1694. Bulletin //, United States National Rhisenm. 



orange patch, occupying f of height of last ray; base of last ray dusky; 

 anal marked in the same way as the soft dorsal ; a very narrow pale edge 

 to soft parts of dorsal and anal; pectoral black; caudal abruptly pale at 

 end of black caudal jieduncle, Avith a curved dark streak parallel with 

 edge of fin and nearly the diameter of the eye behind it; behind this a 

 diffuse yellow area parallel with the dark streak; lin behind with a nar- 

 row pale edging; flap of opercle narrowly pale. East Indies to west 

 coast of Mexico; taken in abundance on Socorro and Clarion islands by 

 Mr. Richard C. McGregor. Our specimens above described seem to agree 

 in all respects with accounts of the East Indian species. {ikan-aU-ala, 

 its name at the island of Oualan.) 



Acanthurus aliala, Lesson, Voyage Coquille, Zool., ii, 150, 1830, Oualan. (Coll. Lesson 



& Garnot.) 

 Acanthunis glaucopareius, Cuvier & Valenciennes, Hist. Nat. Poiss., x, 190, 1835, Oualan ; 



Molucca (after Harpuriis glaucopareius, Forsteb, unpublished drawing of specimen 



from Otabeite, called Harpurus nigricans by Bloch & Schneideb) ; GOnther, Cat., ii, 



339. 



665. XESURUS, Jordan & Evermann. 



Xesurui, Jordan &. Evermann, Cbeek-List Fishes, 421, 1896 (punctatus). 



Teeth in 1 row, each 5-lobed; caudal peduncle armed with 3 large bony 

 plates, placed in a right line, each one with a bluntish, nonserrated keel. 

 This genus is close to the East Indian genus, Priouurus Lac(?p^de, differ- 

 ing chiefly in the character of the caudal armature, the plates in Frionnrus 

 being small, sharper, and in greater number, (^edii, scraping ; ovpd, tail. ) 



a. Body very deep, the depth in adult Ig in length ; body and fins everywhere covered 

 with round blackish spots; caudal plates with elevated keel (in the male), sur- 

 rounded by smaller tubercles. P0NCTATns, 2110. 



aa. Body not very deep, not covered with blackish spots. 



b. Body ovate, the depth 2 in length ; coloration nearly uniform. 



CLABIONIS, 2111. 



bh. Body oblong, the depth 2^ in length; a broad brown lateral biind. 



LATICLAVIOS, 2112. 



2110. XESURUS PUNCTATUS (Gill). 



(GOCHINITO.) 



Head 4; depth If. D. VII, 26, or VIII, 26; A. Ill, 23; V. I. 5; snout l^in 

 head; eye 5i; pectoral long as head; ventral 1| in head; caudal l/,; second 

 dorsal spine 2 in head. Adult (of 16i inches) : Body deep, compressed, 

 covered with fine velvet; anterior profile concave before eye, then con- 

 vex, the short conic snout projecting, lower jaw included. Preopercle 

 obliquely placed, its bony edge slightly roughened. Caudal with 3 stout, 

 compressed, blunt spines, with broad bases, the tips turned upward, the 

 spines whitish, with black bases. Some specimens, probably females, with 

 no other spines ; others, probably males, with many spines, similar in form 

 but much smaller, scattered over posterior half of body, most numerous 

 about the other spines, these black in color. Young with 3 small blunt 

 laminae only. Gill rakers extremely small and weak. Caudal evenly 

 lunate; pectoral not falcate. Teeth f on each side, incisor-like, lobate. 



