Jordan and Evcnnami. — Fishes of North America, 1739 



215G. O VOICES EBETHIZOX (Jordan & GUbert). 



D. 9; A. 10. Entire body, except snout and caudal peduncle, thickly 

 beset with long, robust, quill-like spines, which are longest and most 

 numerous on l)elly, these spines sometimes apparently wanting, being 

 buried in the skin. Suout short, cuboid; iuterorbital space wide, con- 

 cave, its width greater than length of suout, and nearly twice diameter 

 of eye; nasal tentacle bitid to the l)ase, the inner surface of each division 

 thickly covered with minute, cup-shaped depressions, the openings of the 

 nostrils; length of tentacle \ its distance from eye, or \ diameter of 

 eye. Color dark brown, everywhere above with round whitish spots, most 

 numerous on caudal peduncle, the largest \ diameter of pupil ; a dark 

 area arouu<l base of pectoral, bounded by a white line; several parallel 

 longitudinal black streaks below the pectorals. . Size large; length about 

 a foot. Panama and neighboring islands, apparently rare, (crethizon, 

 the porcupine, from EpE(JiC,oo, to irritate.) 



Arothron erethizon, Jordan Sz. Gilbert, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1882,631, Panama (Type, 



No. 29679. Coll. Frank H. Bradley) ; Jordan, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 1885, 393. 

 Tetraodon ercthizon, Jordan & Edwards, I. c, 244. 



2157. OVOIDES SETOSUS (Eosa Smith). 



Head 4; eye 4 in head; snout 3; interorbital space moderate, nearly 

 flat, 1^ times width of orbit; upper profile of snout al)ruptly concave at 

 tip. Body everywhere thickly beset with short, slender, stiff spines ex- 

 cept around mouth, vent, and bases of fins; spinules nearly uniform, some 

 rootless, others with 2 to 5 roots, al)out 70 in a row from eye to dorsal. 

 Nostrils each with a tentacle, bifid to the base, the lobes flatfish and with- 

 out distinct opening. Caudal subtrunoate, i longer than peduncle; dorsal 

 and anal rounded. Coloration extremely variable; the type specimen, as 

 descril)ed by Mrs. Eigenmann, dark brown, everywhere with roundish 

 white spots, as large as pupil or larger; these spots larger below, coales- 

 cing on ventral surface, forming vermicular markings; spots on belly 

 broader than spaces of ground color, on back narrower; fins with similar 

 but smaller spots; no streaks or black marks anywliere; pectorals and 

 dorsal white-edged; imal with a pale marginal streak; most of those seen 

 in collections agree with this type. Our many specimens collected by the 

 Albatross at Clarion Island are, however, of various shades of color, rang- 

 ing from deep blue to lemon yellow, and with the spots equally variable; 

 some specimens are deep blue, unspotted, some yellow with dark mottlings 

 or blotches, some blackish with pale bluish or white spots, close set and 

 profuse; still others are l)lack with the white in the form of vermicula- 

 tions and angular streaks. One specimen is pure yellowish white, with 

 a black bar across the pectoral only. The causes of these excessive varia- 

 tions are unknown. In all, the prickles are slender and very numerous. 

 West coast of Mexico, abundant about the Revillagigedo Islands and on 

 rocky shores in the Gulf of California, dried specimens being often sold 

 at La Paz, and even in San Francisco. Length 14 inches. Very close to 

 the East Indian species Ovoides meleagris (Lacepede.) (sctosus, bristly.) 



