; length of 

 head 3 j to 4, of caudal fin 6 J to 7 : height of body 2* to 3 in total length ; eye 2 to 2i 

 diameters from end of snout and 2 apart. A groove in front of eye. Teeth uneven, 

 notched. First dorsal fin commences above gill opening, its anterior spine strong and 

 nearly i as long as head; ventral spine usually movable; posterior edge of caudal convex 

 or undulated; second dorsal and anal high anteriorly, especially fn adults. Cheeks 

 entirely scaled; no osseous scutes behind gill opening. Scales rough and granulated, but 

 without spines or prominent tubercles, except in the immature. Bluish black; young 

 examples are covered with numerous light blotches, more especially in lower half ofbody, 

 these spots are less numerous and larger in adults ; doi-sal spine black ; eyes hazel. Indian 

 and Atlantic Oceans, more especially In their tropical and .subtropical portions ; also the 

 Pacific, and occasionally on the British coast. It is very common at Madras, attaining at 

 least 16 inches m length." 



t The following is Cope's description of Balistes melanopterus : 



Radii 2. D. 24; A. 21. Diameter of orbit twice in muzzle and teeth; front convex in 

 profile, head rather acuminate; anal depth 2.66 times in same. Length of head (to 

 branchial slit) 3.33 in same. Anterior rays much larger than posterior, but not produced 

 beyond membrane. Extremity of caudal fin slightly rounded. First spinous dorsal ray 

 as long iis from orbit to rictus oris, rugose, the rugie ahuo.st sninous distally, the points 

 all directed forward, not outward, as in B. asperrimus. Third spine we'll developed. 

 .Scales with 3 rows of spines on posterior and 4 on anterior part of body. On the former 

 1 anterior is prominent and directed backward, some 10 rows being most marked; they 

 disappear toward other parts of the bodv, and the smaller spines become tubercles. The 

 whole surface of the scale is covered with these, and the radiating ridges which converge 

 towards them. Scales on scapular region very small. Pelvic plate narrow, without 

 joint, cheek scales in transver.se series. Post-pelvic rays indistinct or wanting. Color 

 blackish above, brown below, spotted except on head and anterior part of back with pale- 

 brown spots smaller than pupil ; unpaired fins uniform black, Darien. Length 4 inches. 



